2 Meals a Day (for weightloss)

Intermittent fasting doesn't need to be every day. It can be as little twice a week, for example. However, the main goal is to create space between meals. There are multiple ways to do intermittent fasting. Below I listed a few options.

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- First Option ("Long Method"): Eat in the morning before I head out. 

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Dr. Becky Gillaspy promotes 2 meals a day as one weight loss option. At 4:57 in the below video, she discusses the "Long Method" of intermittent fasting. Which basically means an early breakfast and a late dinner.

Sadh Guru says that "2 meals a day" is a good option, which many Indians naturally follow. He presents one option: 8 hours between your first meal (10 AM) and your 2nd meal (7 pm).

- 2nd Option ("Short Method"): Don't eat until 2pm at the earliest. 

Pack a Lunch (salad, sandwich, smoothie, stir fry, sandwich, etc.) - One way to achieve this method of eating is by packing a lunch. If I forget to do this, I can consider a salad bar such as Whole Foods. Some people also get creative with cooking on the road.

Feast for Dinner - Vegan bodybuilder Brian Turner often eats only one meal a day (OMAD). But he doesn't skimp on calories. This meal, for example, has over 3,000 calories!

Anti Parasite Diet

Diet is an often overlooked part of a parasite cleanse. Many people want to simply take the herbs and feel better, without cutting out the junk foods. If only it were this easy. But it's a consistently healthy diet that keeps us healthy, mores than any pill or supplement.

As a disclaimer, talk to your doctor for medical advice. However, just one tiny piece of information you can gather might mean a world of difference, and that information may be just around the corner!

1) Change Your Overall Diet. 

From Dr. Jockers

• Parasites usually feed on sugars, especially the processed kind. Cutting out processed sugars, breads, pastas, pork, raw fish, fried foods, and processed foods in general is essential for any success at becoming healthy again. Since parasites can feed on healthier sugars, it's also important to limit fruit during a parasite cleanse.

• Alcohol also tends to contain a lot of sugar as well as overload the liver, especially for those with a history of digestive issues or parasite problems. The doctors from Microbe Formulas say, "Alcohol is an especially poor 'investment' if you struggle with digestive issues. This is because alcohol can contribute to increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut. When you pair an alcohol habit with drugs of any kind, it’s a double whammy to your health" (Link).

• Eating a diet that consists of about 80% cooked vegetables is what Dr. Lawrence Wilson recommends. "A diet that is very high in cooked vegetables (not salads) is the basis for every nutritional balancing program that we set up.  It is critical for success with nutritional balancing" (Link). While Dr. Wilson recommends meat as part of his program, he also says, "Many clients who continue to be vegetarians improve their health greatly with a development program.  It works almost as well with them as with anyone else. The diet won’t be quite as varied [compared to meat eaters]. This will slow progress, a little. However, they can do very well" (Link).

• The doctors at Microbe Formulas have had great success at treating parasites in people. They recommend a whole foods, protein rich diet. "On average, an adult needs at least 50 grams of protein a day... Protein is abundant in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Plant-based foods — such as beans, peas, quinoa, nuts, and seeds — also supply some protein... If you choose a vegan diet, make sure to include a variety of different plant protein sources." (Link) 

• Dr. Eric Bakker, author of the popular "Candida Crusher" book, has also had success treating parasites in his patients. He recommends a high protein, high vegetable diet as well. In this video, Dr. Bakker says that vegans and vegetarians can also succeed on this plan, as long as they incorporate plenty of high protein foods such as quinoa, chickpeas, nuts, seeds, lentils, beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, etc.

• Regarding zinc and magnesium, the doctors at Microbe Formulas say, "Zinc can also be absorbed from oatmeal, tofu, legumes, and nuts...Magnesium can be found in foods like almonds, spinach, black beans, tofu, and [sugar free] dark chocolate" (Link).

• Incorporate foods like vegetable stir fries, beans, tofu, salads with apple cider vinegar and olive oil, avocados, free range eggs, coconut yogurt, carrots, oatmeal, quinoa, nuts, seeds, green smoothies with lots of greens and 1-2 servings of fruit (usually pineapple, papaya and / or berries). 

• Dr. Axe says, "When you’re going to do a parasite cleanse, I even recommend that you limit your fruit intake or eat no fruit whatsoever. So rather than a berry smoothie, you just drink a coconut smoothie with coconut milk, chia seeds and protein powder; for lunch, do a big salad; and for dinner, prepare organic meat and double the vegetables, staying completely away from any form of grains or sugar, including fruit" (Link). While Dr. Axe does promote a very low or zero fruit diet for parasites, he makes exceptions for foods such as papayas, pineapple, carrots and lemons (Link).

• For some everyday foods that kill parasites, check out "the Raw Food Rebel's" informative post HERE. She promotes a green smoothie for breakfast with pastured eggs on the side, a salad for lunch and a cooked paleo dinner, usually with some sort of free range animal protein.

2) Fasting (Intermittent or Prolonged)

• Dr. Jockers says: "A regular life cycle that inhibits parasitic development includes doing regular intermittent fasting for periods of 16-24 hours every day.  It is important to drink lots of clean water to push out feces and not allow it to become a breeding ground for parasitic organisms" (Link).

• Brenda the "Real Food Rebel" beat lyme disease and a terrible parasite infection using natural means. In her blog, she promotes intermittent fasting. "My diet is primarily Wahl’s Paleo. I still eat about 9 cups of vegetables each day. After 5 years of morning smoothies, I have switched to a big salad with some type of animal protein for breakfast. I have almost quit fruit altogether and only eat it occasionally. I just feel stronger and have better blood sugar balance without much fruit. This is my 5th year with intermittent fasting. My first meal is at 11 am and dinner is usually around 5 pm. I still have my morning black coffee and drink water the rest of the day" (Link).

• Markus Rothkranz says that intermittent fasting "helps everything from digestive issues to energy, depression and mental clarity. This is one of the keys to the fountain of youth! This is what Cara and I do... Put simply, you eat for 8 hours a day and eat absolutely nothing for 16. A typical time to eat is 12 noon to 8 pm or 11 am to 7 pm" (Link).

• Dr. Pompa uses fasting in his parasite cleanse. "After addressing food, the last aspect of a parasite healing diet involved intermittent fasting as well as prolonged water fasting. Intermittent fasting is the period you go without eating, from your last meal of the day before bed until your first bite the following morning. Start out with a 12 hour fasting window, and increase it to 16-18 hours of daily fasting. With time, you should include 24 hour fasts (ideally once a week), and incorporate longer block fasts (5+ days) at least once a year." (LINK)

• Paul Nison says, "One thing I learned a long time ago at the Hippocrates Health Institute from Brian Clement was,  it's very beneficial to give the body as much rest as possible when it comes to our diet. We have to get used to missing a meal. If you're used to eating three times a day, work up to doing a fast. Maybe cut down to twice a day. And then a week later cut down to once a day. And then after you get used to that maybe you can cut down to just doing a liquid [fast]" (LINK).

• Dr. Mercola says that intermittent fasting "helps suppress inflammation and fight free radical damage" (Link).

• John Rose says, "Just by not eating breakfast, you're going to see tremendous benefits...How can we help people understand the benefits of just not eating breakfast so they can realize that what they're eating has so much effect on them?" In the same video, he says, "We are so far removed from the killing of the animal that we don't realize the cruel thing we do when we eat an animal" (LINK).

• Dr. Robert Cassar doesn't eat meat, and he practices intermittent fasting daily. He recommends avoiding all alcohol and processed foods. Most of his diet is raw foods, with some cooked beans, avocados, olive oil, free range eggs and many other organic vegetarian foods. Having successfully treated parasites in his clients, he tends to recommend higher fat foods over higher sugar foods.

• Some recent studies provide evidence that intermittent fasting can delay the onset of tumors in animals. While more research is needed for humans, it has been proven that intermittent fasting helps humans reduce inflammation and achieve optimal insulin levels. Both of these factors are linked with cancer in humans.

Incredible Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Chances are, you're already intermittent fasting. For example, during sleep, this is at around 8 hours of straight intermittent fasting for most people (unless you're snacking a lot through the night). The idea of intermittent fasting is to prolong those hours in order to give your body time to digest, saving valuable energy in the process!

• The "No Meat Athlete" website says, "As a vegan Registered Dietitian, I’ve see many people in my practice get the benefits of a Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB) diet combined with intermittent fasting. In fact, combining WFPB and IF is a highly anti-inflammatory way to eat, and may reduce your risk of disease even more than either approach can on its own" (Link).

• There are many good approaches to intermittent fasting, and there may not be a "one size fits all" way of fasting. Some people may choose to fast in the morning and others in the evening. Some people may choose to fast daily and others occasionally. However, I will say that eating up to 3 hours before bed is generally not recommended by most health practitioners. 

"The Daylight Diet"

• In the following video, Dr. Michael Greger emphasizes the importance of understanding circadian rhythms in our day. For this reason, he believes it's best to avoid eating before bed. Rather, he recommends eating "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper."

• Paul Nison wrote a book called "The Daylight Diet," which promotes avoiding meals before bed. Paul emphasizes, "One thing I learned a long time ago at the Hippocrates Health Institute from Brian Clement was,  it's very beneficial to give the body as much rest as possible when it comes to our diet. We have to get used to missing a meal. If you're used to eating three times a day, work up to doing a fast. Maybe cut down to twice a day. And then a week later cut down to once a day. And then after you get used to that maybe you can cut down to just doing a liquid [fast]" (LINK).
• The following video by vegan nutritionist Goji Man also recommends a "Daylight Diet" approach that avoids eating before bed, so that your body is not digesting food while you're sleeping. According to Goji Man, eating before bed often leads to morning exhaustion.

"Nothing Til 4"

• Markus Rothkranz says that intermittent fasting "helps everything from digestive issues to energy, depression and mental clarity. This is one of the keys to the fountain of youth! This is what Cara and I do... Put simply, you eat for 8 hours a day and eat absolutely nothing for 16. A typical time to eat is 12 noon to 8 pm or 11 am to 7 pm" (Link). In addition to intermittent fasting, Markus follows a high fat, whole foods vegan diet.

• Dr. John Fielder in the following video promotes a 2 meal plan as well, eating a fruit based lunch and a salad based dinner. 

• According to one large peer review study, there is "evidence that nightly fasting for more than 13 hours supports a lower risk of cancer recurrence" (Link).

• Some recent studies provide evidence that intermittent fasting can delay the onset of tumors in animals. While more research is needed for humans, it has been proven that intermittent fasting helps humans reduce inflammation and achieve optimal insulin levels. Both of these factors are linked with cancer in humans.

• Dr. Mercola says that intermittent fasting "helps suppress inflammation and fight free radical damage" (Link).

• Thomas DeLauer isn't a vegan or vegetarian, but he promotes intermittent fasting for vegans and vegetarians for its benefits. However, he emphasizes that vegans shouldn't usually intermittent fast more than 2-3 times per week, because veganism is already quite restrictive.

• Brenda the "Real Food Rebel" beat lyme disease and a terrible parasite infection using natural means. In her blog, she promotes intermittent fasting. "My diet is primarily Wahl’s Paleo. I still eat about 9 cups of vegetables each day. After 5 years of morning smoothies, I have switched to a big salad with some type of animal protein for breakfast. I have almost quit fruit altogether and only eat it occasionally. I just feel stronger and have better blood sugar balance without much fruit. This is my 5th year with intermittent fasting. My first meal is at 11 am and dinner is usually around 5 pm. I still have my morning black coffee and drink water the rest of the day" (Link).

• John Rose says, "Just by not eating breakfast, you're going to see tremendous benefits...How can we help people understand the benefits of just not eating breakfast so they can realize that what they're eating has so much effect on them?" In the same video, he says, "We are so far removed from the killing of the animal that we don't realize the cruel thing we do when we eat an animal" (LINK).

• Dr. Pompa uses fasting in his parasite cleanse. "After addressing food, the last aspect of a parasite healing diet involved intermittent fasting as well as prolonged water fasting. Intermittent fasting is the period you go without eating, from your last meal of the day before bed until your first bite the following morning. Start out with a 12 hour fasting window, and increase it to 16-18 hours of daily fasting. With time, you should include 24 hour fasts (ideally once a week), and incorporate longer block fasts (5+ days) at least once a year." (LINK)

• Dr. Axe says: "Another study in 2015 found that a longer duration of nighttime fasting was associated with a decrease in markers of inflammation" (Link). 

• Dr. Robert Cassar doesn't eat meat, and he practices intermittent fasting daily. He recommends avoiding all alcohol and processed foods. Most of his diet is raw foods, with some cooked beans, avocados, olive oil, free range eggs and many other organic vegetarian foods. Having successfully treated parasites in his clients, he tends to recommend higher fat foods over higher sugar foods.

• According To Dr. Eric Berg, Intermittent Fasting has several benefits.

"1. It can cause neurogenesis, which is the formation of new nerve cells by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factors.

2. Improvement of the hippocampus – the GPS of the body
3. Protects against plaque formation
4. Increase insulin responsiveness thus correcting insulin resistance.
5. Decrease blood pressure and cholesterol
6. Reversing depression" (LINK)

Dr Robert Cassar - Intermittent Fasting and Diet Protocol

Dr. Robert Cassar doesn't eat meat, and he practices intermittent fasting daily. He recommends avoiding all alcohol and processed foods. Most of his diet is raw foods, with some cooked beans, avocados, olive oil, free range eggs and many other organic vegetarian foods. Having successfully treated parasites in his clients, he tends to recommend higher fat foods over higher sugar foods.