Just because you eat for shorter periods doesn’t mean you should cut everything from your diet. Here’re some foods you should include in intermittent fasting.

Fasting goes as far back as the fifth century, carrying through the modern-day. It offers numerous benefits, such as blood sugar control, helps manage inflammation, improves blood pressure, supports metabolism, and so much more. So, it’s something to consider if you wish to better your overall health.

But what if you don’t want to take on fasting for days on end? It’s the act of not eating for short periods during the day and eating in a small-time window. Instead, you can opt-in on intermittent fasting. Depending on your experience, you can fast between 8 to 20 hours a day and eat between 4 to 16 hours. So here are some foods that you should include in intermittent fasting.

Your Macronutrients

When you’re tracking your macronutrients, or macros for short, it focuses on your lifestyle and eating habits. Your macros consist of your carbohydrates, protein, and fat intake during the day. Carbohydrates consist of natural energy, which includes sugars, starches, and fiber. So don’t skimp on natural fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lentils, and leafy greens.

Your proteins help retain muscle and keep them healthy. This includes foods like salmon, seafood, eggs, and chicken. Lastly, don’t leave out nourishing fats, specifically monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Include milk, ghee cheese, nuts, and seeds. These are some of the essential foods you should have in intermittent fasting when you’re ready to eat.

Your Micronutrients

Secondly, you should consume your daily doses of micronutrients. Micronutrients consist of vitamins and minerals needed by the body in small amounts. They provide the necessary support to function and prevent deficiencies in the body. Water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, macrominerals, and trace minerals make up micronutrients.

Berries are among the best choice for obtaining the micronutrients you need for your daily intake. They are also among the best foods to support general brain functions. Other foods include cruciferous vegetables, papaya, fruit and veggie smoothies, and melons.

What To Avoid

While you’re learning to adapt to intermittent fasting, there are foods and drinks you should avoid. It’s a long process for your body to get used to, so start slow and work your way up in adaptation. Some foods you should stay away from are processed meats, trans fats, and refined starches.

Surprisingly, a lot of hidden calories and sugar are in the drinks you consume. Flavored coffee and lattes contain a lot of sugar, so try to stick with black coffee and water. Also, stay away from fruit juice with added sugar and alcoholic beverages.

Intermittent fasting can take time to get used to, but once you’ve acclimated to the lifestyle, you’ll see noticeable changes. You feel more energized and ready to take on the world. So enjoy the fruits you love and treat yourself sometimes.