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Introduction:
Humankind has been evolving from time to time in various domains of life. As far as health-related aspects are concerned, fasting has always proved the best panacea for it. One such kind of fasting is “Intermittent Fasting.”
In prehistoric times, before humans learned to farm, they were hunters and gatherers who evolved to survive and thrive for long periods without eating. Let’s discuss Intermittent Fasting in detail!
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent Fasting is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule. It is all about when you eat. With intermittent fasting, you only eat during a specific time. Research shows fasting for a certain number of hours each day or eating just one meal for a couple of days a week may have health benefits.
“Many diets focus on what to eat, but intermittent fasting is all about when you eat.”
Dr. Jason Fung is a nephrologist and is known as the doctor who invented Intermittent Fasting. Johns Hopkins neuroscientist, Mark Mattson, has studied Intermittent Fasting for 25 years. He says our bodies have evolved to be able to go without food for many hours, or even several days.
Mattson says that after hours without food, the body exhausts its stored sugar and starts burning fat. He refers to this as metabolic switching. He says. “If someone is eating three meals a day, plus snacks, and they are not exercising, then every time they eat, they are running on those calories and not burning their stored fats.”
Another intermittent fasting plan, known as the 5:2 approach, involves eating regularly five days a week. For the other two days, you limit yourself to one 500–600 calorie meal. Longer periods without food such as 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours fasting periods are not necessarily better for you and may be dangerous. Going too long without eating might encourage your body to start storing more fats in response to starvation.
Can you drink Protein Shake while Fasting?
First, we must know the conditions by which a fast can be considered void or broken. However, there are different scenarios for breaking fast when it comes to normal fasting and intermittent fasting.
So, can we at least have a protein shake while intermittent fasting if consumed within the feeding window?
Yes. Although you cannot consume protein shakes during the fasting window, you definitely can during the eating/feeding window.
Protein shakes are a great aid when intermittent fasting, as they are a very quick and easy way to achieve your daily protein target. Protein also takes more time to digest, helps you stay full longer, and suppresses hunger. Consuming a high-protein shake can also help you maintain your muscle mass when fasting, especially if you practice resistance training regularly.
If you’re aiming to lose fat, you can mix your protein powder with water to minimize your calorie intake. If your goal is to build muscle mass, you can mix it with your favorite milk to provide more calories, protein, and other nutrients.
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Best times to consume Protein Shakes during Intermittent Fasting:
- Some people tend to go overboard with their food once they break their fast, which can then lead to a rather unhinged eating pattern or bloating. This could also be why you cannot lose weight on intermittent fasting. If you do this, too, protein shakes might be a great way to break a fast and prevent you from overeating. Breaking an intermittent fast with a protein shake can help you stabilize your hunger and set you up for a more balanced diet in subsequent meals.
- Protein shakes are great if consumed occasionally at mealtimes instead of food, but they should not be a daily meal replacement.
- When intermittent fasting, you can have a protein shake straight after a workout during your eating window.
Can Protein Shake break the fast?
Generally, a fast is considered broken when you consume anything that contains calories. Protein shakes are not calorie-free; therefore, they break fast.
Protein shakes, at the very least, will consist of a protein powder and a liquid base, such as almond milk, dairy or water. One of the main goals of Intermittent Fasting is to not spike insulin, the fat-storing hormone so that the body can naturally turn on fat-burning mechanisms and work toward a weight loss goal. With this in mind, anything that will spike insulin will then break your fast.
Protein and carbohydrates are the main macro-nutrients that will spike the storing hormone insulin (although protein to a much lesser degree than carbohydrates). Therefore protein shakes will break a fast.
However, another very important macro-nutrient when breaking an Intermittent Fast is fat. High-quality fats trigger the body to release the satiety hormone cholecystokinin or CCK. This can help to significantly reduce hunger and prevent sugar cravings.
A final necessary component is fiber. Fiber acts on the stretch mechanisms in the stomach and lets the brain know that it’s full. These three components of protein, fat and fiber are crucial for boosting satiety, preventing hunger and reducing sugar cravings for long-term weight loss success.
A standard protein shake with just protein powder is missing out on the other two important ingredients fat and fiber. So protein powder mixed with water on its own is not sufficient to break a fast. However, when combined with fat and fiber sources, protein powder can certainly be used when breaking a fast.
Conclusion:
Therefore, from the above-mentioned discussion, this can be concluded that Intermitted Fast with its health benefits is closely related to Protein Shakes intake. Having purposeful knowledge of Protein Shake intake along with Intermittent Fasting can yield great outcomes that can bring long-lasting health standards for the one who keenly follows the regime.
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This content is brought to you by M. Shazaf Khan
Photo provided by the author.