Contrary to many methods, intermittent fasting focuses only on the timing of your meals. You only eat during the allotted period when you intermittently fast. Your body can burn fat if you fast for a set number of hours each day or consume only one meal a few days a week.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
What are some of the benefits of intermittent fasting? Let’s have a look!
- Intermittent fasting has been found to increase verbal memory in adults and working memory in animals.
- Intermittent fasting improved blood pressure, resting heart rate, and other cardiovascular-related parameters.
- There was a reduction in body fat and preservation of muscle mass in young males who fasted for 16 hours. Running endurance was increased in mice that were fed every other day.
- Animal studies have indicated that intermittent fasting can reduce the severity of obesity. In addition, results from six studies have demonstrated that intermittent fasting is useful for weight loss in adults who are obese.
- In animal studies, intermittent fasting enhanced surgical outcomes and reduced the amount of tissue damage that occurred.
Top 5 Meals for Intermittent Fasting
Meal 1 for Intermittent Diet: Burrito Bowls
What you’ll need (ingredients)
- Oil (Preferably Avocado)
- Salt and black pepper
- Chilli and garlic powder
- Black beans (2 cups)
- Corn, frozen or fresh (2 cups)
- Cooked brown rice (4 cups)
- Chicken breast, beef, or ground turkey (2 pounds)
- Cherry tomatoes
- Salsa (1 cup)
- Lime (1)
How to Prepare the Meal
Warm the oil in a large pan or a skillet and set over medium heat. Mix the beans, seasoning, and corn and heat for about three to five minutes.
Split the boiled rice and the protein among the four separate containers in an even manner. Ensure that each container receives an equal amount of vegetables and protein.
Finish off each container by adding a dollop of salsa and slices of lime if you want it to be tangy. After it has cooled, place it in the refrigerator it up to five days.
Have you thought of taking your bowl with you? Garnishes should be prepared as needed to ensure the highest possible level of freshness.
Meal 2 for Intermittent Diet: Roasted Vegetables and Chicken Grain Bowls
What you’ll need (ingredients)
- Avocado oil
- Broccoli (2-3 cups)
- Medium chunked cut sweet potatoes (5-6)
- Garlic powder and paprika
- Salt and Pepper
- Cooked brown rice (3-4 cups)
- Chicken breast (2-3 lbs)
How to Prepare the Meal
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Sweet potatoes should be cut into cubes. You can toss in the broccoli in the oil with seasoning: garlic powder, paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread it evenly on a baking sheet and set it aside.
Bake it for half an hour until the sweet potatoes are soft and the broccoli is browned and caramelized. During the time that the vegetables are cooking, get the containers ready.
To ensure that each container has the same amount of brown rice and cooked chicken, divide the ingredients evenly.
Once everything is cooked, stir in the vegetables that have been roasted. After it has cooled, place it in the refrigerator to keep for five days.
Meal 3 for Intermittent Diet: Overnight Oats and Banana Bread
What you’ll need (ingredients)
- Oats (half cup)
- Almond milk, unsweetened (1 cup)
- Mashed medium banana (half)
- Chia seeds (2 tablespoons)
- Maple syrup or Honey (One and a half tablespoons)
- Cinnamon (Half tablespoon)
- Nuts finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
How to Prepare the Meal
In a Mason jar or another glass container, mix the oats with almond milk, and add in a banana, chia seeds, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Mix well and cover, then place in the refrigerator to chill overnight. When ready to eat it, remove it from the refrigerator and top it with your favorite chopped nuts.
Meal 4 for Intermittent Diet: Stir Fry
What you’ll need (ingredients)
- Avocado oil
- Sliced thin orange bell pepper (1)
- Sliced thin green bell pepper (1)
- Sliced thin large onion (1)
- Garlic powder, black pepper, and sea salt
- Broccoli (2 cups)
- Thinly sliced carrots (1 cup)
- Coconut aminos (125ml)
- Cooked and prepared cauliflower rice (4 cups)
- Chicken breast or turkey, cooked (2 lbs)
How to Prepare the Meal
Heat up the avocado oil in a pan and place it over medium heat. Sauté the vegetables for a few minutes and add the seasoning: garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
Boil the carrots and broccoli so they are soft, and add them to the sauteed and seasoned onions and peppers. Pour the coconut aminos all over the vegetables evenly while they are cooking.
Add the cooked cauli-rice and your protein of choice to the containers evenly. Each container should have an appropriate amount of coconut aminos added to it.
Put the vegetables in the containers and distribute them evenly. Once it has been refrigerated, you can store it for the week!
Meal 5 for Intermittent Diet: Yummy Salad with Strawberry Poppyseed
What you’ll need (ingredients)
- Cooked chicken breast (2 cups)
- Chopped lettuce or green vegetables (8 cups)
- Strawberries (2 cups)
- Sliced thin red onion (1 medium)
- Toasted slivered almonds (half cup)
Poppyseed Dressing for Salad
- Olive oil (half cup)
- Honey (4 tablespoons)
- Apple cider (2 tablespoons)
- Dijon mustard (2 tablespoons)
- Poppy seeds (2 tablespoons)
- Lemon juice, fresh (4 tablespoons)
- Salt and black pepper
How to Prepare the Meal
Salad: Cut the ingredients and distribute them evenly among the four containers.
Dressing: Put all ingredients into the mason jar, then give it a good shake to incorporate everything. Add the dressing over the salad before serving.
Our Final Thoughts
These are our top five suggestions for meals suitable for the intermittent fasting that you may make for yourself. The abovementioned recipes are great options if you’re seeking ways to shed weight or maintain your current fitness level.
