Do you know the difference between dirty and clean fasting?

Fasting is when we limit the amount of food consumed within a certain time period. Fasting can last a whole day, or just a few hours. The most popular are 12-, 10- and even 8-hour fasts, but the most popular is the 16-hour fast, which works on the principle of 16:8. This means that between 8:00 pm and 12:00 pm you eat nothing, and between 12:00 pm and 8:00 pm you try to eat as normally as possible.

The first day of such a diet is the hardest, but the body gets used to the new routine after 3 to 5 days. That’s why it is very important to endure the first day, afterward it gets easier and easier.

And this is exactly what we call dirty fasting.

Research shows that clean fasting is beneficial for heart and vascular health, helps regulate blood pressure and sugar, and also helps with weight loss.

In dirty fasting, the processes are much more complex. Insulin levels drop, but the hormones glucagon and epinephrine increase, which trigger the release of fat cells. Some of these fats travel to the liver, where they are converted into ketones, which then become a source of energy for the brain instead of glucose, which is its usual fuel.

How dirty fasting works, we do not yet know precisely, and above all, it works differently in every body. Many are convinced that dirty fasting has many yet-to-be-discovered benefits, but the problem is that at the moment we don't have enough data to understand all the processes that happen during fasting.

Some things are obvious... Clean fasting can last only one day, but with dirty fasting you must persist for at least 3 days, you must be very careful with counting calories, and you must ensure that your food is rich in vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and, above all, is varied. And if you follow all these properties, then dirty fasting is definitely more beneficial than clean fasting.


Information on this website is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.