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The Basic Tenets of Fasting Practices

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2016-03-26 14:04:55
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By definition, fasting is the abstinence from eating. As a practice, cultures in all parts of the world have observed some form of fasting. In fact, you can fast in differing ways, and here are four of those ways. Regardless of which method you choose, be sure and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fresh filtered water.

With intermittent fasting:

  • Once or twice a week, you abstain from eating for 24 hours.

  • For most people, the easiest fast to complete is a dinner-to-dinner fast, meaning you eat dinner on, say, Tuesday and don’t eat anything again until dinner on Wednesday.

  • Coming out of the fast, aim to choose foods with the highest nutritional value, such as grass-fed, free-range meats and poultry, organic vegetables, and raw or sprouted nuts and seeds. Avoid junk food.

With the 5:2 Diet:

  • Choose two days each week in which you only consume 500 (for women) or 600 (for men) calories.

  • Split the daily caloric limits roughly evenly between breakfast and dinner (for example, 250 calories at breakfast and 250 calories in the evening).

  • Choose foods that are low on the glycemic index and that don’t unnecessarily raise your blood sugar levels.

With micro-fasting:

  • Micro-fasting involves fasting every day of the week.

  • Spend 16 hours fasting (it includes time that you’re asleep) and 8 hours not fasting (for example, fast from 10 p.m. Tuesday through 2 p.m. Wednesday).

  • Try to schedule your largest meal of the day to occur after you work out.

With the Warrior Diet:

  • To return to an ancestral eating pattern, each day is split between a period of undereating (to occur during the daytime hours) and overeating (to occur during evening hours).

  • While undereating, choose live foods, such as vegetables, some fruit, and light protein.

  • During the overeating period in the evening, eat one large meal starting with subtle-tasting vegetables, then protein, and then carbohydrates or fats.

About This Article

This article is from the book: 

About the book author:

Dr. Kellyann Petrucci is the coauthor of the health and lifestyle books Living Paleo For Dummies and Boosting Your Immunity For Dummies. She also created the successful kids' health and wellness program Superkids Wellness and the Paleo door-to-door home delivery food service Living Paleo Foods.