5 MYTHS ABOUT INTERMITTENT FASTING

Is restricting your food intake to certain hours or days the golden ticket to weight loss and longevity some say it is? Here, the true-or-false ticktock of eating by the clock.

- KATE ROCKWOOD

1 MYTH: Intermittent fasting is not safe long term.

MYTHBUSTER

Many people can safely do intermittent fasting (IF) for at least a year, says Krista Varady, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences. People who should steer clear: pregnant and breastfeeding women and folks with certain health issues such as kidney stones or a history of disordered eating, as IF can trigger obsessive behaviors and rekindle eating disorders. Popular types of IF include eating within a certain window of time each day, e.g., fasting for 16 hours and eating during eight. Then there's an alternate-day fasting-for example, the 5:2 plan, in which you eat regularly five days a week and eat just one 500- to 600-calorie meal on the other two days. Whatever pattern you choose, the key is ensuring that you get enough food volume and variety to meet your daily needs for nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamin D, says Scott Keatley, R.D.N., owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy in New York City-and always talk to your doctor before starting.

2 MYTH: Fasting wrecks your metabolism.

MYTHBUSTER