Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular eating strategies right now. Each has its own set of advantages, and you, like many of my plant-based customers, may be wondering if these two methods of eating can be blended.

Intermittent fasting may be done effectively on a vegan diet and may bring a number of health advantages. These benefits include decreased blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as a lower risk of cancer and heart disease.

Furthermore, vegan intermittent fasting may aid in weight reduction.

This diet, however, takes careful preparation and is not suited for everyone.

In this post, I’ll go over everything you need to know about vegan intermittent fasting so you can decide whether it’s good for you.

What is vegan intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a technique of eating that alternates between eating and fasting intervals.

intermittent means at irregular intervals and fasting means eating no food for a period of time.

IF emphasises when to eat rather than what to eat. A daily 16-hour fast or bi-weekly 24-hour fasts are two of the most prevalent fasting cycles.

Vegan intermittent fasting is the practice of fasting on a vegan diet. So, like other kinds of IF, it alternates between eating and fasting times. The meals consumed throughout the eating cycles, on the other hand, will be entirely plant-based.

Way to follow:

Red meat, chicken, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, and any items containing animal-derived components such as whey, casein, gelatin, or carmine are all prohibited on a vegan diet.

Vegans consume tofu, tempeh, seitan, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and other fortified plant-based foods instead of animal-based meals.

Vegan IF regimes differ, but most include dividing your day or week into eating and fasting times.

During eating times, you may consume as much and as many plant-based items as you choose. During fasting times, you should consume little or no food.

Among the most often used IF procedures are:

• Fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8 hours each day is the 16/8 technique. People who follow this plan often skip breakfast and eat solely between 12-8 p.m. or 1-9 p.m.
• Every other week or so, you may do an Eat-Stop-Eat (also known as a 24-hour fast).
• The 5:2 diet entails consuming 500-600 calories on two nonconsecutive days of the week and eating regularly on the other five.
• Anecdotally, many individuals believe the 16/8 approach is the simplest since most people naturally fast for at least 6-8 hours overnight.

Keep in mind that all meals consumed on this diet must be vegan.

Can vegan intermittent fasting help you lose weight?

Much research demonstrates that intermittent fasting may result in short-term weight reduction. However, it’s uncertain if this weight reduction will be easy to sustain in the long run.

When people follow IF for a few weeks to months, they seem to lose roughly 0.8-13 percent of their initial weight. Weight reduction tends to stall after 6 months on an intermittent fasting diet.

The advantages and disadvantages of vegan intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting on a vegan diet has both possible advantages and hazards, but more study is needed to determine the consequences of this diet.

Vegan intermittent fasting may have health advantages.

Intermittent fasting seems to provide a few health advantages in both animal and human research, including:

Many health advantages have been associated with vegan diets, including:

• reduce blood sugar levels
• decrease cancer risk
• reduce cholesterol levels in the blood
• Lowering triglyceride levels may reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by up to 25%.
• Furthermore, a vegan diet tends to give relief from arthritic discomfort.

Potential dangers of vegan intermittent fasting 

It might make meeting your nutritional demands more difficult – perhaps even more so on a vegan diet.

This is because IF forces you to achieve your daily nutritional demands in a shorter period of time, most likely while eating fewer total meals and snacks.

Some minerals, such as vitamin B12, iodine, iron, calcium, zinc, selenium, and long-chain omega-3s, are naturally reduced in a vegan diet. As a vegan, eating a bigger volume and diversity of meals is often necessary to satisfy your nutritional demands.

Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterised by consuming enormous quantities of food in a short period of time while feeling out of control of your eating.

Who doesn’t want to try vegan intermittent fasting?

Vegan IF is not suggested for youngsters, pregnant women, or those who are nursing.

It’s also not recommended for persons who have thyroid problems, have a history of eating disorders, or use insulin or blood sugar-lowering medications.

Vegan Intermittent Fasting Tips

A well-planned vegan diet often necessitates the use of supplements and fortified foods to satisfy your nutritional requirements.

The basic minimum is a vitamin B12 supplement. You may also need vitamin D, iodine, iron, calcium, zinc, selenium, and omega-3 supplements, depending on where you live, your dietary choices, and your meal-planning abilities.

If you want to attempt vegan intermittent fasting, start by determining which IF protocol is most practicable for you depending on your lifestyle, work, and leisure routines.

Then, begin gradually, possibly by establishing a 12-hour fasting window rather than a 16-hour one, or by establishing one calorie-restricted day per week rather than two.

vegan food list

• Balanced meals and snacks: Make sure that the majority of your meals and snacks contain tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, or peas, as well as healthy grains and a range of fruits and vegetables.
• Leafy and green vegetables: Aim for at least 2-3 servings of leafy greens every day. To mention a few, they include lettuce, arugula, spinach, kale, cabbage, broccoli, and collard greens.
• Brazil nuts: Include 1-2 Brazil nuts each day to help you satisfy your selenium requirements more easily.
• Flax, hemp, or chia seeds: To enhance your omega-3 intake, consume 1-3 tablespoons (15-45 mL) of ground flax, hemp, or chia seeds each day.
• Various nuts and seeds: Include 1-2 ounces (28-56 grammes) of other nuts and seeds in your daily diet.
• Fortified foods: Include at least 2-3 servings of fortified plant milk or yoghurt each day to satisfy your calcium requirements more easily.
• Your meal plan should be centred on whole or minimally processed foods since they will help you achieve your daily nutritional requirements the best.

Take Away

Vegan intermittent fasting is eating a vegan diet while following an intermittent fasting strategy.

Individually, both eating styles have been related to a variety of health advantages. Decreased blood sugar and cholesterol levels, a lower chance of cancer and heart disease, and possibly a longer life are all possible benefits.

The mixture of the two eating habits may produce a combination of some or all of these advantages. More study, however, is required to corroborate this.

Keep in mind that both eating styles are limiting in their own right. As a result, vegan IF may make meeting your nutritional needs more difficult than either diet alone.