INTERMITTENT FASTING

By Ben Tanner - Emergency Medicine PA-C

WHY SHIFTING YOUR DIETARY HABITS CAN WORK FOR FIREFIGHTERS & OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS

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

Start slowly –make it easy

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. 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.

2

Gradually reduce processed foods

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.

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.

3

Eat satisfying meals before and during your shifts

Sometimes, right before my ER shifts, I’ll eat a really big meal full of protein and healthy fats.When I do, I’m not hungry again for many hours and I can go the whole 10 hour shift without getting hungry. That makes it pretty easy for me to do some intermittent fasting while I work in the ER. Even if you don't take it quite as far as I do, eating a really satisfying meal before your shift will probably enable you to wait several hours before eating again, without experiencing hunger. As a general rule, on work days I eat two main meals instead of three – one right before work and the other near the midpoint of my shift. I keep the timing flexible in case something comes up. That approach makes it pretty easy to practice intermittent fasting on work days.

TOP TIPS

1. Get your ketones up in advance

(Note: When the body does not have enough glucose for energy, it burns stored fats instead. This results in a buildup of acids called ketones within the body.)

2. Stay hydrated 3. Consume some extra salt

4

If you work swing or night shift, try TO not eat afterwards

Shift work comes with a higher risk of various chronic illnesses because anything that disrupts your circadian rhythm (physical and mental patterns during a 24 hour period) can cause your body to stop functioning normally. That only gets worse if you go out and eat junk food when your shift is over. After hours, some nurses I work with in the ER regularly go out for a breakfast of processed junk food including pancakes, juice, hash browns and sweets. They’d be far better off to go home and sleep after their shift is over, because eating that kind of food actually makes it harder to get good quality sleep. If you eat a satisfying meal in the middle of your shift, you won't be hungry when your shift is over, and going home to sleep will be an easier decision.

5

Eventually, consider trying longer fasts

Your health status may indicate the need for medical tests before you try any longer fasts to give you a better idea of how to handle your electrolytes and related issues. You don't need to do it right away, but you should consider the additional health benefits you’ll enjoy by doing longer fasts. Fasts of 24 hours or more, for example, are even more effective than short-term daily fasting for lowering your risk of diabetes and other chronic medical conditions.

Once you've worked up to it and have some experience, you may even be able to fast through your entire shift. I’ve done so quite a few times in the ER.

Don’t get me wrong - you don’t need to go out and fast through your work shift right away, or ever. But once you have a few months of experience of intermittent fasting, you may feel you want to try it. You may even want to try a 24-hour fast on a day when you're not working, and that's totally fine as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Fasting offers a number of benefits and can help mitigate the health risks associated with shift work and stressful jobs in general. Any type of fasting can seem daunting at first, so the best approach is to start slowly. Make it easy on yourself at the beginning so you can slowly gain experience and develop a sustainable habit. Gradually build on your successes by doing a little bit more fasting as time goes on.

Cutting out processed foods will not only make fasting easier, but will also benefit your overall health.

Fasting at work is often easier than at home. You’ll forget about food and before you know it, the shift will be over. But whether you do it at home or at work, fasting can be a great tool to improve your chances of living a long and fulfilling life.