Clean Eating Online

The benefits of intermittent fasting for gut health are many. These benefits include: Improving the microbiome Increasing butyrate Aiding in liver health Reducing belly fat Reduces inflammation Helps gut motility May help heartburn Reduces the risk of several diseases What is Intermittent Fasting? Intermittent fasting is simply a way of extending the time window between eating. Fasting actually isn’t a new concept at all, but it deviates from the common dogmatic way of “eating until full” every day or eating whenever hungry.  This is the common mode of eating today in Western culture. Historically, fasting has been done for religious reasons and personal health reasons since the dawn of time. Fasting also has been in place by most humans in history inadvertently due to a lack of food supplies. The exceptions would be kings and royalty who always had food at the ready. Also known as time-restricted fasting, intermittent fasting methods are the most popular form of fasting because they are the easiest to follow. Technically speaking, all types of fasting are intermittent. How does one intermittently fast? All you need to do is simply limit the number of hours of feeding during the day. I do most days of the week without difficulty at all. We all fast, whether we want to see it that way or not. Our body goes through a period of rest, or sleep, where we don’t eat.  Often we inadvertently do it for an extended period when we are sick or happen to be low on money to buy food. Certain fasts, as described below, extend that period of fasting in a variety of ways. Common Types of Fasting for Gut Health The 14 10 intermittent fasting method: Simply put, 14 10 intermittent fasting is fasting for 14 hours a day followed by a 10-hour eating window. While there are many styles of fasting, much research suggests that a 14-hour fast followed by a 10-hour eating window is effective and a good place to start for beginners. The 16 8 intermittent fasting method: is also a popular fasting method, with 16 hours a day of fasting and 8 hours of eating span allowed. No other requirements. The 18 6 intermittent fasting method: is a bit more challenging, where eating is restricted to 6 hours during the day.  This method may have more weight loss benefits than the other methods, but it can create a bit more stress on the system if done frequently. Fasting for Gut Health Benefits Overview Fasting for gut health has long been used as a remedy. Now research is emerging to back its benefits for gut health. Specifically, fasting helps to improve the gut microbiome of bacteria that dampen inflammation such as Faecalibacterium. It also enhances the bacteria that increase the production of gut-fueling compounds like butyrate. Fasting may also help dampen inflammation in people with inflammatory bowel diseases. During the fasting period, bile acids concentrate in the gallbladder to allow for a bolus of bile to help digest foods when eating a meal. This means you may digest your food better too if you do intermittent fasting. By improving digestive function, fasting may help with many other aspects of your gut. Let’s dig in a little deeper. Fasting for Gut Health: Dampens Inflammation Without question, fasting has the ability to help dampen inflammation in the body. In a review of 14 clinical studies, intermittent fasting decreased blood markers of inflammation called C-reactive protein according to research published in Nutrition Journal. Now early research suggests that fasting may help dampen inflammation in people struggling with inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Case reports of people with ulcerative colitis show that 14:10 intermittent fasting reduces inflammatory markers while reducing symptoms of colitis. This is an important discovery because many inflammatory conditions are driven primarily by lifestyle and not genetics. In fact, only 12 percent of people with ulcerative colitis have a family history of the disease. Additionally, fasting reduced diarrhea symptoms in women with a type of colitis called collagenous colitis. In a mouse model, fasting decreased inflammation in the colon and reversed some of the damage of inflammatory bowel disease. While it is too soon to know for sure if fasting helps everyone with IBD, it is safe for most people to try. Improves the Microbiome The type and amount of bacteria living in our guts vary a lot depending on our diet patterns and the foods we choose.  Not surprisingly, then, fasting has a positive impact on the microbiome. In fact, multiple studies have shown that intermittent fasting improves the gut microbiome to produce healthier types of bacteria. These bacteria produce compounds that feed the gut lining so it in turn helps to repair the gut. Fascinatingly, fasting improved the microbiome while also improving immune cell populations compared to the dietary approaches to stopping hypertension (DASH diet) in people with metabolic syndrome.  This, in turn, resulted in a reduction in blood pressure and BMI better than the DASH diet. While this fast was a 5-day fast, shorter fasting windows have shown similar benefits as well. For example, a fast-mimicking type of fast resulted in an increase in Bacteroidetes while decreasing Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae. This shift in bacteria is related to improvements in butyrate levels. Ramadan fasting results in similar changes in the microbiome. However, the foods eaten during this timeframe impact the microbiome too. Some, but not all, research shows that Akkermansia mucinophilia is also increased by this type of fasting. This is generally considered a very beneficial type of bacteria for the gut. Helps the Liver Additionally, fasting helps improve liver health in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease according to a review of 14 clinical studies. Liver health is critical for gut health because the liver makes important digestive compounds including bile. Bile helps carry waste out of the body.  The liver also helps break down toxic substances which, in turn, is better for gut health. May Help You Digest Foods Better The microbiome promotes a healthy gut. This is partly because probiotic bacteria make digestive enzymes that help break food down into absorbable parts. And because fasting helps to promote a healthy microbiome, it indirectly helps you digest your foods better. By promoting a concentrated bile amount in your gallbladder, you can digest and absorb your nutrients better too after an intermittent fast. Improves Gut Movements Another major benefit of fasting for gut health is that it helps promote normal gut motility via the migrating motor complex (MMC). Research shows that the MMC is more active when people are fasting. In theory, fasting may also reduce symptoms of IBS because it supports a more normal gut motility and may even help with small bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) symptoms. Still, there is no research to prove this theory at this point. But it won’t hurt to try prolonging your fast if you suffer from SIBO or IBS to see if you feel better. Helps with Heartburn Not surprisingly, fasting may also help reduce heartburn symptoms and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). After Ramadan fasting, heartburn and GERD symptoms decrease according to a study of 130 GERD patients. Another study found similar benefits of fasting for heartburn relief. While more research is needed to determine if other types of fasting may reduce GERD, it’s safe for most people to try. Fasting Successfully If you are a person who is used to grazing and snacking all day, it can take some time to get used to fasting. The first step in breaking the snacking habit is to eat a nutritious and satisfying dinner. This will help prevent snacking later in the evening. As your body gets used to having fewer snacks, it becomes effortless to have a 14-10 fast regularly. For a 14-hour fast diet, you should stay well hydrated during your fast.  Make sure to have plenty of healthy beverages on hand that you enjoy that are calorie-free during your fast. By the way, if you have less than 50 calories during the fasting window, this is still technically considered fasting. Fast for Gut Health: More Tips Having a pinch of Himalayan salt helps replace electrolytes so you can add this to your water or put a pinch of salt under your tongue during the fasting period. This practice can remarkably also help take away hunger pangs or any feelings of nausea or discomfort for many people. A common window of eating for a 14 10 fast is to eat dinner at 6 pm and then have breakfast the following morning at 8 am. But, there is no right or wrong way to fast as long as you have a 14-hour window of not eating. The Importance of Being Flexible The best part about intermittent fasting is that food is not restricted during the eating period. But you should make sure to aim to eat a lot of healthy foods and prioritize protein so that you stay full. Women may want to avoid fasting while having their menstrual cycles. PMS hormones may amplify feelings of hunger and cause mood changes when fasting. I recommend that women, when trying intermittent fasting, stick to fasting in the early part of their menstrual cycle, and try it if and only if their baseline diet is high-quality.