Eating less or fasting? Which one should you choose and why

Conscious living is the way to go if you are choosing a healthy life in today’s fast-paced world. Eating clean, exercising to keep your body organs moving, meditating to nurture your mental health are the key factors to a healthy lifestyle in the modern world. Conditions like obesity and fatty liver, caused by over-consumption of fast foods, often lead to destabilise the heart health. When the heart suffers, the body does too. The bottom line? It is always better to act sooner and keep your weight in check and maintain a healthy body mass index as these two are quite necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle.
However, when one aims to achieve a loose some weight and shed some kilos from their body, most people tend to incline more on that fasting habit than anything else. Most of them tend to rely on the process of

intermittent fasting

which essentially cuts on the number of meals one might have in a day.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating plan that involves alternating between periods of eating and fasting:
Time-restricted eating: Eat normally within a specific window of time each day, such as 10 AM–6 PM
5:2 approach: Eat normally five days a week, and restrict your diet to 500 calories or fewer on the other two days.
Alternate-day fasting: Eat normally one day, and either fast or eat a small meal the next day.
Some research suggests that IF can help with weight management, prevent or reverse some diseases, and improve health measures like cholesterol levels and inflammation. However, most studies have only been short term, so it’s unclear if the benefits would last if you continued the diet long term.

IF is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and you should talk to your doctor before starting a new diet. Eating nutrient-dense food, exercising, and getting enough sleep are still important factors for improving your health.

Benefits of intermittent fasting:

Intermittent fasting can have many health benefits, such as —
Weight loss: Intermittent fasting can help you lose weight, and some studies suggest it’s as effective as a low-calorie diet.
Heart health: Intermittent fasting can improve blood pressure, resting heart rate, and other heart-related measurements. It can also reduce levels of unhealthy blood fats, such as cholesterol and triglycerides.
Reduced inflammation: Intermittent fasting can help reduce inflammation, which is linked to many diseases.
Improved insulin resistance: Intermittent fasting can reduce insulin resistance, a condition that causes and worsens type 2 diabetes.
Improved tissue health: Intermittent fasting can improve tissue damage repair.
Improved athletic performance: Intermittent fasting can enhance athletic performance.
Improved thinking and memory: Intermittent fasting can boost working memory in animals and verbal memory in adult humans.
Cellular repair: Intermittent fasting can induce cellular repair processes, such as removing waste material from cells.
Increased human growth hormone (HGH) levels: Intermittent fasting can increase HGH levels in the blood, which promotes fat burning and muscle gain.
Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that involves only eating within a certain time frame. It’s easy to do and doesn’t require tracking meals or counting calories.

Side effects of intermittent fasting:

Although intermittent fasting has become really popular amongst peers for its proven results, it can have side effects like —
Hunger: You might experience excessive hunger pangs.
Fatigue: You might feel tired or have low energy.
Headaches: You might experience headaches that range from mild to severe.
Digestive issues: You might experience constipation or bloating.
Mood changes: You might experience irritability or other mood changes.
Sleep disturbances: You might experience insomnia.
Dehydration: You might become dehydrated.
Polyuria: You might experience excessive urination.
Nutrient deficiencies: You might experience nutrient deficiencies or malnutrition.
These side effects are usually unpleasant but they usually go away within a month.

Eating small portions:

Eating small portions, also known as eating small, frequent meals (SFMs), is a dietary pattern that involves eating multiple small meals throughout the day instead of the traditional three large meals. Eating smaller portions can help with digestion, weight loss, and other health goals such as —
Digestion: Eating smaller portions more frequently makes it easier for your body to process and absorb nutrients.
Weight loss: Eating smaller portions can help you cut calories and lose weight.
Health goals: Eating smaller portions can help you achieve other health goals, such as eating more ideal habits.
Here are some tips for eating smaller portions:
Use smaller plates: Smaller plates can help you eat smaller portions.
Eat mindfully: Focus on your food, chew slowly, and appreciate what you’re eating.
Use the plate method: Fill half your plate with vegetables or salad, a quarter with

lean protein

, and a quarter with whole grains.
Avoid eating from packaging: Add your food to a plate or bowl before eating.
Eat slowly: Sit down to meals without distractions and eat slowly.
Start with vegetables: Eating a salad or vegetable soup before your meal can help you eat more fibre and fewer calories.

Benefits of eating small:

Some benefits of eating small portions include:
Digestion: Eating smaller portions more frequently helps your gut process and absorb nutrients.
Weight management: Eating small portions can help you avoid overeating and maintain a healthy weight.
Blood sugar: Eating small portions can help maintain steady blood sugar levels, which can be especially beneficial for people with diabetes.
Heart health: Eating small portions can improve blood lipid levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Which one should you choose?

According to a recent ‘Nature’ study, although intermittent fasting has its benefits, extending the lifespan of living beings might not be one of them. Instead, the mouse study revealed that restricting the amount of calories you consume might be more beneficial for a longer lifespan.

The researcher explained, “Whether intermittent fasting and caloric restriction would extend lifespan in humans awaits definitive investigation. Owing to differences in metabolic rates, the human equivalent of these dietary restriction interventions is unclear. Although further work is needed to dissect the complex physiological effects of dietary restrictions (like intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding), our findings suggest that human responses to dietary restrictions will be highly individualized based on genetic context, that moderate reduction of caloric intake and regular daily feeding and fasting cycles are key contributing factors.” This means your genes are a more significant factor that will determine how long you live and will also dictate the effectiveness of caloric restriction.
Besides, a January study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) found that eating smaller meals more often is more effective than intermittent fasting for weight loss.
To conclude, both eating smaller meals and intermittent fasting can be effective for weight loss, but the best approach depends on your individual preferences, lifestyle, and health goals.