Paleo, South Beach, Keto, Whole 30, Juicing, and more! It seems like every week there is a new dieting fad that's promising weight loss, more energy, and better health. With benefits like that who wouldn't be eating it up? But that's the catch because many of these diets prevent you from eating your favorites like cheese, donuts, burgers, and more (sigh). Enter intermittent fasting, which lets you eat what you want, just not necessarily when you want.
Intermittent Fasting 101
Intermittent fasting has taken off, with search volume growing steadily this year. Intermittent fasting grants participants a "feeding window" where they can eat whatever they want but once this window closes they enter into calorie-free hours. The most popular form of intermittent fasting is 16:8, which means 16 calorie-free hours and 8 normal eating hours.
Full of Benefits
We know what you might be thinking, "how could a diet where I don't change what I eat or exercise like crazy have any benefits?" Well, not so fast. Fans of intermittent fasting claim to experience not only sustainable weight loss, but also benefits like boosted metabolism, increased lean muscle growth, reduced risk of heart disease, and improved memory!
Mornings With a Side of Mindfulness
Sounds pretty great, but does it work? We were hungry to learn more, so we sat down with one of our founders, James Clark, who has been practicing intermittent fasting for two and a half years. Not only has he experienced physical health benefits associated with intermittent fasting (like weight loss and increased energy), but he has been able to be more mindful in the mornings, starting the day off with meditation, instead of scrambling to make breakfast.
What This Means for Brands
Intermittent fasting is having a moment right now, and food brands should take notice. Now is the time for them to test speaking directly to this demographic, emphasizing that if they're going to do intermittent fasting, then make those feeding windows worth it by eating delicious food.