One of the latest health trends currentlytaking the world by stormis intermittentfasting, also commonly referred to as“IF.” To “fast” means to __1__ food for a certain period of time. “Intermittent” means to stop something and then start it again. In a nutshell, intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where a person cycles between periods of eating and not eating.
Most people already fast every night while they are __2__. In fact, the term “breakfast” means breaking this nightly fasting period with a meal. One of the simplest IF methods is to make this fasting period longer by skipping breakfast. Many people who practice IF set an eating windowfrom 1 to 8 hours, during __3__ all of the day’s food is eaten. For example, the popular 16/8 plan involves fasting for 16 hours, and then eating for eight. The “Eat Stop Eat” approachinvolves fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week, and the “5:2 Diet” is the practice of __4__ 500-600 calorieson two days of the week and eating normally for the remaining five.
Benefits of IF include weight loss and increased energy. Fasting also gives a person’s guta much-needed break from __5__. On the flip side, some people may experience a “yo-yo” effect, regaining all the weight they have lost. Others may end upeating bad food, such as processed food, when breaking their fast. It is also important to note that fasting can be dangerous for pregnantwomen and for people suffering fromdiabetes.
1. (A) complain about (B) prepare for (C) show off (D) go without
