Intermittent fasting. instructions in 4 steps to get started risk-free

In the context of rethinking their lifestyle and striving for better health, some try intermittent fasting. While its usefulness and benefits remain contested within the scientific community, culinary asceticism has never been more attractive, especially in its “intermittent” version. “It’s part of the therapeutic arsenal of a healthy lifestyle, just like diet and physical activity,” says Sarah Merran (1), a general practitioner specializing in nutritional and functional medicine. His interest? Relax the digestive system, says the doctor, and “allow the body to ‘recycle’ itself, teach it to destroy, which it cannot do if we give it regular food.” According to the doctor, intermittent fasting would allow even high-level athletes to improve their performance.

Unlike classical fasting, which involves going without solid food for at least three consecutive days, intermittent fasting consists of not eating anything for a period of time. Less scary, less restrictive. There are several options: fasting every day, one day a week, the “5:2 diet” (five days of a balanced diet and two days of calorie restriction), or even “overnight” fasting, meaning 16 hours without eating. This last alternative is the most affordable (between dinner and breakfast we already fast for an average of 8 to 10 hours). How to do it? Handbook:

Fasting for 16 hours

This method involves either eating dinner too early and not eating again until lunch the next day, or skipping dinner and resuming breakfast. “It is important not to see this as a disappointment, but to keep in mind the goal of well-being. It’s best to avoid saying to yourself, ‘I’m skipping a meal,’ but rather think of it as giving your digestive system a break,” emphasizes Dr. Sarah Merran. Those for whom it is impossible to do without an evening meal can have a very light and fairly plant-based meal, giving preference to vegetables rather than fruits, which are lower in calories and easier to digest.

It’s best to avoid saying to yourself, “I’m skipping a meal,” but rather see it as giving your digestive system a break.

Sarah Merran, general practice

If you are not ingesting anything solid, you need to hydrate yourself by consuming liquids throughout the fast. No interesting drinks on the menu, but water, broths, infusions based on milk thistle to stimulate your liver, like Sara Merran. “You can also use your vegetable broth that has been well washed and cleaned beforehand. We season it with fresh herbs with digestive properties like thyme, antiseptic with sage, or digestive with anise,” advises Eleanor Gerard, fasting specialist and creator of Sources fasting and detox retreats.

Once or twice a week

For breakfast, of course, you’ll have to forgo scrambled eggs with feta and opt for an infusion instead, which is a pain in the ass for some. Hence the interest to take care of the moment and make it attractive. “You can enhance the infusion with squeezed fruit (orange slices), small pieces of turmeric or ginger, sage or rosemary,” notes Eleanor Gerard. The latter recommends sweetening everything with honey or coconut sugar, which has a very low glycemic index. When resuming eating at lunch, Sarah Merran advises to listen to your body and its desires, eat less if the feeling of hunger is not significant and, of course, avoid too heavy, too fatty menus.

What about the regularity of intermittent fasting? You can practice it once or twice a week and practice it on the weekends if it feels easier to practice. You can also fast for a few days after the excess. If some panic at the thought of not eating for 16 hours, Dr. Sarah Merran reassures and reminds that “the body has reserves to survive on average 40 days.”

(1) Sarah Merran is co-author with Thierry Thomas My Fasting Bible, The Complete Essential Guide to a Risk-Free Practice (Ed. Leduc.s) will be published in February, 456 p., €20.

*Originally written in January 2020, this article has been updated.