What does Lent mean to you?

You can fast for a variety of reasons

When all the carnival fun is over on Ash Wednesday, Lent begins for many people.
This means something different for everyone, but everyone usually gives up something until Easter –
Alcohol and or meat, sugar, some also on the television or the car.

Originally, Lent had a religious background, but people now go without for a variety of reasons. Fasting in itself makes perfect sense. But here, too, it is important to find the right balance – as in many areas of life.

Perhaps you’ve heard of “intermittent fasting”?

This is not about abstaining from certain foods for X amount of time, but about fasting and eating cycles.
Nowadays we are used to being able to get almost any food at any time, so food is always available.

For our Stone Age ancestors, however, food intake was dependent on successful hunting or berry picking. This usually meant that we had to get something to eat first thing in the morning.

And this is exactly what the principle of “intermittent fasting” is based on. No food is consumed for a period of 16 to 24 hours. Water, black coffee and tea (without milk and sugar) are allowed, and for some followers of the Paleo principle, this also includes Bulletproof Coffee. In the eating phase, you can eat a lot of food. With good planning, this means that one meal a day is still possible. There are different models of fasting, ranging from 1 – 2 fasting cycles per week to permanent fasting. However, with good planning, one meal a day is feasible.

In my nutritional consultations, I often hear that the topic of food and cooking tends to be stressful for my clients. What do I cook, when do I cook, when do I go shopping? Intermittent fasting reduces this stress by limiting food intake to one meal a day.

As far as the effects of “intermittent fasting” on the human body are concerned, there is still little evidence. There is no question that it causes a high fat loss and thus faster weight loss success. In addition, animal studies show a positive effect on lifespan, stress reduction, improved insulin sensitivity due to lower insulin levels and increased cognitive abilities.

Intermittent fasting is definitely recommended for healthy people, but people with pre-existing conditions such as thyroid problems should only fast after consulting their doctor, as it affects various hormone levels.

I always fall back on this principle myself and it makes me feel even more balanced.