You might’ve heard about the term "intermittent fasting" from scrolling on social media or talking with a friend. But what is intermittent fasting, and can it help in your fight against sugar dependence? Let’s first discuss what intermittent fasting means.
Intermittent fasting is a diet trend that emerged in recent years and has gained popularity in the media as a way to lose weight. The idea behind intermittent fasting is that it shortens the amount of time during the day or week when you can eat. Intermittent fasting can be achieved in a few different ways. It can be done by alternating days of fasting, which includes eating one day and fasting the next. Another way to achieve intermittent fasting is by eating five days a week and fasting for two days. Some individuals will even fast for a full 24 hours once a week. But, one of the most popular ways to participate in intermittent fasting is by engaging in time-restricted eating. Time-restricted eating involves fasting for 12 or more hours each day and eating during the remaining hours.
It is important to recognize that intermittent fasting is not sustainable and likely can’t be maintained for a long period of time. More research is needed to determine the long-term health impacts of intermittent fasting in humans.
In short, intermittent fasting is a diet that restricts the intake of food for a specified period in an attempt to lose weight. Is intermittent fasting something that could help in the battle against sugar dependence? Unfortunately, intermittent fasting will likely not have a positive impact when you are trying to cut back on your sugar intake. This type of diet can result in the production of ketone bodies, which are produced whenever your body doesn’t have enough glucose to use for fuel. In this situation, ketones are produced and used as an alternative fuel source. Although this may sound good in theory, it can actually lead to excessive cravings and result in binge eating unhealthy foods—such as those that are high in added sugars.
Whenever the body is deprived of adequate calories and nutrients during fasting, the brain will start to crave quick sources of energy—like sugar! These intense sugar cravings can be harmful in your fight against sugar dependence. It can also result in mood and hormone fluctuations, which can increase your sugar cravings and lead to binge eating behaviors—like eating cake and cookies on the couch at 10 p.m.!
As we discussed, intermittent fasting can make it more challenging to control your cravings and is not a sustainable dietary change to make. So, what can you do instead? Focusing on implementing healthy and sustainable changes to your diet can help control your sugar cravings and kick your dependence on sugar to the curb. A great change to implement is increasing your intake of protein-dense snacks and meals whenever your hunger cues call. Protein-dense foods provide more protein per calorie than foods that are not protein-dense. For example, choosing a nutritious breakfast including eggs and avocados will provide your body with enough calories to fuel your brain and also help promote satiety. Eating protein-dense meals and snacks will be more beneficial to your brain and hormones than skipping or delaying meals.
Additional examples of protein-rich foods include the following:
Incorporating more protein-dense foods into your diet is just one of many dietary changes you can implement to help cut back on the amount of added sugars you consume. In my book Sugarless, I walk through a step-by-step guide on how to break free from your sugar dependence by making small dietary changes that are sustainable and driven by science.
References
This post is adapted from Dr. Avena’s new book, Sugarless: A 7-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction (2023).
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