How To Do Intermittent Fasting To Help (Not Hurt) Your Mental Health

Every day, we're learning more about the benefits of fasting, and the list continues to grow!

It's hardly a new trend—people have been fasting (alternating periods of eating with not eating) as a cultural and healing practice for centuries. Lately, the emphasis has expanded to include weight management, immune support, brain health, inflammation reduction, and so much more.

Likewise, researchers at Johns Hopkins University report that intermittent fasting may improve heart health, thinking and memory, and physical performance. Fasting can also support the trillions of bacteria in your gut1, which in turn promotes immune health. After all, about 70% of your immune system is in your gut2.

Right up front: If you have experienced any kind of eating disorder, I do not recommend intermittent fasting. If you're dealing with depression or anxiety, I advise speaking with a health care practitioner before you undergo a fasting plan. It's important to recognize that while intermittent fasting can be a powerful tool, it's not necessarily the best (or only choice) for everyone.

If you do want to give it a try but are worried about it being too stressful, I recommend starting with a 12-hour fast. Make this easy on yourself. Wrap up dinner by 7 p.m., close down the kitchen for the evening, and then push breakfast forward the next morning. You will still get all the benefits of intermittent fasting—just at a pace that's right for you and your body.

If you're questioning the mental health impacts of intermittent fasting, it's important to know that IF may have some benefits for your mind, too. In fact, research shows that intermittent fasting can be a powerful3 mood booster.

Fasting also triggers an important process called autophagy. Autophagy is like "spring cleaning" for your body: getting rid of old, damaged cells and making room for new, healthy ones so we can keep functioning at peak levels. It's especially important in the brain since autophagy helps to helps clear out damaged proteins4 and promote brain health.

In his book Life Lessons From a Brain Surgeon, Rahul Jandial, M.D., Ph.D., talks about how—and more importantly, why—he's made intermittent fasting a part of his daily routine. "Intermittent hunger clears the mind, awakens the senses, and improves brain functioning," he says. "Going without food for even a day increases your brain's natural growth factors, which support the survival and growth of neurons."