16 8 Diet Plan Vegetarian

Intermittent Fasting for Vegetarians

Tara's Tuesday Tips: Intermittent Fasting for Vegetarians

What is Intermittent Fasting?

• • A pattern of eating where you alternate between cycles of eating and fasting.

What are the different fasting methods?

• • 16/8 Method: 16 hours of fasting and an 8 hour eating window
  • 5/2 Method: Eat normally for 5 days of the week, and restrict your calories to 500-600 per day for the other 2 days of the week
  • Eat:Stop:Eat Method: Fast completely for a full 24 hours once or twice per week
  • Alternate Day Method: Modified fasting every other day, eat normally one day and eat 0-500 calories on the next and continue to alternate with that pattern

Who should not fast?

• • Insulin dependent diabetics
  • pregnant women
  • If you have been recently hospitalized
  • People prone to eating disorders

What are the side effects?

• • Hypoglycemia, irritability, low energy, persistent hunger, temperature sensitivity
  • Relapse of eating disorder behaviors in people prone to eating disorder behaviors

How do I start?

• • Talk to your doctor first
  • Start slow, perhaps by cutting out evening snacking or pushing your breakfast back a little while

What do I do when I'm hungry and I am still in my fasting window?

• • Find a distraction! Go outside, take a walk, listen to music, meditate, call a friend
  • Drink water
  • Drink coffee or tea

When my fasting window is over, can I eat whatever I want?

• • Not exactly …
  • Your overall calorie count ultimately impacts your weight, therefore consuming excessive calories after a fast will reduce your calorie deficit.
  • The best way to break a fast is to eat what you would normally eat with a focus on foods that are fuel not foods that are empty of nutritional value.

Will fasting impact my exercise?

• • Possibly, yes.  Consider adjusting the time of your fast or the time of your exercise based on how you feel.
  • We have enough glucose stored in our liver to support moderately intense activity for one hour.  You should be able to endure a 60-90 minute workout without fueling, but this is VERY individual.
  • Test it out, you won't know until you try.
  • If you are an endurance athlete, be sure your fasting is adjusted to best support your training. You need to be nourished to train!

Why should I fast? What are the health benefits?

• • Gives your body a chance to rejuvenate your cells while it isn't busy digesting food.  Therefore, your body has a chance to repair your damaged cells during your fasting times. This allows you to have improved cognition, less inflammation in your body, and this slows down the aging process.
  • Increases your Insulin sensitivity and therefore decreases your risk of developing diabetes
  • Decreases fat storage and you lose weight
  • Decreases your risk of Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and cancer

What special considerations do vegetarians have with intermittent fasting?

• • Vegetarians on IF need to remember to get adequate amounts of nutrients in a shorter window.
  • Break the fast with high quality, whole foods with lots of nutrients.  Start your eating window with colorful fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. We break our fast every day with low sugar fruits (such as apples) alongside fresh vegetables and legumes and a healthy/"good" fat.
  • Being vegetarian doesn't mean you necessarily are already eating healthy! Calories still count so be mindful of what you are consuming.
  • Use your fasting time to reflect on what foods you need and don't need and plan your meals accordingly. Eat only the foods that will fuel your body to do the things you have set out to do.
  • Vegetarian or not, if you are training for an event or race or are an endurance athlete, take special precautions with fasting! You cannot train appropriately if you are under fueled!

Thinking about fasting? Can't decide if IF is for you? Do you have more questions? Leave a comment below. We love comments ❤

Need recipes to make when you break your fast? How about Avocado Salad , or Stove-top Indian Lentils , Instant Pot Lentils , Chana Masala, or Easy Vegetable Curry , or Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries ?

You can always find me on Instagram @myvegetarianfamily AND be sure to subscribe here to my weekly emails for tips and recipes so that you never miss a veggie thing!

16 8 Diet Plan Vegetarian

Source: https://myvegetarianfamily.com/intermittent-fasting-for-vegetarians/

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