Owing to its unprecedented popularity, Intermittent Fasting (IF) is commonly mistaken for a fad diet.
A fad diet typically entails the elimination of a particular food group-such as fats or carbs, or an undue emphasis on a particular food amounting to the exclusion of many other essential foods (the Cabbage Soup Diet is a classic example).
Another indicator of a fad diet is that it promises a quick fix and a very temporary solution to a long-standing problem. As a concept, IF does not fit into the definition of a fad diet, although when misused, it could become one!
Intermittent Fasting is best described as a diet regimen in which one consumes meals within restricted windows of time. The regimen imposes a restriction on when one can eat.
As long as one eats within the prescribed window, one can eat a regular diet in terms of quality and quantity. Therefore, a meal rich with whole grains, pulses, veggies, fruits and lean protein should be consumed.
The tradition of fasting in India has long been around. In the city of Delhi, it is a rarity to find anyone not fasting during the Navratra season. Mahatma Gandhi has also recorded his various experiments with fasting, including the practice of fasting during a fever.
The one thing that has changed about fasting, from then to now, is its purpose (except for religious fasts). Back in the day, food was a scarce commodity, and fasting was a good way to portion out the available food over a longer period of time.
Fasting also improved concentration and focus, hence it was undertaken when one was working on a task of import. In contrast, a stomach loaded with food makes one lethargic. With the growing epidemic of obesity, the number one reason for people to practice IF is to lose weight.
The confusion regarding IF is also because of its many variants, such as the 5:2 Diet, The Alternate-Day Fast and Time-Restricted Eating.
The basic principle of IF, which is common across all its variants, is to allow the body time to digest food, burn out excess of body fat, and detox. With IF, we are moving towards being more aligned with our circadian rhythm. This is approach is here to stay.