I’m not the biggest fan of diets. I like to eat healthy, but I think it’s risky to limit yourself too much. When I first heard about intermittent fasting (IF), I’ll admit that I wasn’t sold. Like I said, I’m a skeptic when it comes to diets. I’ve spent enough time reading teen magazines in my youth to know the harm that these fad diets can cause. However, I decided to do some digging into IF to answer the question: is intermittent fasting good for you?

It’s important to clarify that IF focuses more on when you consume food rather than what you eat. People prefer to call it an eating patter rather than a diet, which I think is fair. Intermittent fasting usually involves fasting for 16 hours. However, some people prefer to fast for 24 hours two days out of the week. There are other methods as well.

image taken from Healthline

There are a plethora of benefits to intermittent fasting such as weight loss, lowering blood sugar, and improved overall hearth health. You might ask yourself why then is there resistance to intermittent fasting. For one, it’s not for everyone. When starting out, it can increase cortisol (the stress hormone), and it can leave people feel sluggish and not as mentally sharp. If you have diabetes, are pregnant or trying to conceive, or have heart problems, this diet will do more harm than good. In general, intermittent fasting is not a long term solution. We’ve talked about mental health in another post, but we must talk about it again in relation to IF. When you have a restrictive diet, it can create an unhealthy relationship between yourself and food. Let’s not forget about the guilt that can come with not following a diet to perfection.

To answer the question posed earlier: is intermittent fasting good for you? You’ll have to decide that for yourself. Like most things, it’s personal. Make an informed decision before you start.