间歇性禁食
人们通常因为外表、宗教或医疗原因而禁食。大约14%的美国成年人表示，他们通过禁食来帮助控制体重。但我已经开始间歇性地禁食，因为这是吃东西或不吃东西的自然方式。禁食乍一看可能是不自然的，这恰恰表明我们与我们的传统相差甚远。一天吃三块肯定不是我们旧石器时代的祖先所做的。如果我们的旧石器时代的祖先似乎与现代人相隔数光年，请记住，旧石器时代一直延续到农业革命，而农业革命仅仅是大约300代以前的事情。从基因上来说，我们几乎没有任何改变。迈克尔·伊德斯博士在他的“蛋白质力量”博客上发表的文章首先引起了我对间歇性禁食的注意。我对间歇性禁食研究得越多，特别是在洛伦·科丹博士(Loren Cordain)的著作中，比如他的《旧石器饮食法》(The Paleo Diet)，我就越知道我必须亲自验证这种体验。在过去的几周里，我断断续续地禁食了两次。 The first was for 12 hours from sunrise to sunset and the second was 24 hours from dinner one night to dinner the next. I drank only water, lemonade, and tea (both black and herbal). None with any calories. And plenty of it. My 12-hour fast was similar to that of Muslims during the month of Ramadan. But hardly the same and not as challenging. Since Muslims are the experts on fasting, I consulted with an imam, Ibrahim Kazerooni, before setting forth on my latest dietary experiment.
他是我的朋友，也是我糖尿病互助小组的成员。易卜拉欣解释说，穆斯林在斋月禁食时甚至不能喝水。他们的斋戒从日出前一个半小时持续到黄昏。(作为一名什叶派伊斯兰牧师或伊玛目，他是一名伊拉克持不同政见者，萨达姆·侯赛因曾多次囚禁他，直到1974年易卜拉欣得以逃离伊拉克;我知道逊尼派伊斯兰教徒从早到晚斋戒。)“一开始要放松，”易卜拉欣解释说。“就做一天开始吧。”他告诉我，禁食对他的血糖水平是有好处的，即使有时候血糖水平太低了。“当我在晚上服用糖尿病药物时，没有任何问题。”像易卜拉欣这样患有2型糖尿病的人，需要注意深夜开斋时吃的东西。 They can lose weight, "if they don't overload on sugar and starch." He said that he lost seven pounds this time. Now, after two fasts I am even more positive than I was from reading Drs. Eades and Cordain and from talking with Imam Kazerooni. I did have brief headaches near the beginning of each fast. And a bit of a sore throat for a short while as I hiked during my first fast. At one point on the trail I felt hunger pains in my stomach for a few minutes. But I was amazed that otherwise I never got hungry. My mood remained at a high level throughout. Physically, I may have even gained energy. For example, on my walk to the post office during the second fast I even did some intermittent jogging, something that I hadn't done for several months. I don't take any diabetes drugs or other prescription medication. My blood glucose level once went down to 68 mg/dl, about as far as anyone with diabetes would want. The first thing on the morning after my second fast it was at 80 mg/dl, just below the 83 mark that Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, the leading exponent of a very low-carb diet, says that is the appropriate average for anyone. I lost 0.8 pounds, and now my weight is the lowest in eight months. Later I thought to investigate the peer-reviewed articles on Medline and found this: "Persons with Type 1 diabetes can participate safely in prolonged fasts [more than 25 hours] provided they reduce their usual insulin dose significantly and adhere to guidelines regarding glucose monitoring and indications for terminating fasting." People with type 1, unlike me, absolutely have to take insulin. And of course my intermittent fasts have not been "prolonged." I also found other studies indicating other benefits of intermittent fasting, including one that concludes: "Reducing energy intake by controlled caloric restriction or intermittent fasting increases lifespan and protects various tissues against disease..." Another study reported: "It has previously been shown that fasting for the biblical period of 40 days and 40 nights is well within the overall physiological capabilities of a healthy adult." The experience freed me from the self-imposed tyranny of assuming that I just had to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Skipping those meals even saved me lots of time in food preparation and eating. In conclusion, the experience was so rewarding that I will continue intermittent fasts of various lengths. But not more than the biblical 40 days and 40 nights.
