3 pros of intermittent fasting Researchers have already linked numerous health benefits with intermittent fasting and continue to examine them. Plus, for some people, intermittent fasting fits well into their model of a healthy and sustainable long-term diet. If you’re wondering if intermittent fasting could be right for you, here are a few benefits that might pique your interest. 1. Might support weight loss and improve metabolic health Two main reasons why people try intermittent fasting are to manage their weight and metabolic health. Metabolic health is a marker of how well the body processes, or metabolizes, energy. It’s often measured by blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood fat levels. Fasting or abstaining from food can create a calorie deficit, meaning that your body has fewer calories than it needs to maintain its current weight. That’s why diets that rely on calorie restriction, like fasting, are the hallmark of most weight loss diets. Research shows that some types of intermittent fasting can be as effective for weight loss — though not necessarily more effective — as other diets that also rely on limiting your daily calorie intake. Time-restricted eating routines similar to the 16/8 method are one type of intermittent fasting that has been linked directly with weight loss. Alternate-day fasting and the 5:2 diet may also be effective. Besides naturally eliminating your calorie intake during the fasting period, intermittent fasting may support weight loss by regulating your appetite to increase feelings of fullness while suppressing feelings of hunger. 2. Can be a sustainable lifestyle change Intermittent fasting might sound complicated and intimidating, but it can be simple at times. In fact, you might even find that fasting helps simplify your day since you need to plan fewer meals. What’s more, it doesn’t typically require calorie counting, watching your macros, eating certain foods that you might not be used to eating, or eliminating certain foods that you otherwise enjoy. For example, having an early dinner followed by a late breakfast the next day is one way to fast intermittently. If you finish your last meal at 8 p.m. and don’t eat until noon the next day, you’ve technically fasted for 16 hours. For people who get hungry in the morning and like to eat breakfast, or for those who can’t eat until later in the evening due to work schedules and other obligations, this method may be hard to get used to. However, other people instinctively eat this way already. They may be more prone to trying out an intermittent fasting eating pattern. 3. Works well with a nutritious, whole foods diet Because intermittent fasting is focused more on when rather than what you eat, it’s generally easy to implement in conjunction with your current diet. You won’t necessarily need to buy any special foods or diverge much from what you typically eat. If you’re already content with the state of your current diet but looking for other ways to continue boosting your overall health, fasting might be something you want to explore. For example, intermittent fasting might work particularly well for someone who wants to pair it with a resistance training program and a high protein diet. Still, this isn’t meant to imply that what you eat doesn’t matter. There’s no doubt that you’ll reap the most benefits from intermittent fasting by eating a variety of nutritious foods and limiting ultra-processed foods during your eating window.