I started intermittent fasting over a year ago because of the benefits that I feel it can give me as someone with a chronic neurological condition. I was particularly interested in the autophagy benefits (which is the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells) Autophagy will normally be triggered anywhere between 18 hours and to 4 days.
I initially started on the 16/8 intermittent fasting, did it every day religiously, but then realised that a lot of things weren't working for me. so now I fast more intermittently but over longer periods of time and I am probably more mindful of how I break my fasts and what foods I eat when I do.
There is nothing complicated in my process, I tend to stick to the same type of foods, but mix it up a bit for variety. My rule of thumb is:
- gentle foods
- re-feed the gut with natural bacteria
- re-build the tissues
I have kept the video as short as possible as it is more to show you the types of foods that I eat and why I eat them.
Based on an 20 hour fast (fasting from 7pm until 3pm the next day)
As an example, I love to wake up to a hot drink every morning and usually this is a cup of tea. So all I am doing on an fasting day is keeping the hot drink, but having an alternative like hot fresh lemon, black coffee or a herbal tea.
I will then feed my gut bacteria, so I drink kefir, or I eat sauerkraut. You can eat other fermented vegetables too and kimchi. Apple cider vinegar is also another good option and keeps you feeling fuller too.
I would then eat my steamed veg and have lots of dark stuff like broccoli, brussel spouts, spinach. Eat cabbage and cauliflower and if you are having salad add things like kale.
If you are not bothered about the autophagy benefits, at this point you can add lentils, tofu, fish, chicken etc to make the dishes fuller. Home made soup is also very good and you can add things like sweet potatoes to make it make filling. You don't need to follow a set recipe, just have fun and make dishes up as you go - you will be surprised how tasty they are. If you know you have the right foods, you can't really go wrong.
-Have a steak, make some sweet potato fries, put some nice salad on the side
-Grill some salmon, have some couscous, steam some veg on the side
-Slice up some cucumber and carrot wedges as dips, grind up some chick peas and make an awesome home made hummus as a quick snack
- Make a vegetable curry using cauliflower, potatoes and green beans and chillis....
The options are endless, and if you are vegetarian or vegan obviously you can cut the meat and fish out and find what works for you.
If eating fruit, I would stick to things like grapes, apples, melons, grapefruit, blueberries. But.. I will also eat bananas and strawberries. It depends on whether you want to stick to the alkaline fruits or are not that bothered...
MAKE SURE YOU ARE ALWAYS DRINING YOUR 2 LITRES OF WATER A DAY!
I also eat lots and lots of nuts towards the end of my fast! mostly macadamia nuts because they are low in carbs and sugar and have a moderate fibre content which will make them unlikely to spike your blood sugar levels and therefore raise your insulin levels.
I try to cut out rice and potatoes on my fasting days as the research tells me that they can spike your insulin levels quicker, but this is just my preference...
This is the point, fasting HAS to be what suits YOU. Fast every day of the week if that's good for you, fast one day of the week if that's good for you, fast once a month...... Do whatever works for you because ultimately even if you do it once a month it's still having some sort of benefit on the body.
Peace out x
28 июл 2024
