Intermittent Fasting: The Answer or Passing Fad?
by Marieke Breakey, B.Sc HNS, Registered Dietitian, Recreation Services at the University of Manitoba Advocates of intermittent fasting tout it as "the answer" to weight loss, chronic disease, and longevity. Claims include increased energy, loss of body fat, decreased inflammation, enhanced "mental clarity," and even reversal of type II diabetes. But can this method of eating (or not eating, in this case), really be of benefit to most people? First – what is fasting? Fasting, just means, “to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods” 1 . Most humans have a daily fasting period that begins before their bedtime, followed by the feeding period, which starts at the first eating opportunity after waking (for many, this is breakfast). Per popular opinion, intermittent fasting refers to a group of several diet plans that involve a period of eating and a period of abstaining from food or fasting. This offers an alternative to many popular weight loss diets involv