How Fasting Can Enhance Physical Wellbeing

Fasting & cutting down eating hours has been found to have a number of physical wellbeing benefits. How it can help and 10 ways to try it below

What is Fasting?

12 Potential Health Benefits of Fasting

Further Exploration – Articles & Media

What is Fasting?

Fasting is abstinence from all or certain types of food and drink. There are many forms and it can be undertaken intermittently (i.e. with no eating during parts of the day or not on certain days) or by cutting certain foods from your daily intake,

Historically people have practiced fasting for religious, spiritual or medical reasons. However many studies have now confirmed that there are associated health benefits. Fasting is fast becoming a popular way to boost physical wellbeing. The potential health benefits and 10 ways to try it below.

“The discipline of fasting breaks you out of the World's routine.”

Jentezen Franklin

12 Potential Health benefits of fasting

Many studies have been carried out on the health benefits of fasting and some of the benefits found are below. See the further exploration section below for articles detailing specific scientific study

Weight Loss
Fat Loss
Boosts metabolism
Improved blood sugar control by reducing insulin
Fight & reduce inflammation
Disease Prevention
Helps to control blood pressure and cholesterol levels
Enhanced brain function
Increased longevity
Detoxification
Improved Eating Patterns
Rejuvenates the face and clears up acne

"The best of medicines are resting and fasting”

Benjamin Franklin

10 Ways To Try Fasting

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is the most common and less extreme version of fasting. It involves cutting certain meals and only eating at certain times. There are a number of ways to go about it

1. 8 Hour Eating Window (16:8 Method)

The 8 hour eating window method means fasting for 16 hours per day and having an 8 hour slot during which to eat. An example day would be skipping breakfast, having the first meal around 12 (midday) and the final large meal of the day at around 7.30pm

2. 2 Days Per Week No Eating (5:2 Method)

Eating as normal for 5 days per week while picking two (spaced out) days during which not to eat at all (drinking only water)

3. 2 Days Per Week Low Calorie Days

Eating as normal for 5 days per week while picking two (spaced out) days during which a lot less calories are eaten (e.g. under 500 calories)

4. Alternating Days

Fasting on one day and eating normally on the next. Alternating the days between eating and not eating (drinking water on the non-eating days)

5. Night / Day Fasting

Not eating at night or not eating during the day. Usually splitting the day up into 12 hour periods (i.e. night & day), fasting during one and eating during the other

6. One Meal Per Day

Fairly self explanatory! Eating just one healthy meal per day

7. Warrior Fasting

Eating like a warrior! Similar to one meal per day, this involves one eating just one healthy meal per day but also have much smaller healthy snack throughout the day.

Other Types of Fasting

8. Water Fasting

As the name suggests, this involves only drinking water. The duration is dependent on the goal of the individual however would generally be between 24 – 72 hours. If you intend to water fast for a longer duration ensure you have medical supervision

9. Selective Fasting

This involves cutting certain food types out of your diet, e.g. carbohydrates. This is a highly popular type of fasting and is a pre-requisite of many modern diets, e.g. the Keto diet

10. Juice Fasting

Only drinking juice from fruits or vegetables. The health benefits are fairly self explanatory as it involves the intake of only healthy foods packed with vitamins and nutrients

***As with any change to physical wellbeing, if you are making large scale changes it is best to seek medical advice prior to doing so***