Benefits of Intermittent Fasting: A Guide to the Ancient Practice

Ayurveda says, the best of all medicines is resting and fasting. There is no doubt that overeating is a curse but so is starving. That’s why there is a middle way – Intermittent Fasting.

Intermittent Fasting is a set routine where you eat only during a specific time and fast the rest of the time. This habit helps to keep the body fit and healthy by maintaining a disciplined routine. But down the years, the popularity of this indigenous method got eclipsed!

Here is a case study that re-establishes the forgotten power of Intermittent Fasting.

Also Read: Ayurveda is the ultimate guide to your fitness goals

Intermittent Fasting – A case study

A 43-year-old woman fought her way through infertility, complicated pregnancy, tough motherhood and deteriorating health with Intermittent Fasting.

Jayashree embraced motherhood in her later years.

From polycystic ovarian disease to endometriosis and dysfunctional uterine bleeding, she went through everything. Scores of doctors put their years of expertise. But Jayashree did not get the desired results.

She ran from clinic to temple praying for motherhood. After many attempts, Jayashree started taking medications. Four failed IVF, four years of rigorous hormonal treatments and many Ayurvedic attempts, her dream of motherhood came true.

But even her pregnancy was not smooth. She suffered from toxemia and gained 15 kgs of weight gain. Because of this she had premature delivery of her twins. This made her initial months a very tough ride.

Handling a single kid after C-Section takes a toll on the mother. And here, she was juggling with two tiny fragile lives. The first 18 months were a drilling affair.

With constant runs to the hospital and troubles in breastfeeding, the initial phase was a struggle. At forty, it was too much for her body to cope. And this is a common story!

Her health started deteriorating and this reflected in her health reports.

• Fasting glucose 210 mg/dl,
• Postprandial 270mg/dl, 
• Triglycerides 370mg/dl,
• Total cholesterol 290mg/dl,
• LDL 220mg/dl, 
• Thyroid stimulating hormone 9 mcIU/ml.

The doctors diagnosed her with diabetes, high cholesterol and hypothyroidism. Her weight went up from 70 to 85 kgs and her blood pressure 146/ 92 mm of Hg.

She went to her allopathic doctor and he prescribed a bunch of pills. But she was reluctant to dump her body with the synthetic medicines again.

Also Read: Ways to beat middle age weight gain

Ayurvedic Way for Healthy Life

As an alternative she chose Ayurveda, I repeated all the tests along with HbA1c. The results were constant and HbA1c was 8.2 %. She did not want to take any more pills and requested me for minimal medicines.

She asked if there was a natural way to recover. I knew exactly what was the best solution for her. This was a  classical case of Hyperinsulinemia, also called Metabolic Syndrome.

Two years ago my friend, an eminent urologist from Chickmagaluru, Dr. Mohan Kumar added me to a WhatsApp group, ‘food and fasting for health’. He is a strong advocate and practitioner of Intermittent Fasting. He shared valuable information that was impressive and testimonials were also inspiring.

Also Read: Size zero – It’s an eating disorder killing young girls

Intermittent Fasting – The ultimate remedy

I suggested Jayashree to try Intermittent Fasting. This is a common form of Time-Restricted Feeding. It involves fasting for 16 hours each day and only eating during the remaining 8 hours.

I planned her schedule as —‘ lunch at 12 noon and dinner at 8 pm‘. This gives an 8-hour window in between. And 8 pm to 12 noon is the 16 hours window. In the gaps she could take tea, coffee, green tea without sugar. And regular intake of water.

The diet could include Millet made dishes like foxtail millets, ragi, jowar. I also told her to take buttermilk but curd was a ‘no-no’. For lunch and dinner, salads and sprouts were great additions.

Mixed salad was particularly advised as it comes with a variety of nutrients. Peas and nuts, sprouts and greens, fruit salads with vinegar, avocado with veggies were a great aid for her recovery.

Foods to Avoid

I asked her to strictly avoid the following:

1. Avoid Aerated Drinks

Ex: Beverages charged with carbonic gas like soda, cool drinks, fruit beer, lemonade and etc.

2. Avoid Processed Foods

Ex: Cookies, cheese, packaged milk, lunch meats, hot dogs, potato chips, noodles, pickles, frozen dinners  etc.

3. Say No to Sugar

Ex: Foods like jam, aerated drinks, sweets, bread, cakes, etc. 

4. No More Fried Foods

Examples of Fried Foods: Fried Chicken,  Fried Fish, Fried Potatoes (French Fries), Fried Curries, Doughnuts, Chips

5. Stop Drinking Alcohol/wine

 Asked her to replace alcohol with fruit juices, vegetable juices and any other health drinks which might help her to recover from bad drinking habits

6. Avoid White Flour

Examples of White Flour: Croissants, donuts, bagels, cakes and cookies, pancakes, waffles, biscuits and rolls, Pasta, macaroni and cheese, fast food burger buns, pizza, breadsticks

7. No Red Meat

Examples of Red Meat: Beef,  Lamb, Mutton, Venison, Pork, Goat, Rabbit, Buffalo.

8. No Desserts

Examples of Desserts: Ice-cream sundae, Cheesecake, Chocolate fudge cake, Tiramisu, Lemon meringue pie, Treacle tart, Donuts, Muffins, Chocolate brownies, Cookies, Sticky toffee pudding, Profiteroles, Raspberry trifle, Apple pie, etc.

9. No Fast Foods

Examples of Fast Foods: Pizza, Hamburgers, French fries, Tacos, and any foods which are made up of excess oil within 5 minutes.

10. No Baked Foods

Examples of Baked Foods: Cakes, Pastries, Pies, Tarts, Quiches, Cookies, Scones, Crackers, Pretzels and Cupcakes.

The way to recovery with Intermittent Fasting

Jayashree was simply elated with the plan as it assured no more medicines. For physical activities, I recommended one-hour intense exercise, walking, swimming or cycling and she chose walking as her preferred choice. ( 6 kilometers walk in one hour, daily evening )

She followed the routine and after 90 days time, all the tests were repeated.  

Blood glucose, lipid profile and thyroid profile were marked normal. She also lost 9 kilos as a bonus. Again after 30 days, the tests were repeated and this time everything came within the normal range. 

She happily resumed her normal diet but this time with caution and awareness to avoid the junk and unhealthy. After 45 days of normal routine, we again did the tests to check the impact of her treatment. The results screamed a miracle!

Intermittent Fasting is effective

Thanks to Dr. Mohan Kumar and his ophthalmologist wife Dr. Rashmi for sharing and reviving such ingenious methods of sure-cure. They shared their experience and knowledge which immensely helped me in treating Jayashree the way she wanted to be healed.

I went on to try this method of treatment on several patients with various medical conditions and Intermittent Fasting is definitely one effective method to explore.

Disclaimer

This article is for information only and not asubstitute to the standard Medical Diagnosis or Treatment! Consult your physician before starting the Intermittent Fasting regimen.