Benefits of Fasting and Fasting Biohacking Ideas

What is Fasting?

Fasting refers to refraining from either food, drink, or both at your own will for a definite span of time. It could be done partially for some particular food or as total abstention, in which no food or liquid is consumed for one or more days. Along with religious significance for some people, fasting is good for you because it offers a lot of health benefits if undertaken in a correct and a healthy manner and executed gradually with supervision.

Health Benefits of Fasting

If conducted in a guided manner, fasting has many benefits:

Fasting Helps Weight Loss

Fasting can be a safe way to lose weight, fasting that is controlled within a set number of hours – allows the body to burn through fat cells more effectively than just regular dieting. Fasting allows the body to use fat as it’s the primary source of energy instead of sugar. Many athletes now use fasting as a means of hitting low body fat percentages for competitions.

Good for Heart

Cardiovascular problem is one of the leading causes of death across the globe and fasting can reduce its risk. Including fasting in your routine can be beneficial when it comes to heart health. It also decreases blood pressure as well as triglycerides level.

Detoxification

When no food is consumed by the body, the body turns to the fat deposits for energy, which releases chemicals from the fatty reserves and results in the eradication of these chemicals through the organs.

Speeds up the Metabolism

Fasting gives your digestive system a rest, and this can energize your metabolism to burn through calories more efficiently. If your digestion is poor, this can affect your ability to metabolize food and burn fat. Intermittent fasts can regulate your digestion and promote healthy bowel function, thus improving your metabolic function.

Control Blood Sugar Levels

Fasting can control blood sugar that can be very beneficial for people suffering from diabetes. Fasting for a short period of time can actually decrease the blood sugar level. Restricting your food and water intake for a fixed period of time reduces insulin resistance, which allows the transportation of glucose from your blood to the cells in a more effective way.

Good for Gut Health

Fasting gives your gut and stomach a relief from the grueling task of digesting the food. It also helps to improve gut flora.

Promotes Skin Health

Fasting is often linked to faster wound healing. However, this isn’t the only benefit that this form of fasting brings with it. It can aid in alleviating contact dermatitis and chronic urticaria, allergic reactions on the skin. It is believed that fasting intermittently can also reduce acne breakouts.

Brain Health

Fasting could help protect you against the effects of genetic and environmental factors that play a role in the aging of the brain and any associated frailty such as muscle loss. This form of fasting is also associated with the growth of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is responsible for emotion and memory.

Fasting Biohacking Ideas

Biohacking is essentially the practice of changing our chemistry and our physiology through science and self-experimentation to energize and enhance the body. It’s a broad definition, but that’s also because the idea of “biohacking” is constantly evolving. It can be as simple as implementing lifestyle and dietary changes that improve the functioning of your body. It can be as daily as using wearable technology to help you monitor and regulate physiological data. Or it can be as extreme as using implant technology and genetic engineering.

Types of Fast

The type of fast you choose should be appropriate for your level of health, body chemistry and any special physical needs you may have. Before starting a fast, consult with your doctor or health care provider, especially if you are on any medications or have a serious health condition. Here are some of the Fasting Ideas:

Intermittent Fasting (IF)

Intermittent fasting (IF) is gaining popularity for its ease and benefits. When we eat regularly, our bodies burn a simple sugar known as glucose for fuel. Fasting for around 9 to 16 hours (everyone’s different) depletes those glucose stores and begins to burn fatty acids known as ketones instead. This process is known as “ketosis” and it burns fat while preserving muscle mass. IF has been shown to improve cardiometabolic risk factors that lead to diabetes and metabolic disorders, improve cardiovascular health, increase longevity, and more.

There are many different variations on IF, including time-restricted fasting, where people eat only within certain windows of time that accord with their circadian rhythms. Many people prefer to stop eating after 7 or 8 p.m., fast through the night, and skip breakfast, sometimes known as the 16:8 plan. Women may not need to fast quite as long as men (approximately 14 hours for women to men’s 16 hours) to enter ketosis. Most plans recommend fasting at list a couple of times per week.

Water Fasting

Water fasting is a type of fast where you cannot consume anything besides water. This type of fast costs nothing to do and may be used to lose some weight, focus on your inner spiritual life, and possibly help your body flush out toxins. Short-term calorie restriction may help you live a longer, healthier life if done correctly but fasting can also be dangerous. Whatever your goal, approach water fasting safely, ease into it, work with an experienced healthcare professional, recognize signs of when to stop, and transition back to food slowly.

Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)

Alternate day fasting (ADF) is a subset of intermittent fasting in which participants restrict all calories for an entire day, the “fast day” followed by a “feed day.” ADF is a positive support for metabolic disorders and its risk factors. And the effects may not be temporary; for up to 24 weeks after undertaking ADF. Add in endurance exercise and ADF may be almost doubly effective. ADF diet is easier to stick to than other forms of fasting because there’s no eating to tempt you on fast days.

Juice Fast

A juice fast involves consuming liquids from fruits or vegetables only. No solid foods are eaten for a specified period of time, which can be anywhere from one day to two weeks. A juice fast is simple but requires some planning to ensure you get enough vitamins and minerals from a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables can be processed in a juicer, a blender or a food processor. A blend of fruit or vegetables is mixed with water and consumed three to six times daily.

Caloric Restriction

If you’re not sure that fasting is right for you, there’s always good old-fashioned caloric restriction (CR), reducing the number of calories you take in. It is a dietary regimen that reduces calorie intake without incurring malnutrition or a reduction in essential nutrients. To see benefits of CR fasting, one must reduce their calorie intake by 40% to 60%.

Cleansing Fast

Cleansing fasts use a liquid drink containing lemon juice, some form of simple sugar for calories and cayenne pepper or another spice. The idea is to cleanse the colon of food and toxins. The liquid is drunk 6 to 12 times daily. A more intense cleansing may use a laxative tea consumed twice daily, once in the morning and in the evening. Cleansing fasts can last from one to 14 days. Longer fasts should be supervised, and you should be aware of any symptoms of negative reactions.

Health News Tips Team Member