Fasting

7 March 2021

Over the years I’ve experimented a lot with food. Without going into detail, let’s just say that I’ve had periods where food has been unnecessarily complicated.

Luckily this is not the case anymore, and I can truly enjoy food without complications.

I’m still fascinated by food as fuel for body and mind. Not only what we eat, but also how we eat.

From my initial reading binge on fasting many years ago, I recall seeing early evidence of particularly striking benefits related to aging and longevity. Turning 40 last year made me re-examine the research on fasting more closely yet again.

Fasting, simply put, is the willful refrainment from eating. While fasting can take many forms, I’ve arrived at a simple approach that works well for me:

• Restrict daily eating to an 8-10 hour window
• Fast for 24 hours once every week

In practical terms, this means I don’t eat breakfast, and once a week I skip lunch as well. In addition to providing several benefits, it also effectively removes several decisions from my life.

I find that mondays are generally ideal for the weekly 24 hour fast. This sets the tone for the rest of the week. It puts me in the driver seat for a new week.

Fasting has many benefits. For me the most important ones are:

• Lowered blood insulin and sugar levels
• Improved mental clarity and concentration
• Increased energy
• Cellular clensing by stimulating autophagy (replacing old cells with new)

This overall approach works well even during intense training periods, and during busy weeks. Travelling days often mean that I fast, as this will decrease the risk of settling for junk food.