Many have claimed that fasting brings countless benefits, from losing weight to better well-being, and even growing taller. If that is true, how come this miracle method was not popular until now?
What is fasting?
Fasting (also known as “intermittent fasting”) is a diet schedule that does not follow the traditional time frame. Everyone is familiar with the three meals per day layout, while this diet is limited to one to two meals every 24 hours. It focuses on when you should eat rather than what foods you should eat. Fasting is not considered a diet in the traditional sense, but rather properly seen as an eating routine.
A brief history of fasting
Though it recently became a trend, intermittent fasting has been existing throughout not just human but animal history. During the age of hunting and gathering, food sources are not always readily available, so fasting is a part of humans and animals.
Fast forward to the dawn of civilization, fasting is crucial in different religions and beliefs. From Moses in biblical times, Ancient Greek philosophers, to the Muslims’ month of Ramadan, fasting was an experience for the ideology of self-humiliation and appreciation.
Now in the modern day, besides religious reasoning, fasting holds a health symbol among many by combining it with other diet plans.
Types of fasting
There are countless ways to practice fasting. All of these can be boiled down into dividing up the day or week into a few minor periods you are allowed to eat, while the majority of the time you are not.
By disrupting your regular eating schedule, fasting forces your body to use excess fat as an energy source. You eat extremely little or nothing at all during this. So, if you possess a large posture, fasting can give you the illusion of growing taller by slimming your body.
Below are the most standard types of fasting you can practice:
The Leangains regime (also known as the 16/8 technique)
The Leangains regime practices by cutting breakfast and restricting your daily eating period within a certain 8-hour time range, such as 2–10 p.m. Following that, you observe a 16-hour fast with no snacking too. This method is the most widely used and is an excellent introduction to fasting.
One way to ease this process is to have an 8-hour sleep and not eat for 4 hours before bed and 4 hours after waking up.
Eat-Stop-Eat
This method sounds straightforward, yet is not simple as it requires 24-hour straight fasting for a day or two per week. For example, you will not eat between today’s dinner and tomorrow’s dinner the next. If you choose to fast two days a week, make sure they are nonconsecutive. If you fast on Tuesday, the next day should be Friday or Saturday.
It may support weight loss and better blood pressure and blood glucose level. However, fasting for such long hours, Eat-Stop-Eat may lead to fatigue, irritation, mood swings, and extreme hunger, which can cause stomach pains.
Diet plan 5:2
This plan layout 2 nonconsecutive days of fasting, when you only consume between 500 and 600 calories per day. For the remaining 5 days, you can eat as usual. Diet plan 5:2 helps you cut back some weight for a short period and can be a good introduction to more advanced practice.
Alternate-day fasting
This method asks you to fast every other day while eating normally on the remaining days. On the days of fasting, you can start getting used to the routine by only consuming 500 calories for the whole day. When you are used to the pace, you can fast every other full day without food or snack. This cuts back your calorie intake daily.
Does fasting make you taller?
Fasting alone does not make you taller. First, you must be still in your growth period in order to grow taller. If you have passed puberty, you will not be capable of growing taller by fasting or any other alternative approach. To determine if you are getting close to the height development limitation, you can take an X-ray. Some people stop growing when they become 15; others, however, continue to grow taller even after turning 22.
Secondly, although fasting allows you to eat a wide variety of food, you should target what you consume that can benefit you the most. Create a habit of eating fresh and healthy food while avoiding highly processed and oily items high in sugar and sodium.
During fasting, Human Growth Hormone, the hormone responsible for physical development, rises dramatically. This hormone also supports the process of breaking down fats. By combining fasting into your daily routine, your body will start converting excessive fat into energy for proper functioning.
As you have learned in this article that fasting can help you lose weight by using up your excess body fat, this also prevents the reduction of growth hormone production by promoting a healthier and more productive pituitary gland. From there, you can grow to your full potential.
Every time you eat, no matter the size of your meals, your body releases insulin. So, the more frequently you eat throughout the day, the more insulin spikes you are likely to have. By eating less often with only one or two meals per day, you are less likely to experience such spikes, which promote the natural secretion of growth hormones.
With those effects, your body can produce growth hormones better for optimal growth.
Summary
So, does fasting make you taller? Fasting helps you lose weight, so even if you are not growing taller, this still creates the illusion that you are. In an indirect way, fasting is beneficial for your growth hormone production. If you are still in your development stage, fasting can accelerate your growth ability.
Here are a few things to keep in mind: Firstly, fasting works best if you are obese or at least fit and healthy. If you are malnourished and have chronic illnesses, it is best to consult your doctor to see if fasting suits you. Secondly, though you can choose your food and how much you eat, it is highly recommended that you follow a fresh and wholesome diet for the best nutritional intake. If you are currently overweight, you should have your calories intake less than burned. Combining this method with fasting can speed up your metabolism and weight loss process.
- Related post: Does ashwagandha increase height?
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