Life in the Fasting Lane: The Essential Guide to Making Intermittent Fasting Simple, Sustainable, and Enjoyable

by Jason Fung

Great Low-GL Foods to Enjoy While Fasting These foods contain a glycemic load of 10 or less and are great for incorporating into any of your meals. Or, you can eat them on their own! Carrots Nuts Meats and seafood Berries Plain yogurt Cheese

Where can you find the best sources of fats? I recommend that you choose a diverse range of foods from the following categories: Meat: Choose beef, pork, lamb, game, or poultry. You can eat the fat on the meat and skin on the chicken. Try to choose grass-fed meat, as it contains fewer hormones. Fish and seafood: Any kind, but especially salmon, mackerel, sardines, and herring because they contain so many omega-3 fatty acids. Eggs: Cook them however you like. Fats for cooking: Coconut, olive oil, butter, ghee (clarified butter used in Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisine), avocado oil, and beef tallow are all healthy options. Dairy: Choose full-fat dairy, yogurt, and unprocessed cheeses. Nuts: Macadamia, pine, Brazil, walnuts, and almonds. Avoid peanuts and cashews. Fruits: Olives and avocados. Eat berries no more than once a day.

Vegetables should also be part of your meals. Add them liberally and try a variety. Vegetables that grow above the ground, including cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, bok choy, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, cucumber, onions, peppers, and leafy greens (including lettuce) are full of vitamins and minerals your body needs. They’re also super-low in carbs. Eat avocados and olives liberally—they’re loaded with healthy fats—but consume berries no more than once a day, when you have a craving for fruit.

If I’m having a stressful workday and I’m fasting, I don’t need to eat lunch. Instead, I can take a walk during my lunch hour. This walk will help reduce my stress level and boost my mood and energy. It will also provide me with access to vitamin D from sunlight, which I won’t get if I’m stuck in the lunchroom of my office. After lunch I go back to work with a clear headspace, feeling rested and recharged after taking time to do something for myself that has a positive impact on my physical and mental well-being. Fasting gives me freedom to do things for myself and to reconnect with others.