There’s a lot of buzz out there about the topic I’m going to address today.
And for good reason – it’s one of the most powerful detoxification methods around and beyond that, it’s a secret weapon for losing weight.
It’s called intermittent fasting, where you restrict your eating to a specific window of time each day, for as few or many days as you like.
If done correctly, intermittent fasting can have a very powerful impact on your health, your weight, your energy, and ultimately, your longevity.
There are numerous studies on the advantages of doing intermittent fasting. For example, research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 2011 annual scientific sessions found that this type of fasting triggered a 1,300% increase in human growth hormone in women, and a 2,000% increase in men. In addition, people in the study slept better, they had higher energy, better mental clarity, and they felt healthier overall.
Other benefits of intermittent fasting include:
- Promotes healthier gut microbiota (the ‘good bacteria’ in your digestive system)
- Normalizes insulin sensitivity, which is essential for optimal health and lowering the risk of diabetes and even cancer
- Lowers triglyceride levels
- Reduces inflammation and lessens free radical damage, which comes from too much acid in your lifestyle
- Promotes memory functioning and learning
- Detoxifies and alkalizes your body
- Promotes muscle growth and improves your metabolism, which in turn, helps fat loss.
Now let’s clear up one misconception right now… Intermittent fasting is not a diet like many people are led to believe.
In reality, it’s a way of incorporating the healthy alkaline lifestyle you are already on the road to achieving in a specific way or schedule to have a more beneficial impact on your body.
What I said is SO important, let me say it again. This not a deprivation diet – you are eating alkaline and you are eating the same amount that you would normally eat in any given day. The only difference is that you’re going to eat everything within a specific time window that you create – more of that to come…
It’s an excellent way to reboot your metabolism so that your body can start burning fat as its primary fuel source, and not sugar or carbs, which so many of us are currently burning instead.
So intermittent fasting helps you lose weight by increasing enzymes that burn fat, and your body becomes far better at using stored fat as your primary fuel source, rather than relying on carbs and sugar as a quick fix for energy.
You see, when you rely on carbs and sugar as your primary fuel source, you’re unable to access the large amount of stored fat fuel you already have for energy.
So what’s the result? You burn more sugar.
And if you’re burning sugar, what do you think you crave? More sugar.
It becomes a vicious cycle that goes on and on.
And as you run on sugar more and more, your body becomes more acidic and more depleted of the essential minerals it needs to thrive.
If you’re not dieting, intermittent fasting can be beneficial for you too. Personally, I love intermittent fasting a couple of times per month purely for maintenance and to ensure that my body stays in a fat burning, alkaline state, not just for my running and training, but also for my overall health and vitality.
It really is a mini detox.
There is no downside to doing intermittent fasting, and it will only help move your body into a healthier, alkaline state.
One of the great things about intermittent fasting is that how often you do it is entirely up to you. There is no wrong way to do it. You can do it one day a week, a few days of the week, or you can even do it daily if you’re trying to lose weight.
So what does a day of intermittent fasting look like?
It’s pretty simple. You can do this by simply timing your meals and allowing for regular periods of fasting.
I recommend you select your own unique 8-hour window to eat, because 8 is the magic number, and you fast the remaining 16 hours.
YOU are in control of this. It is not as intimidating as it sounds.
You can decide if your window is 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, or whatever time works for you.
Basically, you want it to accommodate your personal schedule and routine.
During the 8 hours that you can eat, it’s important you make smart and healthy food choices every time. You will be eating alkaline foods, ideally 80% of the time, and acid-forming foods no more than 20% of the time.
The more you minimize acidic foods, the better results you will get.
Minimize or even avoid altogether carbs and grains that are loaded with gluten like wheat, pasta, bread, and potatoes.
Definitely cut out the sugar, one of the most acidic substances on the planet and the food that literally feeds bacteria, yeast, and even cancer cells.
Heavily cut back on processed foods, dairy, artificial sweeteners, and limit your consumption of meat.
Instead, opt for healthy, complete proteins that are mostly plant-based like:
- Quinoa
- Chickpeas and hummus
- Ezekiel bread
- Pacific wild-caught salmon
Most importantly, switch to healthy fats like:
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Raw nuts like almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts
- Raw nut butters (except peanut butter, which you should always avoid)
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
- Flax
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
- Avocados
The healthy fats are easily metabolized for energy, and are essential to getting your body into a fat-burning state.
Why You Should Take it Slow at First
It may take a few weeks to adjust to this lifestyle. It has to be done gradually. So start easy, once a week, or once every other week and really listen to your body’s needs.
It may take a few weeks or so before you shift to fat-burning mode, but once you do, the benefits are endless.
For one, your cravings for unhealthy acidic foods and carbs will gradually disappear. This is because you’re now burning your stored fat and do not need to rely on new fast-burning carbs for fuel.
While we’re on the subject of fast-burning carbs for fuel, I am amazed at how many athletes are still carb loading and having pasta parties the nights leading into a big race.
The last thing you should ever do is carb load, yet so many runners and athletes are still doing it.
Why is carb loading so bad? Because carbs = sugar, and sugar = acid.
Carbs and sugar are what I call a dirty burn, a dirty fuel, and this type of energy disappears quickly.
Fat, on the other hand, is a clean burn, and burns like a slow burning coal and will last all day long!
Once your body has switched from burning carbs to burning fat, you will be amazed at the pace at which your body detoxifies and loses any unwanted toxic weight.
Figure out a plan that works well for you and your schedule. Once you’re at your ideal weight you can start eating more frequently and fasting can be less frequent.
By then you will have reestablished your body’s ability to burn fat for fuel, and not sugar, which is the key to a healthy, energized body.
Remember, you are eating alkaline the entire time and you are not restricting your calories.
It’s very important that you understand that. On the alkaline diet, calorie counting goes out the window.
You may feel hunger at first, but this is typically because your body is craving the sugar and carbs that it’s used to getting.
That is why it’s so important to continue to drink your Alkamind Daily Minerals and Daily Greens on a regular basis. When you crave sugar and carbs, your body is really craving minerals, and these 2 alkaline supplements are loaded with minerals.
Minerals are the fastest way to neutralize the toxins and acids in your body. And they will help you get over your cravings faster and get to the root cause of your cravings in the first place!
