Intermittent Fasting 16/8 Foods to Eat

Intermittent fasting 16/8 is the most popular eating plan out there. The rules are simple: don’t eat for 16 hours and then give yourself an 8-hour window to eat for weight loss. The question is, what are the intermittent fasting 16/8 foods to eat?

Succeeding with intermittent fasting 16/8 is not just about keeping an eating window solid; it is also about eating the right food. What is the idea behind an intermittent fasting diet?

It is time-restricted eating intended to encourage the body to burn stored fat for energy. Mark Mattson, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins, has studied intermittent fasting for over two decades.

His research suggests that our bodies start to burn stored fat for energy after hours of not eating. That means our bodies start using stored fat for energy after a few hours into our 16 fasting hours.

Mattson calls this “metabolic switching.” Mattson says, “Intermittent fasting contrasts with the normal eating pattern for most Americans, who eat throughout their waking hours.”

He continues, “If someone is eating three meals a day, plus snacks, and they’re not exercising, then every time they eat, they’re running on those calories and not burning their fat stores.”

The fasting period gives our bodies a chance to use stored fat for energy, rather than the fresh meal we just ate. This produces multiple health benefits, including reduced calorie intake, improved insulin sensitivity, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, reduced inflammation, a healthier gut, and overall health.

Daily fasting like this can also help with long-term health issues, like lowering the risk of heart disease or cardiovascular disease. Intermittent fasting is far from just weight management; it is a healthier way of life.

However, that doesn’t mean we should fill our eight-hour period with nothing but processed food. Instead, we should still be focusing on healthy eating during all of our eating periods.

The question is, what foods fit perfectly into an intermittent fasting 16/8 diet plan?

Intermittent Fasting 16/8 Food to Eat

The timing of meals will be the biggest factor in this type of diet. Most people choose to start their eight-hour window of eating at noon. This way, they can eat pretty much all day and then sleep during half of the fasting window.

However, we should still try to stick with a healthy diet. In fact, if losing body weight is the goal, eating healthy, working out, and sticking to a 16/8 schedule all need to be done together.

The potential benefits increase when we stick to them all. Luckily, we don’t have to do anything too crazy like counting carbs or calories. Instead, we should just aim to stick with nutrient-dense foods to keep our energy levels and cholesterol levels safe, and complete our intermittent fasting plan.

Fruits for Intermittent Fasting

Plenty of fruits fit into intermittent fasting 16/8. In fact, fruits will be a fantastic way to add fiber and other nutrients to our systems. Intermittent fasting work is not easy, but being able to eat fruits with healthy fats makes it easier.

We can eat any type of fruit we enjoy most. However, we should be sure to include avocados, papaya, and berries in the mix. These fruits all add something different to help with brain function, low energy, and high cholesterol.

We can get many of these nutrients from multivitamins. It should be noted that getting the vitamins and minerals straight from our healthy foods is far better. Essentially, anything from the produce section will be absolutely perfect for any part of any meal eaten during the eating period.

Veggies for Intermittent Fasting

An effective way to reach weight and health goals through intermittent fasting 16/8 is to include veggies in our food intake. Like fruits, veggies have a ton of nutrients that our body needs to stay healthy.

Legumes like green beans, peas, lentils, as well as potatoes, broccoli, and other veggies, give us fiber, which will help with gut health. A healthy gut can help significantly with health problems.

Another added benefit is the feeling of being full. Feeling full will keep us out of the kitchen and away from the snack foods that seemingly call us at all hours of the day.

These vegetables will help you make it through your non-eating hours with ease. There is also the clear benefit of the nutrients you get from veggies.

Grains for Intermittent Fasting

Sticking to the periods of fasting does get easier as time goes on. We learn as we go what we can and cannot eat; that knowledge is a powerful tool that will help the results last a long time.

One aspect of this eating plan that may shock you is that grains are allowed! This does mean we can eat bread. However, it needs to be whole-grain bread. We can also eat things like seitan, similar to tofu but made with wheat.

We use the grains for protein, which is a great energy source. Grains are on the menu no matter what method of intermittent fasting you decide to use. And protein should be at the top of the list.

Speaking of protein, meat is another intermittent fasting 16/8 food we can eat.

Meats for Intermittent Fasting

We can eat meat on an intermittent fasting diet plan. However, we should be monitoring what type of meat we eat and keep red meat as a last resort option. Sorry, beef lovers, chicken and fish are far healthier for us than beef.

Chicken is basically all protein and no carbs; fish is all nutrients with some protein. Beef doesn’t have nearly as much protein as chicken or fish, but it does raise cholesterol levels and can lead to high blood pressure.

That isn’t to say we can’t eat red meat. We absolutely can include beef in our diet plans. We just need to be sure to eat it in moderation, and we will succeed with our new plan.

Eat only during eating hours, include fruits, veggies, grains, and bread, avoid processed food and fast food, and lastly, work out regularly. We can obviously enjoy black coffee or tea during our fasting hours, and water is always a good choice.

Just be sure not to eat during your fasting hours. You will find success so long as you stick to the plan.

More Intermittent Fasting

Easy Salad Recipes for Work | Intermittent Fasting Friendly | Salads can be a great way to get a healthy lunch in at work. 

Intermittent Fasting Lunch Recipes with Chicken | Chicken is such a versatile meat that can be cooked in many different ways and fits into your fasting plans.

Intermittent Fasting Hours: Plans and Hours to Eat | There isn’t just one way to do intermittent fasting; there are other schedules you can follow as well.

Healthy Salad Recipes for Intermittent Fasting | Did we mention how important salad recipes are to getting healthy and losing weight?

Why Does Intermittent Fasting Work? | Some people are still not convinced, but there is a science to how this works.