What You Should Know About Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is probably a trend you’ve overheard coworkers talking up around the office, and naturally you are left to wonder: Is it an effective weight loss method or just another unhealthy fad? While there’s still research to be done—particularly when it comes to the different durations and patterns one might use to fast—intermittent fasting is promising as a weight loss strategy and a boon to your overall health.

Fasting is a challenge.

Some proponents of intermittent fasting will express how easy it is, because you can eat whatever you want and then fast for a day every so often to reverse the effects. Unsurprisingly, it’s not quite so easy. Going long periods of time without eating is a challenge, especially as you get started, but some intermittent fasting plans emphasize only eating in a six-eight hour window of the day and avoiding snacking rather than skipping whole days of meals. Plus, you will need to remember that unhealthy foods and mindless snacking will run their course, even if you take the occasional day off from these bad habits.

Intermittent fasting may have benefits over other diets.

What is particularly surprising about intermittent fasting is that it has been associated not just with weight loss but also with lower rates of diabetes, breast cancer, and even conditions causing dementia.

Like any diet, though, intermittent fasting shouldn’t be considered without the opinion of a doctor. To talk to a medical professional about your nutritional needs, use MeMD to save yourself from the doctor’s office waiting room and get the answers you want fast.

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