So in July I turned 40 and soon after I wrote a post about Intermittent Fasting.
In this post, before I go getting everyone excited about it, I feel I should dive in Who Shouldn’t Try intermittent fasting (IF) or time restricted eating (TRE).
PRO TIP: Before you try any major changes to your diet, check with your healthcare provider.
There are a few things to keep in mind before considering intermittent fasting.
A number of adverse effects have been reported, including: bad temper, low mood, lack of concentration, feeling cold, nausea, vomiting, constipation, swelling, hair loss, muscle weakness, uric acid in the blood and reduced kidney function, menstrual irregularities, abnormal liver function tests, headaches, fainting, weakness, dehydration, mild metabolic acidosis, preoccupation with food, erratic eating patterns, binging, and hunger pangs.
If done too often or for too many days IF can have more serious effects.
Fasting for several weeks (about 5-7 weeks) becomes starvation even in healthy adults. At this point your body starts consuming muscles and vital organs. This can also lead to excessive weight loss, anemia, chronic diarrhea, delirium, lactic acidosis, small bowel obstruction, kidney failure, heart arrhythmias, and eventually death.
You know, all the reasons starvation diets and actual starving have a bad reputation.
Excessive fasting can lead to malnutrition (including vitamin B1 deficiency), decreased bone density, eating disorders, susceptibility to infectious diseases, or moderate damage to organs.
Limit fasting to avoid these effects.
Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I may come back to it some day.
For now, I’m excited to cover the benefits in the next post!
IF can provide a lot of health benefits, and according to Patterson & Sears (2017):
“Overall, evidence suggests that intermittent fasting regimens are not harmful physically or mentally (i.e. in terms of mood) in healthy, normal weight, overweight, or obese adults.”
So we will discuss that next!
xox
Dana
