Intermittent Fasting: Eat. Break. Feel Great.

Within the pages of a publication that celebrates all the fresh delicacies New Jersey has to offer, it might seem contrary to even suggest putting down the knife and fork. But while a wholesome, nutritious diet is critical for optimal health, research shows that it can be good to take a break from eating.

Our bodies run on carbohydrates, fats, protein, water, vitamins, and minerals. “The resulting product is glucose, which is the energy source that fuels our bodies,” says Rosemary Logue, clinical dietitian at Wescott Medical Arts Center in Flemington. Excess glucose not used as energy, she adds, gets stored as fat.

“The whole premise of intermittent fasting is to mobilize those reserves of stored energy [fat] to be used as fuel, rather than constantly take in more food that our bodies still need to break down,” she says.

While there are several forms of intermittent fasting, Logue says the most common is limiting your eating window to an eight-hour period each day, and “resting’” (not eating) for 16.

“You have to find the period of fasting that works for you and your lifestyle, and when it makes the most sense to eat first and last within that window,” she says, adding she typically advises her clients to start out by eating one hour later in the morning, and one hour earlier in the evening.

“YOU HAVE TO FIND THE PERIOD OF FASTING THAT WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR LIFESTYLE.”

When first trying intermittent fasting, you may experience symptoms like dizziness, hunger, or light-headedness, but Logue says adapting to intermittent fasting truly varies depending on the individual, and their established eating habits.

“You will have to ask yourself if you’re psychologically hungry or physiologically hungry,” she says. “Check in and think about when you last ate and if your blood sugar is low, if you’re having a hard time concentrating, if your stomach is growling, if it has been six hours since you last ate—to know if you’re actually hungry,” she says. “If you just ate lunch and someone offers you birthday cake, it’s easy to think you’re hungry when you’re actually not.”

Logue says most people who fast intermittently opt for at least two complete meals each day and maybe a snack, and that nutrition is still an important factor.

“Eat quality food. If you have a very poor diet and you’re only eating over the course of eight hours a day, your body will still reflect what you put into it,” she says. Logue recommends sticking to foods that consist of complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and hydrating fluids.

Perhaps one of the selling points that makes intermittent fasting so successful is that there’s nothing to buy.

“It’s free—all is takes is discipline,” says Dr. Kun Pan, internal medicine specialist at RWJ Barnabas Health in Clark. “In addition to saving money, you save yourself from the side effects of popular weight-loss injections like Ozempic and Mounjaro.”

WHILE ACHIEVING DISCIPLINE CAN SOMETIMES BE DIFFICULT, PAN SAYS FEELING GOOD IS OFTEN THE GREATEST MOTIVATOR.

While achieving discipline can sometimes be difficult, Pan says feeling good is often the greatest motivator.

“Though in the beginning you may feel hungry or crave sugar, once you begin using up your glucose stores, you’ll start to feel good.”

Aside from weight loss, intermittent fasting benefits include improving blood sugar (glucose) levels, which can lead to stabler energy and a clearer state of mind.

“When you have excess glucose, it impairs cognitive function,” says Pan, referring to the “brain fog” you get from eating high-carb foods like pizza.

He explains that the fasting period also allows our bodies to “take out the trash,” so to speak, in our cells.

“During intermittent fasting, your body takes excess proteins and toxic waste material out of your system, which is very beneficial,” says Pan. “Research shows the cognitive function goes up in those partaking in intermittent fasting, especially for those with mild cognitive impairment—which is a precursor to dementia.”

While many may benefit from intermittent fasting, those with certain health challenges should take heed.

“Those with hypoglycemia, Type 1 diabetes, or those with Type 2 diabetes who require insulin should use caution before trying intermittent fasting,” says Deborah Cohen, associate professor of the Department of Clinical and Preventative Nutrition Science at Rutgers University in Newark. She adds that pregnant or breast-feeding women, children under 12, elderly individuals, and those with disordered eating patterns should think twice about this method of restrictive eating. “If you’re looking to dramatically change your way of eating, it’s important to reach out to a registered dietitian, as general physicians may not have the training or the time to counsel patients on this sort of diet.”

Regardless, Cohen recommends intermittent fasting on an occasional basis, emphasizing how maintaining overall good health should be a lifetime goal.

“Any new diet or eating regimen should be something one can easily adhere to, is affordable, accessible, and flexible—what happens if someone’s wedding, first date, or vacation falls in a fasting period?” she says. “When it comes to trying a new diet, it should never get in the way of living your life.”

INTERMITTENT FASTING:
 

A Primer on Names and Numbers Courtesy of Deborah Cohen, associate professor at the Department of Clinical and Preventative Nutrition Science, Rutgers University, Newark.

There are numerous ways to seek the benefits of intermittent fasting. They include:

• Time-restricted fasting (TRF), limiting food intake to an eight-hour period of each day and fasting for the remaining 16 hours.
• Alternate-day fasting (ADF), cycling between fasting days on which little or no energy-containing foods or beverages are consumed and non-fasting days with unrestricted consumption. Calorie intake on fasting days can vary from 0 calories to 25% of caloric needs, depending on the protocol.
• Fasting for 24 hours once a week.
• The 5:2 diet, where you eat five days each week as you normally would, then reduce your caloric intake by one third for the remaining two.
• Eating just one meal each day (OMAD).