• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Laura Fuentes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Eat Healthy
  • Fasting
  • Meet Laura
  • Contact
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Eat Healthy
  • Fasting
  • Meet Laura
  • Contact
×

Is Intermittent Fasting Safe?

by Laura Fuentes

Dec 23, 2021
updated Aug 25, 2023

All the articles & recipes on this website have been created through real-life testing and experience (no ai) since 2010. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Whether you want to begin your intermittent fasting journey or have a friend that talks non-stop about theirs and you’re wondering if it’s something you might want to try, you’re not alone.

If you’re wondering whether intermittent fasting is safe to practice, especially as a female, I’d like the opportunity to share some insights on how to practice intermittent fasting safely, without depriving your body of the nutrition it needs to function.

Laura Fuentes in an orange tank top and workout headband

First, you should consult a licensed medical physician before jumping into intermittent fasting. IF isn’t for everyone, and therefore, it’s something to discuss with a licensed professional. 

The purpose of this post is to give you a simplified practical advice on how to practice intermittent fasting safely, without depriving your body of the nutrition it needs; it is not to provide any professional/medical advice.

Is Intermittent Fasting Healthy?

There is a lot of research on the health benefits of intermittent fasting and different reasons why each person chooses to practice it. 

Often, people begin their intermittent fasting journey with a weight loss goal. According to a study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, intermittent fasting can be more effective for weight loss than dieting. 

While intermittent fasting can help with weight loss, it’s important to practice intermittent fasting in a healthy and sustainable way that does not deprive your body of the nutrition it needs. 

Intermittent fasting is more about when you eat, i.e. an eating schedule, than what you eat, a diet. While intermittent fasting you will eat foods during a window of time each day. 

Related: Intermittent Fasting Schedules

Incorporating intermittent fasting as part of a healthy lifestyle can be very beneficial. The hardest part, for most people, is getting started with intermittent fasting.

So, is it healthy? Most people who try intermittent fasting only intend to restrict their eating hours but often reduce the number of calories they eat in a day. The restriction of calories is not the point of intermittent fasting; although a lot of people fall into this simply because they skip breakfast or dinner.

The goal of intermittent fasting is for the body to switch from burning glycogen to burning fat stored during the fasting period. Some studies have shown that fasting can help with fat loss once the body enters a fat-burning state.

Of course, there are other benefits of intermittent fasting for women outside of being a weight loss tool and I encourage you to see this as part of a lifestyle not a diet where weight loss is the only goal. 

Is Intermittent Fasting Bad for You?

While there is little research to the negative effects of intermittent fasting; anything that is introduced into a lifestyle that restricts our body’s needs can become detrimental. 

Intermittent fasting can also be risky for certain people with certain health conditions like low blood pressure, diabetes, low blood sugar, or other cardiovascular conditions. For this reason, it’s extremely important to consult with your doctor first.

When combined with drastic dietary changes or strict diets, intermittent fasting can also deprive your body of nutrients. It’s important to focus on eating a variety of healthy foods during your fasting period rather than limiting your body’s intake of food.

Yes, you can achieve your weight loss goals while eating a variety of healthy foods, without cutting calories, and still benefit from intermittent fasting. 

Intermittent Fasting Risks

There are some risks with intermittent fasting for people with underlying health conditions; especially when taking medications that need to be taken early in the morning or late at night and with food. 

This is one of the reasons I had to stop intermittent fasting for a period of time; because my health and the medications I needed outweighed the benefits of fasting. Again, consult your physician.

Intermittent fasting is not recommended for pregnant women or people with eating disorders or who struggled with disordered eating. Although intermittent fasting does not focus on what you can eat, for many, focusing on the when to eat can be triggering and restricting.

What Intermittent Fasting is NOT

Intermittent fasting is not skipping breakfast, it’s not a diet with restricted foods, it’s not starving yourself or cutting calories.

Intermittent fasting is about providing your body with a period of time where it is not focused on digestion. In a fasting state, your body can recover from workouts, replenish its hormonal cycles, and focus on all the functions it must do with the distraction of the digestive process.

How to Do Intermittent Fasting Safely

The best way to do intermittent fasting safely is by choosing a fasting schedule that fits your lifestyle and is not going to deprive your body of what it needs. 

Outside of eating plenty of healthy foods, making sure you drink enough water to keep your body hydrated is also important. 

For most people, the 16:8 intermittent fasting approach will be the least restrictive and one that is not difficult to incorporate into a busy lifestyle. This is where you eat all your meals, without restricting calories, during an 8-hour eating window and fast (not eat) for 16-hours.

According to metabolic expert Dr. Deborah Wexler, Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, says “there is evidence to suggest that the circadian rhythm fasting approach, where meals are restricted to an eight to 10-hour period of the daytime, is effective.” But still she recommends that people “use an eating approach that works for them and is sustainable to them.”

Don’t know where to get started with intermittent fasting? Check out my ultimate post on How to Start Intermittent Fasting.

by Laura Fuentes

If you enjoyed the article, please share it with others. Thank you!

More Intermittent Fasting

  • Laura Fuentes standing at freezer with several daily harvest smoothies
    Best Smoothies from Daily Harvest to Break Intermittent Fasting
  • woman wearing a black sweater holding a large mug of coffee, leaning over a countertop. A plate of two slices of toast is on the counter in front of her.
    Does Intermittent Fasting Work for Women?
  • Is 12 Hour Fasting Enough?
  • Laura fuentes eating a piece of pizza
    Can You Really Eat Anything While Intermittent Fasting?

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Food & Lifestyle entrepreneur, Laura Fuentes, wearing a bring yellow shirt, looking straight at camera

Hi! I'm Laura.
I inspire moms to live a healthy lifestyle while juggling their family and work with fresh recipes and practical advice.

More about me →

Let's Be Social!

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram YouTube
Download The Busy Mom's Guide to a Healthier Life

Fresh Favorites

  • large stack of fluffy pancakes with slice of butter on top
    Fluffy Pancakes Recipe – The Best On Earth!
  • bowl of shredded chicken
    How to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad
  • low carb lunches in glass lunch containers
    20+ Low Carb Lunch Ideas
  • large baking dish of pesto chicken thighs
    Baked Pesto Chicken Thighs

Trending Now

  • How to Can Salsa the Easy Way
  • collage of 6 different types of chicken tacos
    Epic Chicken Tacos 12 Ways
  • a collage with three smoothies and three blenders
    Best Cheap Blenders for Smoothies
  • list of real foods for intermittent fasting
    Intermittent Fasting Food List

Footer

Browse

  • Recipe Index
  • Weekly Meal Plan
  • Clean Eating Program

Download the Busy Mom's Guide to a Healthy Life

laura holding meal plan guide in front of prepped food

Useful Links

  • Contact
  • Permissions
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

COPYRIGHT © 2023 LAURA FUENTES · DESIGN BY FUENTES MEDIA