Intermittent Fasting: A powerful tool for health & mental function

My toolkit for fighting off any type of viral or bacterial infection contains a number of tools, all natural of course. It's a strategy I developed over the past 3 years, and the result is that I've had only 1 bout of flu in 2.5 years and it lasted for 48hrs and 0 absenteeism. 

I won't get into the various natural herbs and supplements I use in this post. I do however want to discuss a tool I commonly use not just to fight off infections, but also as a general "detox" at least twice a week, sometimes more often: intermittent fasting.

Fasting has been shown in various scientific and epidemiological studies to have numerous health benefits, including improving fat and metabolic adaptation and fighting off inflammation. Have you heard of the "grandmother" expression: "starve a fever"?

In fact, researchers from Yale University recently discovered a compound produced by the body during calorie restriction (fasting) and which can combat inflammation, especially those linked to inflammatory disorders such as Type II Diabetes, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's, autoimmune diseases, etc... (source: Life Extension Magazine).

How to do intermittent fasting:

• Method 1: restricted eating window. I follow this method personally: I consume calorie-containing food/drink within a short window, between 2-9pm (except for water). Caution: don't do this for longer than 3 days in a row or when training really hard.

• Method 2: once or twice a week, go for a 24h water-only fast. I normally do it "from dinner to dinner".

As you become proficient at fasting, you will realize that you will have more energy, better mental clarity and sharpness and a healthier immune system. In fact, I will often go into "fasting state" whenever I have critical meetings where I need my brain to function at its best.

As usual, any questions / comments, hit reply.

T