What?! There are benefits to being hungry?

Since I was a kid, I have heard my elders say:

"Eat more, don't let yourself go hungry."

For people who want to lose weight

Hunger is even a synonym for pain

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In the discussion of the hot search #The changes brought to me by fasting after 7 o'clock#, netizens shared their own experiences of starvation:

“Feel good, keep going!”

"A very good lifestyle, weight loss is the most direct effect..."

"In exchange for revenge eating..."

“It’s true that not eating makes me feel lighter, but not eating at night makes me less happy…”

In fact, being hungry for a while can have many benefits for your body. Many studies have confirmed that eating less can keep you healthy, benefit your brain and prolong your life.

Moderate "starvation" is good for the brain and prolongs life

Recently, different studies in two countries have confirmed the benefits of moderate "starvation" on the body:

Promotes brain health

Researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that short-term fasting can cause significant changes in brain metabolism and promote brain health.

Research analyzing metabolites in the brain found that fasting changes the brain's energy metabolism from relying mainly on glucose to relying mainly on fatty acids.

At the same time, it activates the brain's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, exerting a neuroprotective effect and protecting it from damage.

Helps prolong life

A study published in the top journal Science also found that occasionally being hungry can help extend lifespan. Researchers said this may be related to an adaptive response in the evolutionary process.

In nature, food is not always available in sufficient quantities, and animals often face the challenge of starvation. Therefore, the body has developed an adaptive mechanism to adjust gene expression in a state of starvation to improve survival and delay aging.

These two studies together remind us that if you want to achieve health goals by restricting your diet, you should control your diet as early as possible and persevere.

The harm of eating too much to your body

Three meals a day are to provide the body with sufficient energy. If you eat too much, it will bring a burden to your health.

Causes obesity

Whether you are obese or not, "energy intake" is one of the important factors. If you consume more and consume less, you will definitely gain weight, otherwise you will lose weight.

Especially at night, the body's metabolic rate slows down significantly. If you eat too much at dinner and it cannot be metabolized, it is more likely to cause fat accumulation.

Susceptibility to acute pancreatitis

Overeating can easily induce acute pancreatitis, which is manifested by upper abdominal pain that worsens intermittently and can radiate to the left waist, left shoulder and left arm, and is sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer

Eating too much will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract and damage the intestinal flora, which will increase the risk of stomach cancer and intestinal cancer over time.

Induce coronary heart disease

Excessive intake of cholesterol will gradually accumulate on the blood vessel walls, causing arteriosclerosis, and may eventually develop into coronary heart disease.

Causes diabetes

Eating too much or too greasy food will lead to excessive secretion of insulin. If the pancreas is overloaded for a long time, it will not be able to regulate blood sugar well, which will lead to diabetes.

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Nutrition experts teach you how to fast healthily

Intermittent fasting is not simply about starving yourself, but a way to change your lifestyle and communicate with your body.

When doing intermittent fasting, you should not only create a healthy living environment, stay away from unhealthy food, adjust your mood and sleep, but also adjust your interpersonal environment and give yourself more positive energy.

Suitable for people: those who have strong muscles, are overweight, have a large waist circumference, have elevated blood lipids, have decreased insulin sensitivity, have poor ability to control their food intake, and are too busy at work to have time to adjust their diet.

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Not suitable for the following groups of people: pregnant women, patients with depression and advanced tumors, people who are too thin or malnourished, people under 18 and over 70 years old, people with serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, mental disorders, and chronic infections. They should not rashly try intermittent fasting and should consult a doctor.

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At present, the light fasting popular around the world is mainly divided into four types:

Alternate-day fasting method: Eat normally one day, and reduce food intake to 25%~50% the next day;

5:2 fasting method : Eat normally for 5 days a week, and fast for the other two non-consecutive days, reducing food intake to 25%~30%;

Fruit and vegetable juice fasting method: choose to fast for 2 to 5 non-consecutive days within 1 month, drink only boiled water, fruit and vegetable juice and vegetable soup, and control the daily calorie intake to 300 to 500 kcal;

Day fasting method : do not eat for 16 hours a day, and eat normally for the remaining 8 hours;

Eat breakfast later, dinner earlier, and have rich food, sufficient calories, and high-quality rest, then the method of daytime fasting can exert real health benefits.

During the fasting period, food should be low in calories and high in nutrition, such as fruits and vegetables, light soups, porridge, etc.

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In addition, you should also exercise moderately while fasting to improve your metabolism and prevent the body from wasting muscle.