Intermittent fasting, a buzzword that refuses to die down unlike other fleeting diet trends, is popularly believed to be an effective eating pattern for weight management. It is also said to have potential benefits for digestive health and metabolic functions.

People who follow this pattern regularly cycle between periods of eating and voluntary fasting. This is usually adopted in different ways like restricted eating time (for example: 8 hours eating, 16 hours fasting), alternative-day fasting or the 5:2 approach (unrestricted eating for 5 days and restricting calories on 2 non-consecutive days).

While most diets focus on ‘what’ one eats, this method delivers health benefits based on ‘when’ one eats.