Fasting for Focus: How to Support Your Cognitive Health Naturally (=cognitive health)

Intermittent fasting is known for offering many health benefits. A lot of people turn to this method for triggering weight loss, but the benefits go well beyond that. Fasting can offer substantial benefits to cognitive health as a whole, supporting the body and the brain.

Learning to adapt eating times with the concept of intermittent fasting is not a modern idea. It is seen many times in history in various cultures and religions. The reason is the positive impact it can have on our bodies and brains. Learn more about these benefits below.

Let’s Talk Science

Science is always a great place to start. This introduces us to the starting place and the foundational theories that suggest and prove the benefits of intermittent fasting. The word “fasting” is defined as a set period of time in which you don’t eat. When you take that concept and incorporate intermittent fasting, it’s all about creating a cycle of eating periods where you spend a portion of hours fasting and a portion of hours eating.

The science affects metabolism, cellular autophagy, and more. We will talk about the benefits in a moment, but first, let’s look at these two categories:

● Metabolism: this is ultimately the process in which our bodies break down food for sustenance. Carbs are converted into glucose for energy and the extra ones go to fat storage that we can tap into later, but when we don’t give our bodies an eating break, we never tap into the food stores in fat; fasting convinces our bodies to burn that fat for energy, creating higher metabolism.

● Cellular Autophagy: fasting also affects our cells by challenging them to function better with less glucose to fuel them. The cells adapt and use energy fuels efficiently, finding energy from better sources. Fasting contributes to improved autophagy, which is the regeneration of cells to remove nonfunctional cells and improve the cells working for your body.

Let’s Talk Benefits 

Intermittent fasting offers health benefits that support the body and the brain. Check out these benefits:

● Decreased cancer risk

● Decreased Alzheimer’s

● Weight loss support

● Improved heart health

● Decreased inflammation

● Decreased disease risk

● Decreased cognitive decline

Incorporating Intermittent Fasting

 There are many different ways to incorporate intermittent fasting. It’s a versatile approach so you can adjust to what fits your schedule and your needs. Take the time to do some research and figure out what works for you.

Ultimately, your goal is to create a time when you have multiple hours of fasting, aside from zero-calorie fluids. Most people schedule a portion of these fasting hours to be overnight while they are sleeping and then wait a few hours after waking before having a meal.

The recommendation is to fast for 12-16 hours each day. So, if you stop eating at 8 PM, you could fast until the following day at noon and have a full 16 hours. When you do eat, focus on nutrition by lowering carbs, eating more vegetables and lean proteins, and focusing on your healthy fats.

It does take some time to adjust, so try starting at 12 hours and then slowly increasing if you feel overly hungry.

Cognitive Health and Fasting

Fasting provides results in cognitive health, promoting improvements in multiple areas that benefit your body and your brain. Learn a routine that works for you and start finding some consistency. You will likely notice more energy, less brain fog, and overall better health.