Intermittent Fasting OR Keto? What's the best strategy?

You’ve probably been seeing these two nutritional approaches popping up more on more on

social media, and perhaps among your friends! People are jumping on board. The evidence supporting these methodologies is gaining momentum. But which of these approaches, if any, is right for you?

Let’s start with Intermittent Fasting (IF). There is a several different approaches to fasting, the most popular being the 16/8 method, where food is consumed in an 8 hr. eating window (say noon-8pm), followed by a 16 hr. fasting window. Some people enjoy a weekly 24 fast (usually dinner to dinner), while others practise the 5:2 method, where 5 days a week you eat normally, and 2 days a week you restrict your calories to roughly 500-600 cal. If you want to read more about the health benefits of IF and how to actually incorporate IF into your life, I’ve written a manual on how to do it safely HERE

Fasting has many health benefits. Literally dozens. The simplest explanation is that when your body is not working at having to ‘digest’, it can focus on all the other tasks that need to be taken care of – like repair work, building of new tissue and cleaning up unhealthy cells.  Not to mention allowing the body to use its stored energy (fat) as an energy source during that time. So yes, you get the fat-burning benefits!

Some of the benefits people report:

-increased energy

-improved productivity & mental clarity (during fasting)

-ability to bust through weightloss plateaus

-convenience

-lessening of digestive distress like heartburn, gas and bloating.

-improved healing time

-bouncing back quicker after illness

-improved overall state of health

Intermittent Fasting is something I started using about 3 yrs ago and I absolutely love it to this day. It has brought ease into my life, taken pressure off my mornings, improved my productivity in the mornings and has improved my metabolic flexibility. Not to mention…I’m not thinking about food ALL DAY LONG. To read more about my journey with IF, read this previous blog HERE.

So that brings me to the ketogenic diet.

I think that intermittent fasting and keto go hand in hand, and you’ll often see people who

use both in the ketogenic community. The premise of the ketogenic diet is that by removing carbohydrates/sugars from the diet, and eating more (healthy) fats, you are forcing the body to ‘adapt’ to using fat as a fuel source. Most of us are not comfortable doing this, and our fat burning organ (the liver) hasn’t fired up the enzymes needed to do this EFFICIENTLY.

I personally used Intermittent Fasting for 2 years BEFORE doing keto, at which point the keto diet was a natural transition that made sense. I was already comfortable burning fat during my fasting hours, which seemed to help me transition into ketosis a little easier, without the crazy symptoms of ‘keto-flu’ (carbohydrate withdrawal). 

Both IF and keto support the ability to BURN FAT vs. SUGAR as a fuel source. I would probably say that using a ketogenic diet helped me become ‘fat-adapted’ (the state where your body EASILY uses fat as a fuel source just like it would use glucose from carbohydrates). 

The huge benefits of fat adaptation has been that I no longer feel weak or dizzy when I haven’t had ‘some carbs’ (I used to eat VERY frequently, like every 2 hrs).  In fact, after having a higher fat meal (without the carbs which mess us blood sugar), I can usually go hours without needing to eat, or constantly thinking about food. The stable energy is amazing. The mental clarity is wonderful. And yes, I still eat carbs, but TIMED very differently now than in the past – I’m no longer a slave to them so to speak. 

And I definitely have improved metabolic flexibility…I’m better able to go back and forth between burning sugar and burning fat. My body is more efficient. I still use Intermittent fasting with my keto diet, and when I’m cycling out of keto, Intermittent Fasting remains what I fall back on to still feel my best. It’s an amazing tool.

Here’s some of the reasons people try a keto diet:

-weight-loss plateaus

-hormonal imbalance (PMS or irregular menses)

-mental fog

-constant hunger & cravings

-low energy or motivation

-skin breakouts

-mood swings

-blood sugar imbalance

-frustration with never feeling satisfied

Things to be aware of…like with any other ‘diet’ there are so many versions of the keto diet. Some are not necessarily healthy. The way I approach keto as a naturopath (and one who works primarily with women) is very different than ‘classical keto’. I take the approach of respecting a woman’s hormones, her thyroid health and her ability to figure out what works best for HER. I teach my women to eat intuitively rather than have them counting their calories. We set guidelines that are flexible, and we figure it out together!

If you’re curious and want to read more about our next session (March 23) you can do so BY CLICKING HERE!

So the long and short of it that is that either approach has clear benefits, and you can effectively use one or BOTH to help you feel your best and improve your overall health. You have to decide what fits into YOUR life, what your current health goals are, and which approach would make the most sense 'at this moment' in your life. You can give different things a try - that's what life is about. You are not committing to doing these things forever, but gaining some amazing nutritional tools is never a bad thing! Stay open minded and test things out for yourself!