Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that alternates between scheduled periods of eating and fasting. Unlike traditional diets that focus on what to eat, IF prioritizes when to eat. The most common protocols include Time-Restricted Eating (TRE), such as the 16:8 method (fasting for 16 hours and eating during an 8-hour window), Alternate-Day Fasting (ADF), and the 5:2 method, which involves eating normally for five days and significantly restricting calories for two non-consecutive days. Recent clinical consensus defines these practices as a means to achieve metabolic health without necessarily requiring permanent caloric restriction.