Lindsay Boyers - The Everything Guide to Intermittent Fasting

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THE

GUIDE TO INTERMITTENT FASTING

Dear Reader,

If you would have told me ten years ago that purposefully skipping meals could balance my hormone levels, help me lose weight, boost my energy, reduce inflammation, and improve my brain health, I would have told you that you were crazy. Well, I might have been a little nicer about it, but I definitely would have thought you were crazy.

At the time, I was in my last year of my undergraduate program in nutrition and I was a firm believer that the key to health and maintaining a healthy weight was small, frequent meals throughout the day.

I actually stumbled upon intermittent fasting by accident, although at the time I didnt even know what it was. I got so busy with work and life that I just found myself skipping breakfast and forgetting to eat sometimes. Although I wasnt doing it on purpose, one day I realized that I felt better. I was sleeping better, I dropped a few excess pounds without trying to, and my anxiety levels went down. I also stopped obsessing about fooda problem I had dealt with throughout most of my time in college. I decided to dive in a little further, and thats when a whole new world opened up for me. When I started immersing myself into intermittent fasting, functional nutrition, and ancestral health, it just all made sense. Eat like our ancestors used to? Keep the body guessing? Sign me up for that.

It may seem counterintuitive that you could experience all of these health benefits by skipping meals, but stick with me. If you take the time to learn about intermittent fasting and how it affects your body and then, more importantly, take the time to try it for yourself, you may discover that getting back to basics has been the answer all along.

Lindsay Boyers, CHNC

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HAVE YOU HEARD THAT intermittent fasting can help you lose weight? Are you looking to gain muscle and drop those extra pounds? If so, youre in the right place. Intermittent fasting can do both of those thingsbut thats not all it can do. The benefits of intermittent fasting extend far beyond weight lossfrom immune-system enhancement to inflammation prevention. Thats right: skipping meals can improve your total health!

Strategically skipping meals also balances your blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn can improve mental clarity, reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and fat gain, and protect you from developing neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimers disease. And if youre looking to delay the effects of aging, intermittent fasting can help there too. Intermittent fasting places temporary stress on your cells; over time, as your body acclimates to dealing with stress, it becomes better at delaying aging processes by more effectively repairing physical injuries, fighting off disease, and gaining muscle mass.

Of course, like anything nutrition- and diet-related, its important to learn the basics and your specific bodys needs, and also to experiment with which plan is right for you. In The Everything Guide to Intermittent Fasting , youll discover everything you need to be successful, no matter your reasons for fasting. Youll learn more about each of the following popular fasting methods:

16/8Fast for sixteen hours and eat within the remaining eight hours eat day.

Eat Stop EatEat regularly for five days each week and fast for the remaining two days.

5:2Eat regularly for five days each week and eat two meals each day for the remaining two days.

Alternate dayAlternate between eating regularly one day and eating two meals the next.

Each method comes with unique advantages: the 16/8 method is more scheduled and focused on the day-to-day process, while the Eat Stop Eat, 5:2, and alternate day methods are more flexible and focused on the week as a whole. Are you unsure of which schedule would be best? In these chapters, youll learn exactly which method is right for you.

Chapters 711 are full of 150 delicious, healthy recipes. From Tomato Spinach Frittata Muffins to South American Chili, these easy-to-make dishes will keep you full no matter which way you choose to fast. While many of the recipes are heartier so you are able to fit all of your nutritional needs into your fasting schedule with ease, some recipes are less than 500 calories (marked by an * symbol), for those feeding windows when you are in the mood for something a bit lighter or for a snack to tide you over in between larger meals. In addition to these recipes, youll find detailed two-week meal plans for each fasting type.