Dr. Kanika Chauhan

fasting day or nigh

Should you fast during the Day or Night?

This is an often debated and speculated topic with sufficient backing of data to support both sides of the debate. However, with further research and developments in the field of nutrition and diet, it can be concluded that fasting during the night and the first half of the morning is more effective than fasting during the day and eating at night. Those practicing the former dietary routine weigh lesser and are overall healthier than those practicing the latter. The model of intermittent fasting is also based on fasting during the night and morning and eating your meals between 12 pm – 8 pm, along with at least 2 litres of water and a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise in a day. The meals should be balanced in nature with the goodness of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, for energy. Although there must be a strict check kept on the intake of carbs as it has proven to be the biggest facilitator of weight gain. The myth of completely stopping the intake of carbs should be broken and instead, portion control must be practiced.

It is observed that those individuals not consuming the basic calories required by the human body in a day say roughly – 2000 cal., suffer from various health conditions, starting with weakness and fatigue, resulting in a severe blood pressure drop, etc. Among women, it is also observed to cause complications in the form of a delay in their menstrual cycle.

Therefore, one needs to consume a sufficient amount of calories and lead a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious food, consuming enough fluids, getting at least 8 hours of sleep, eating in the right window of the day by following an effective diet chart as well as doing a basic workout at a minimum of thrice a week to keep the body fuelled and the juices flowing. This indeed has proven to be the most effective measure of weight loss. Popular diets such as the Keto diet also are based on similar models. Let’s go-ahead to discussing a few more details.

Benefits of fasting posting sunset (during the night)

1) Improved Brain Health: Fasting has been shown to support mitochondrial health and anything that supports mitochondrial health also improves brain health.

2) Enhanced Detoxification: Your body is constantly trying to detoxify itself 24 hours a day. The body uses a great deal of energy to detoxify, but it also uses a great deal of energy to digest food. When your body is not busy digesting food, it can focus its energy on eliminating toxins and healing.

3) Reduced Inflammation: Fasting “turns on” the NRF2 gene pathway, which not only produces a dramatic increase in antioxidant protection and enhanced detoxification but also decreases inflammation.

4) Weight Loss / Weight Management: In general, it takes between 6 to 8 hours for the body to burn through its glycogen supply. When glycogen is depleted the body will then turn to the energy stored in fat cells. As you may notice that apart from the basic weight loss benefit, fasting during the night includes several other health benefits which you certainly don’t want to miss out on, so to know more about it and to begin to reap such health benefits, consult a professional near you NOW!