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What You Should Know About Fasting

What is fasting? Simply put, fasting is not eating for a set period of time. There are three types of fasts: intermittent fasting, prolonged fasting and fasting with water.

Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular dietary approaches in North America because it's simple to follow and research show it supports many benefits

The most common approaches are “time-restricted eating” methods, such as the:

  • 16:8 method (16 hours spent fasting followed by an 8-hour window of eating)
  • 14:10 method (14 hours spent fasting followed by a 10-hour window of eating)
  • 12:12 method (12 hours spent fasting followed by a 12-hour window of eating)
  • 23:1 OMAD (“One Meal a Day”) (23 hours spent fasting followed by a 1-hour window of eating)

Another example is the 5:2 method, which is five days of regular eating coupled with two non-consecutive days of consuming only 500-600 calories a day. Intermittent fasts are an excellent way to reset your metabolic health and improve your mental clarity.

Fasting with Water

During a water fast, no food is consumed, and the only drink allowed is water. While there is no set time limit for water fasting, medical experts generally suggest that 24 hours to 3 days is the maximum amount of time that the body can safely go without food. Water fasting for longer than this time frame should not be undertaken without medical supervision because of health risks. 

While water fasting can help lower blood pressure, improve insulin sensitivity and lower the risk for several chronic diseases, certain populations should always seek medical supervision for water fasting, no matter the time frame. These include older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with medical conditions and eating disorders.

 

Prolonged Fasting

Prolonged fasting refers to fasts that last longer than two consecutive days. Scientists believe that your body starts the cellular clean-up and rejuvenation process on day 3 of a prolonged fast. This process helps your cells renew themselves and act like younger cells.

Prolonged fasts are a quick way to lose weight and belly fat, reset your metabolic health, enhance your mental clarity and energy, and realize better eating habits. Through the cell- rejuvenation process, prolonged fasts can unlock profound, transformative benefits. Cell rejuvenation can enable you to live a better, fuller life throughout your years. 

 

The Benefits of Fasting

Promotes Healthy Aging

As you age, your cells slow down and become inefficient. But prolonged fasting triggers a process called “autophagy”— a self-cleaning and optimization process for your cells. Through this process, your cells begin to act like younger cells, which can enable you to live a better, fuller life.

Encourages Healthy Habits

Change your relationship with food, reduce your cravings, and gain better portion control.

Supports Metabolic Health

Maintain healthy levels of metabolic balance. Transform your lifestyle and eating habits.

What Happens to Your Body While You Fast?

Prolonged fasts unlock the deepest level of fasting and trigger your body’s natural way of cleaning house. Your cells clean and recycle old and damaged parts and renew themselves. 

What happens each day

Here's what happens to your body over the course of a five day prolonged fast

Enter Fasting State

Your body transitions into a fasting state and fat burning begins.

Fat Burning and Ketogenesis

Fat burning ramps up, contributing to the start of ketogenesis (ketone production). By the end of Day 2, ketosis may occur, which is a metabolic state that happens when fat is used to fuel the body rather than glucose.

Autophagy / Cell Clean Up

Cell clean-up begins. Fat burning and ketone production/utilization continues.

Cell Rejuvenation

Cell clean-up and renewal and fat burning continues.

Renewal and Change

Cell renewal and change continues after you complete the fast.