Intermittent Fasting: my experience and why it can be surprisingly easy to get in touch with our prehistoric roots!

I first read about Intermittent Fasting (IF) while learning about Primal/Paleo living. However, I was more interested in the evolutionary reasoning behind the lifestyle, and in the difference between depending primarily on fat for energy, compared to the typical modern diet which supplies most energy as carbohydrates. There was a deeper connection than I suspected.

Given that our prehistoric ancestors most likely did not have regular access to food as we do, IF was probably just a natural part of their lives. That means that our physiology should have evolved not for 3 (or more) meals a day, but rather for periods of feast and famine.

Getting in touch with our physiology and evolutionary history

It just feels good to experiment a little with my own body, in an attempt to feel more naturally in tune with my physiology. I cannot confirm that IF has had long-term benefits for me. Nevertheless, I like the underlying idea that during fasts the body breaks down unneeded proteins and recycles them, which can help with recovery. It makes a great deal of sense and agrees with what I know of how plants and algae continually adjust their physiologies by recycling resources in response to changing conditions.

Starting IF was so easy

I started by skipping one, then sometimes two meals, when I was busy at work, or attending a conference. It was just so easy to skip lunch and keep working! It was easy because I was used to eating a low carbohydrate diet, which naturally avoids large swings in blood-sugar.

Why it’s so easy for low-carb eaters

Most people who eat high-carb, as I did up until the end of 2011, start to feel hungry a few hours after a meal. This is because immediately after eating lots of carbs, blood-sugar increases (faster if they’re sugars and simple starches, somewhat more slowly if they’re complex carbohydrates, such as found in whole grains and sweet potatoes). Then, the body produces insulin to control that surge in blood sugar. This has the wonderful benefit of keeping one alive. However, it tends also to quickly reduce blood-sugar levels, by converting it into its lipid (fat) form for storage. After the sugar-high, this reduction in blood-sugar causes the ‘crash’ (for example, getting sleepy after lunch) and then hunger.

Fasting for a day or longer

It was probably at least a year or two after I started eating Primal that I first tried fasting for a day or more. First, I stopped eating the ‘food’ served on long-haul flights (12 hours or more), for example while travelling between Japan and the States or Europe. This was surprisingly easy. I began by eating before getting on the plane and just wait to have a decent and nutritious meal after arrival.

Then, as I read and heard more about the potential benefits of fasting, I began to see those long-haul flights as a great opportunity to try it. So, I started to not even bother to eat at the airport before boarding, and to then skip dinner after arrival. That was also quite easy.

Until my recent bout of dermatitis, I think I’d only ever gone about 24 hours without food. I learned that fasting is anti-inflammatory, and that ketogenesis can have benefits. So, I tried two or three fasts of 2-3 days.

The only thing at all difficult was to break my habit of eating at certain times, especially at breakfast time. But, I could still enjoy some herbal tea and (decaf) coffee to maintain my morning ritual.

Benefits I’ve experienced

Less time eating, more time for work or play!

This can include skipping lunch so that I can practice a presentation at a conference, skipping a meal and therefore to make time to go for a walk or otherwise get some exercise, etc.

Avoiding airline food, by fasting on long-haul flights

Enhanced physical performance

As noted by many others, I have found that after skipping a meal or two I perform better at the gym. Maybe it’s that the body is not using energy to digest food, produce insulin, etc, leaving more for physical exertion.

Reduced inflammation

When I had dermatitis, I found that after a day or so of fasting the redness and irritation where reduced a good deal. After I started eating again, they returned to maybe a little better condition than before the fast.

Links to more information

Brad Pilon has great tips for how to burn fat, build muscle, and stay healthy.

Mark’s Daily Apple has a wide variety of information and a discussion forum about the Primal/Paleo lifestyle, and it’s all freely available.

Abel James, The Fat Burning Man has interesting and stimulating podcasts, including interviews, about how to eat and live for better health and optimal performance.

S. Lan Smith

Kamakura, Japan

August 26, 2016