12/11/2025
Intermittent Fasting – The Basics
I know it seems that intermittent fasting is the latest nutrition fad. It sure seemed that way to me, but after looking into this a little deeper, I am convinced that intermittent fasting is not only interesting, it is important, especially in the developed world. Let’s see if I can convince you.
Our bodies do different things at different times and different situations to keep us going. Sleeping is a good example. You may have noticed that later in the day, you might get a message from your body saying “Hey, we’ve had a long day. I’m tired.” We react from this hint and stop what we were doing instead of running our car off the road. Our body prioritizes what it is doing to keep us well.
Johns Hopkins Medicine has an article, “The Science of Sleep” (Hopkins) that discusses the priorities of what our bodies do while sleeping. So how is this sleeping process of our bodies doing what we need similar to fasting? For a long time in much of the world it isn’t. The hunter-gatherers of 10,000 years ago didn’t fast, they had “intermittent eating”. The processes our bodies should have been using during these periods of hunger largely haven’t happened because most of us never stop eating long enough!
Dr. Berg has an excellent YouTube video, “Reset Your Body in 5 Days (With Zero Food)” (Dr. Eric Berg DC) that explains what should be taking place during these hunger periods. Five days with no food! Are you kidding me? Actually, this is how the process works and explains why it has been lost to us that rarely miss a meal.
I recommend the Hopkins article “Intermittent Fasting: What is it, and how does it work?” (Johns Hopkins Medicine) that goes into much more detail than I have here (see link below).
Citations:
Hopkins, John. “The Science of Sleep: Understanding What Happens When You Sleep.” Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library, 2019, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-science-of-sleep-understanding-what-happens-when-you-sleep.
Dr. Eric Berg DC. “Reset Your Body in 5 Days (with Zero Food).” YouTube, 14 Aug. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1zKV3eqevc. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. “Intermittent Fasting: What Is It, and How Does It Work?” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2021, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work.