Intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets are getting a lot of attention.

Intermittent fasting, many people have a hard time wrapping their brains around these concepts.

This is mainly because we have been told for years now that we should eat 6-8 small meals a day to keep our metabolism going (the complete opposite of intermittent fasting), and that the brain thrives on carbohydrates and simple sugars, and therefore, we must consume these to fuel the brain (the complete opposite of ketogenic diets).

So what is all the hype about these lifestyle changes?

There are many different types of intermittent fasting that are out there.   You might have heard of some of these time-regimen based diets: Lean Gains, The Alternate-Day Diet, and The Warrior Diet. Intermittent fasting is also being used by many athletes to decrease body fat and promote healthy weight maintenance. Research has shown that this can help with obesity, metabolic concerns, insulin resistance, heart disease, and neurological concerns like Alzheimer’s.

When we look at intermittent fasting, we change the eating schedule to allow for periods of time where food is not being ingested. In a nutshell, you eat the food you want to eat but in a smaller time frame. Some people incorporate it into their daily life and eat for 8 hours a day and fast for 16 hours a day. Others will incorporate 1 or 2 days a week where they fast for the entire day. This includes some people that fast from lunch one day to lunch the next day.

To properly accomplish intermittent fasting, it is necessary to eat real whole foods. You must eliminate cravings to accomplish appetite control and satiety. To get the most benefits, I truly recommend incorporating intermittent fasting with another known beneficial lifestyle: The Ketogenic Diet.

The ketogenic diet has been around since the early 1900s. It used to be the main treatment choice for seizures/epilepsy because it successfully helped control abnormal neurological concern. Ketogenic diets focus on high fat (good fats), moderate protein, and drastically restricting carbs. The basic percentage is about 70% fat, 20% protein, and less than 5% carbs. This is quite different from the Standard American Diet that recommends 45-65% of carbohydrates from their daily calories. By drastically decreasing carbs, the body goes to fat for fuel. In this state, the liver will create ketones. Not only will the body and brain use ketones for fuel, but it will help regulate insulin and blood sugar. There are definite research-based benefits to eating a ketogenic diet, and it has been shown to help possibly with epilepsy, cancer, and other diseases.

Truly one of the benefits of intermittent fasting is that it gives he body a break from digestion. For our bodies to digest food, many processes have to occur. These processes lead to many side effects and oxidation. The Oxidation produces free radicals and therefore, increased aging at a faster pace.

From a physiological standpoint, ketogenic diets and intermittent fasting provide many similar benefits. Ultimately, the biggest benefit is the decreased need for insulin. Higher levels of insulin not only cause havoc on blood sugar control but also push the body into fat storage. Over time, increased insulin levels stress the body and cause hormone imbalances. These imbalances are especially prevalent in women because increased insulin levels will increase testosterone levels and throw off progesterone and estrogen levels.

There are some basic suggestions that I recommend for someone that is interested in incorporating this lifestyle:

• Start by going more towards the ketogenic diet guidelines. Start to take out unneeded carbs and start to increase the good fats.
• Incorporate avocados, olive oil, ghee/organic butter, nuts, and other good fats as much as possible.
• It is important to decrease cravings as much as possible. You can incorporate some supplements to help with cravings. Chromium and cinnamon are great for stabilizing blood sugars. 5-HTP and St. John’s Wort can help to balance serotonin that can help with cravings.
• Remember if you fast one day a week, then you have fasted 52 days each year. That is the equivalent of 7 weeks of fasting.
• If you would like to incorporate daily fasting, then start with a few hours and increase fasting time slowly.
• Utilize online resources. There are excellent Ketogenic Diet recipes online. Also, many Paleo Diet recipes will also fit into this lifestyle.

Dr. Meaghan Kirschling