Intermittent Fasting Diet
Not about what you eat, but when. Cycling between periods of eating and fasting.
What Is It?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesn't prescribe specific foods but rather when you should eat them. The most popular methods include the 16:8 method (eating within an 8-hour window) and the 5:2 method (eating normally 5 days, restricting calories 2 days).
How It Works
Common schedules limit eating to a daily time window or reduce intake on selected days. Timing may help some people eat less overall, but food quality and total intake still matter. It is not suitable for everyone, particularly people with a history of disordered eating or certain medical needs.
Potential upsides
- Simplified meal planning
- May help some people manage energy intake
- No special foods required
- Can be combined with any dietary approach
+ Common foods
- •No specific food restrictions
- •During eating windows, whole foods are recommended
- •Lean proteins
- •Vegetables and fruits
- •Whole grains
- •Healthy fats
- •Water, tea, and black coffee during fasting
− Typically limited or excluded
- •Calorie-containing drinks during fasting periods
- •Highly processed foods (though technically allowed)
- •Excessive sugar
- •Breaking fast with heavy, greasy foods
Sample day
An illustration, not a personal meal plan.
EVIDENCE What the research says
In a 12-month randomized trial, time-restricted eating added to calorie restriction did not produce significantly greater weight loss than calorie restriction alone. Timing may still be a useful structure for some people. Human evidence for longevity claims remains limited; speak with a clinician if pregnant, taking glucose-lowering medication, or managing an eating disorder.
Read the evidence