Everyone talks about it, many do. The truth, please, this time on the diet – Corriere.it

Fasting May Do More Than Pain, wrote Dante in Canto XXXIII of Inferno to describe the end of the tragic parable of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca: struck by hunger, according to some interpretations, forced to eat his own children according to others. Today poetry will take on a very different meaning. Fasting, which has become “intermittent” and pop, emptied of its ascetic or punitive dimension, has even become “easy”, seemingly capable of everything. Many prefer it compared to other diets, as it allows you enjoy socializing, The contemporary world seems to be divided into two categories: those who practice fasting and those who aspire to do so. They would like to be inspired and finally enjoy the benefits, even if according to those who talk about it after trying it, they can be defined as a miracle. The term is not accidental because long before it became popular, abstinence from food was a tenet of all religions. It is atonement in Christian Lent and Jewish Yom Kippur, the application of the soul in Buddhism and Hinduism. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, honored with Ramadan, where deprivation leads to a moment of joy.

intermittent fasting

The unholy cult of intermittent fasting has new rules. In its most famous version, 16:8, it is based on the restriction of food in the time slot that runs from 16 to 8 in the morning. We skip dinner, based on the idea that metabolism, especially of sugar, follows our circadian rhythms. For this reason, it is healthier to eat it when the sun is still hot. The three meals, breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack, are divided in a balanced way and, without excesses, require proteins, carbohydrates, sugars and fats. i am liked Whole grains, simple dishes, fruits, even dried, and vegetables

, There is also a potentially infinite range of variations. Among the most comprehensive, 12:12, is suitable for fasting beginners because it is easy to follow, provides 12 hours of meals and 12 stops. We finish dinner at 20 and have breakfast at 8. or protocol every other day, in english alternate day fastingIn which two non-consecutive days of the week are chosen in which to fast, i.e. introduce only 500/600 calories by drinking water, herbal tea or juice. You can eat whatever you want for the rest of the 5 days. All formulas share a positive effect on hormonal metabolism: insulin and cortisol levels are lowered and lipolysis, fat reduction and cell renewal are promoted. According to some studies, this diet will also reduce stress and inflammation. and improvements in heart rate and attention span. Difference? Some. Fasting is not recommended for the elderly, children, people with oncological or cardiovascular diseases, eating disorders, pregnant or lactating women. Meanwhile those who do not fast talk about it. Regardless of age, lifestyle or career.

everyone talks about it

At a dinner of over 50 professionals in a beautiful house in the center of Milan, the PNR and the elections in Turkey are discussed. Then one of the diners asks: «Have you read the interview of that important professor who says he only eats in the evening?». The question is followed by a bunch of enthusiastic yeses. The only physician present attests to the goodness of the habit. “A panacea, especially after a certain age, because it helps to regenerate cells and create new neurons, we should all do it”. Others nod at the scrumptious pasta alla norma, which was served with just as guilty an eye. Nothing else will be discussed for the next half hour. Two girls and a boy are bored pedaling on a stationary bike in the gym. “Are you fit, are you on a diet?” says one of them. “I started intermittent fasting,” the friend replies. “Tiring?” “No, and I feel great. I study with great concentration». “It’s true, it’s great”, interjects the young man enrolled in the Faculty of Pharmacy, who spends all his time on this subject. Preparing for a show of wisdom. Turin-Rome high-speed train, a group of managers talking tough, appointing a board of directors, tapping seriously on their computer keys. One of them has dinner The invitation is declined. “I’m doing intermittent fasting,” she explains. Colleagues look at her with admiration and begin quoting wives, friends, acquaintances who follow the same practice . Trade issues evaporate, replaced by food items. No end, All scenes seen over the past three weeks, including the covers of magazines from which celebrities peek out, glorifying food abstinence and interviews with doctors and experts.

Even the books published in Corriere are always the most read, Fasting is a magnet. It is no longer only responsible for the slimming or fitness maintenance function, it has become an elixir, The intangible magic potion that makes us healthy and beautiful even in our youth.

the scientists

was one of the first originators of the protocol Umberto Veronesi. Oncologist, who died in 2016, dedicated book to the subject fasting diet(Mondadori, 2013) in which he indicated food restrictions as an effective means of protecting oneself from diseases, even the most severe ones. Together with him, Walter Longo, professor of biogeronology and director of the Longevity Institute at USC (University of Southern California) in Los Angeles, developed the famous “fasting-mimicking diet”. Longo, crowned in 2018 by Time Among the world’s 50 most influential health figures along with Bill Gates and Nobel laureate James P. Allison, he is one of the most authoritative researchers on aging and age-related diseases and aims to expand youth and related wellness. His essays, published in Italy by Vallardi, are world bestsellers on the relationship between nutrition and aging.Among the supporters – and happy practitioners – are also fasting doctors and researchers Franco Barrino and Giuseppe Remuzzi, immunologist Antonella Viola, pharmacologist and founder of the Mario Negri Institute Silvio Gartini. There is a pop counterpoint to the scientific community. There are many music, cinema, fashion and TV stars who admit to skipping meals in a controlled and programmatic manner. When a few years ago we wondered what was the secret of Jennifer Aniston, a fifty-year-old with the air of an eternal girl, the actress revealed her secret: intermittent fasting.

Stars

As did her colleagues Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Vanessa Hudgens, top model Gisele Bündchen, Coldplay leader Chris Martin, Lady Gaga and many others. Other than Fiorello, the stars of our house would seem reluctant to accept the use of the magic formula 16:8. Skipping meals might not fit into the Instagram-sized lives of so many little celebrities who go from one exclusive dinner party to the next. Or, more simply, do they ignore the now-clear collective exposure of social deceit and still want people to believe that there is an innate beauty? The world outside the curtain goes in another direction and fasting seems to be the right compromise, the right expression of our times. It combines the desire for health and beauty, eternal youth, performance, control of mind and body, but at the same time, it can allow room for sociability.

While I was working on this article, I got curious and, I admit, was a little carried away, I decided to try intermittent fasting myself. I’ve always eaten in a systematic way and recently went on a diet with great benefit. I thought it would be child’s play. I was wrong. Skipping the meal made me feel sad and almost humiliated. It was a subjective response, but after reading about the miracle of intermittent fasting for several days, it tasted defeat in realizing it. then i thought about the story a sharp by Franz Kafka in which a true “hunger artist” working in a circus is admired and celebrated, but forgotten when the fasting fad passes. However, time will tell us if the new one will keep getting faster and faster.

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