HEALTH
Intermittent
fasting
WH Y S H I F T I N G YOU R DIETARY HABITS CAN WORK FOR FI R E FI G H T E RS & OT H E R FI RST R E S PO N DE RS
By Ben Tanner - Emergency Medicine PA-C
It’s no surprise that stressful jobs such as firefighting are associated with a high risk of heart disease and other chronic health conditions. Intermittent fasting – the practice of restricting eating to limited hours – can be helpful, since it tends to lower the risk of diabetes and other heart-related risk factors. But how exactly can you put intermittent fasting into practice? Try these tips to get a smooth start, and turn it into a sustainable lifestyle.
1
2
Start slowly – make it easy
Gradually reduce processed foods
Like most things, intermittent fasting is easier and more sustainable if you start gradually. Don't think of it like a New Year's resolution, which most people quit after a week, but consider it a new lifestyle that you want to adopt gradually, so you can stick with it for the long haul.
You don’t have to eat a low-carb diet in order to fast but if you do, it will make intermittent fasting easier. If you start by reducing carb intake, you’ll get some of the carb “withdrawals” out of the way. Maybe you can do a little of both, at the same time.
Start your fasting slowly by delaying your first meal of the day a little bit, or eat your last meal of the day somewhat earlier. For example, if you normally have breakfast at 8 a.m., try eating it at 8:30 - or skip it altogether one day a week. There are various ways to go about this, but the overall point is to start slowly and see if you can stick with a simple, easy change for at least a few weeks. Soon you'll have a new habit that you can build on gradually.
One simple step is to cut out foods that are really high in processed sugar and other processed carbohydrates. This would include things like sweets, white bread, potato products, soda and juice. Replace them with whole, unprocessed foods such as nuts, cheese, vegetables, fruit, meat and fish. This gives you a huge number of options! Not only will this dietary adjustment start to make fasting easier, but cutting out processed foods will also lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Now that’s a win-win! You’ll probably experience some withdrawal symptoms and have crazy cravings now and then as you reduce your processed carb intake. So start gradually, and make it easy on yourself.
46
|
C RAC KYL MAGAZ I N E
