The low-down on intermittent fasting

Mumbai: Evangelised by celebrities, fitness freaks and social media influencers alike, intermittent dieting has been in vogue for some time now. While everyone is highlighting the pros, there are some cons to this dieting regime, which you should know.

To explain intermittent dieting in simple terms, it refers to a diet plan that cycle between a period of fasting and non-fasting over a defined period. In this type of fasting, the blood level in the insulin drops significantly and this compels to the body mechanism to burn the fat stored in the body.

Additionally, this diet plan is good for detoxification. The body induces an important cellular repair process, like that of removing toxins from the cells. It is considered to be quite effective.

However, one should know that intermittent dieting isn’t risk-free. Sweedal Trinidade, Senior Dietician, P. D. Hinduja Hospital & MRC highlights the downside of this dieting plan:

• Over-eating and digestive issues: Most of us are used to having frequent meals and switching over to a small window for consuming meals. This can pose a challenge in meeting the nutritional requirements of a person. In addition, hunger bouts can lead to overeating and indulging in calorie-dense foods. Also, large meals can leave a person feeling of bloated and put a lot of stress on the digestive system.
• Dehydration: Intake of liquids decreases during the fasting window; also over-reliance on caffeinated beverages can lead to dehydration.
• Food Cravings: Fasting makes hunger more intense and food cravings worse, it may lead to overeating.
• Reduction in Athletic Performance: Athletic performance decreases, as it is not possible to consume the recommended calories for optimum performance in the short window period.
• Headaches and irritability: Headaches are a common occurrence during fasting. Most people complain of mild headaches every now and then, while others experience them throughout. Low blood sugar levels can also lead to irritability.

On the other hand, dietician Nilanjan Das shares that in certain cases it has been observed that this kind of dieting may have adverse effects on the pancreas. Intermittent dieting may damage the pancreas and disrupt the insulin function which may cause diabetes and raise other health concerns. 

Some intriguing facts:

It is true that fasting helps you lose weight. However, it does not matter how long you fast, but what type of meal you eat makes the difference. A calorie-dense diet without any physical activity will promote fat storage.

Fasting is better than snacking throughout the day for weight loss. Having a consistent calorie diet, good amount of physical activity and choosing well-balanced food options when having snacking or having meal matters.