Intermittent fasting is a powerful way of healing your body of insulin resistance, pre-diabetes and diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Fasting stimulates autophagy, in which dead and cancerous cells are recycled and their protein are then used to repair other damaged cells, making it a powerful anti-aging process that actually saves you time and money. Regardless of what diet you're on, everybody can do intermittent fasting!
However, if you're on diabetes medication, make sure that you discuss with your GP and reduce the dose that lowers your blood sugar level. Monitor your blood sugar regularly to ensure that it's not too low as it could be fatal. If you're on aspirin, talk to your GP before you fast because it is highly acidic and can cause stomach ulcers if you were too fast.
Fasting offers a range of benefits depending on the duration of the fasting period. Let's explore the benefits at different time intervals:
17 hours: A 17-hour fast allows your body to experience the benefits of autophagy, a cellular cleaning process. It may promote fat burning, enhance insulin sensitivity, and support weight management.
24 hours: Extending your fast to 24 hours can further promote autophagy and increase growth hormone levels. This may aid in cellular repair, improve autoimmune diseases that starts in the gut, metabolic flexibility, and potentially lead to weight loss.
You gut starts producing stem cells to repair itself after 24 hours of fasting, which is perfect for resetting your gut & its microbiome. Drink hydrogenated water that nourishes your microbiome while you're fasting.
36 hours: A 36-hour fast continues to stimulate autophagy and may provide additional benefits such as improved blood sugar control, reduced inflammation, and increased mental clarity.
48 hours: At the 48-hour mark, your body starts undergoing deeper autophagy, promoting cellular rejuvenation and detoxification. This can enhance immune function, support brain health, and provide a reset for your digestive system. It also stimulates the growth of dopamine receptors, uplifting your moods.
72 hours: A 72-hour fast takes the benefits of autophagy to a the peak level. During this extended fast, your body can experience increased energy, improved insulin sensitivity, and a significant cellular detoxification process. The human growth hormones make us grow more brain cells and conserve our muscles so that we don't lose our muscles.
1 week: A one-week fast can lead to significant metabolic changes, including improved insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, and potential weight loss. It may also provide mental clarity and promote a sense of self-discipline.
2 weeks: Extending your fast to two weeks may offer more profound effects on weight loss, insulin regulation, and cellular rejuvenation. However, it's essential to approach longer fasts with caution and consult with a healthcare professional.
3 weeks and 4 weeks: Extended fasting beyond two weeks should only be undertaken with close medical supervision. While longer fasts can potentially provide more significant weight loss and potential therapeutic benefits, they require careful monitoring to ensure safety and proper nutrition such as taking a multivitamins.
Remember, fasting durations beyond 24 hours or 48 hours may not be suitable for everyone. It's crucial to consult with a healthcare professional before attempting extended fasts to ensure they align with your individual health needs and goals.
Let's look at what you're allowed to consume when you're fasting:
Black coffee, tea, green tea, lemon juice, soda water. You're allowed to add a teaspoonful of cream, C8 MTC oil and butter each into your bullet-proof coffee or tea.
You can also have a homemade bone or vegetable broth any time. You can add Himalayan salt to it to sustain your electrolytes, sodium and minerals. It will keep you rehydrated and the gelatine of the bone broth will heal the holes in your intestines if you happen to have leaky gut from celiac or SIBO.
Try being on a 3-month fast just on bone broth to completely seal the holes in your gut. Break your fast with a banana if you have SIBO because it would kill the bacteria overgrowth in your gut.
In theory, you must not have anything else with calories and do not add any sugar replacements even though they might be zero calorie, they would still stimulate your insulin level because it is sweet.
However, if you're starving during a long fast and you need some energy to carry you through, you can have the following fasted snacks that don't spike your blood sugar level: 2 tablespoonful of nut butter, 1/4 cup of grass-fed raw cream, 1 tablespoonful of C8 MCT oil or avocado oil.
Please note that fasting should be approached responsibly and should not be undertaken by certain individuals, such as pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with specific medical conditions such as eating disorder, or those on certain medications such as, diabetes and aspirin.
The world record of someone fasting was 382 days, a Scottish man who lived on coffee, sparkling water and vitamins. He was under medical supervision and did not suffer from any adverse effects and deficiencies.
According to Dr. Jason Fung, diabetes can be reversed by intermittent fasting. It's paradoxical that patients are given even more insulin as a treatment when they are insulin-resistant because they already have too much insulin that they are not responding to it and it's not bringing their blood sugar down. And with too much insulin in their blood stream, there is no way that they can bring their body weight down, yet they do need to lose weight in order to heal from diabetes.
If you are a woman, however, follow Dr. Mindy Pelz's guideline and fast according to your hormonal cycles, with Day 1 being the first day of your period. Follow it even though you might not have a cycle, imagine that you have one and fasting this way might bring back your normal cycles or even fertility.
Fasting is different from starvation in that we choose not to eat and we are not depriving ourselves of anything. If ever you feel nauseous, sick or dizzy, then stop fasting immediately.
Break you fast with a bone broth to keep healing your gut, followed by probiotic-rich food such as, kefir with berries, nuts & seeds; sauerkraut with your favourite protein; miso soup & steamed vegetables; and have water-soluble prebiotics like, inulin or acacia fibre to feed your microbiome to complete the gut reset.
Make sure that you regularly test your blood sugar as you wake up, before food and an hour after consuming food and observe how everything affects you. I have a machine called 2in1 that tests your blood sugar with your phone and a strip to test the drop of blood after pricking your finger as well as a breathalyser called, Ketonix to measure my ketones.
If your blood sugar drops below 50 mg/dL (2.2 mmol/L) and your ketones rise above 7 or 8 mmol/L this is a warning sign that you should break your fast.
Fasting is the time to reset your relationship with food, to notice your addictions and to disrupt your eating patterns. Fasting is when you heal and rejuvenate your body as well as your mind. Make good use of your time to focus on what you might have been neglecting and to regulate your blood sugar as well as your insulin. You will be amazed by how resilient your body is and its ability to heal itself! Set goals and intentions for your fast and don't stop fasting until you have reached your health goal.
The key to successful weight loss is to vary the length of your fast and not do the same thing every single day or week. Shock and surprise your body, add a longer fast every week so that your weight loss doesn't plateau!
To enhance weight loss, make sure that your detox pathways are open by doing coffee enemas that goes through your bile duct and directly detoxes your gall bladder and liver; far-infrared sauna that draws toxins directly from your body without going through your blood stream; rebounding on a trampoline to stimulate your lymphatic circulation; inversion, a triple-salt bath with magnesium flakes, Himalayan and Epsom salt followed by dry brushing; drink pure celery juice if it doesn't spike your blood sugar, organic dandelion tea and bitter lettuce such as chicory, radicchio and rocket to cleanse and nourish the liver.
Visit my website vickyvortex.com and book a Breakthrough Call with me should you need more support and vitality coaching.
Happy healing everyone!
Resources:
https://lewishowes.com/podcast/the-science-of-intermittent-fasting-foods-to-live-longer-with-jason-fung/