Intermittent Fasting

This is a bit confusing, but the title of the book is Summary of the complete guide to fasting , which is a summary of the book by Dr. Jason Fung.

I was looking at Dr. Fung's books in the Kindle store (Brazil) and saw this one, which is much shorter (just 86 pages) and included in Kindle Unlimited, so free for me. I naturally decided to take a look.

It was quite fast, and I felt it was quite interesting. It did feel a little abrupt at times but that makes sense for a summary.

It covers a lot of what I've seen in Dr. Jason Fung's interviews and presentations, and also some stuff I hadn't seen before.

Some of the bits I felt were interesting:

• Insulin resistence is apparently linked to reflux, and can also be caused be abdominal fat
• Lowering insulin rids the body of excess salt and water (the book says you don't need to take salt on normal fasts, but other sources do)
• Adrenalin is  used to release stored glycogen and to facilitate fat burning, so you get higher energy levels in fasting. Studies say up to 12% higher metabolism.
• Higher HGH levels (which happen in fasting) may help recovery from workouts
• Studies show increase in eating after breaking fasts, but there is still a net deficit, even for a one day fast.
• Studies prove that 70 days of alternate-day fasting reduce LDL by 25% – half of statins (which are terrible for you in many ways)
• If you have reflux you should be careful when fasting – some will get worse and some better (less food=less acid production). Could try eating green salads at regular intervals instead of a true fast.
• Can add lemon, lime, orange slices, berries or cucumber slices to water for flavor during fasting
• Teas during fasting are good, specially green. Can also add spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Also can have cinnamon or ginger tea, which are reputed to have appetite-suppressing power. Mint or chamomile tea can be used for soothing.
• Can have coffee, but without sugar or sweeteners. They allow small amounts of create or coconut oil – can add spices here too, such as cinnamon or nutmeg.
• Bone or vegetable broth can be good fasting days, specially for the nutrients (do not add bouillon cubes). Not a true fast, but more tolerable.
• Best strategy seems to be taking the largest meal in the mid-day. Might play a role in the mediterranean diet, too.
• They use 36-hour fasts on a 3 times a week schedule for patients with type-2 diabetes.

Overall, it was very much worth the time. I imagine most might want to just get the complete version of the book, but I can't talk about it since I didn't read it.

The summary book:

The original book:

In case it isn't obvious, both books have affiliate links. This does not change my opinion about them at all.