CAUTION: This podcast discusses fasting and its advice may not be suitable for anyone with an eating disorder. If you have an existing health condition or are taking medication, always consult your healthcare practitioner before going for prolonged periods without eating.

When was the last time you had something to eat? Was the food consumed at a mealtime, or ‘just because’? My guest today has a simple but powerful message that I believe could revolutionize your health. Dr Jason Fung is one of the world’s foremost experts on intermittent fasting. He practices in Canada as a kidney specialist and in 2012, he co-founded America’s first intermittent fasting clinic. He’s published multiple international bestselling books and he runs a global online coaching program called Intensive Dietary Management. Dr Fung also works tirelessly to communicate simple messages with the public on his YouTube channel.

We begin this conversation by discussing how many unscheduled opportunities to eat there are in modern life. These days, it is normal to eat at your desk, in meetings, while walking down the street, on public transport or even on the sofa at home. Yet, just a few decades ago, such habits would have seemed very out of place. Jason explains that the idea that it’s good to graze all day is unscientific and damaging – our bodies can only draw on our fat stores for energy when we’re not in a fed state. Our default should be not eating, with two or three meals planned in short windows over 24 hours. Instead, schools, workplaces and places of leisure are designed around opportunities to snack and for many of us, it’s causing a host of problems.

We delve into the history of how our snacking culture came about – namely with the rise in processed foods. We eat more and more often than we should, not because we lack self-control, but because we feel hungry. And we feel hungry because we’re eating the wrong foods.

Jason goes on to talk about why he believes that calorie counting isn’t the answer when it comes to getting your weight and health in check and why some foods are more fattening than others, even if they’re equal in calories. Jason’s approach is to encourage all of us to switch to what he calls ‘the right foods’ – whole, unprocessed foods, low in sugar and refined carbohydrates, which will not stimulate large amounts of a hormone called insulin. As a result, Jason says you’ll be less hungry, less inclined to eat constantly and return your hormones to the way they’re designed to work.

Jason is also a big fan of intermittent fasting for the right person and explains easy ways to practise it, the common mistakes and misconceptions, and reveals why the ‘rules’ aren’t as strict as you think. Whether you’re already a fan of intermittent fasting, whether you’re in the dark or whether you are someone who has yet to be convinced, I’d urge you to give this conversation a listen. Jason is a fantastic communicator who’s helped countless people all around the world improve their health and well-being.

Disclaimer: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.*

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Watch the video version of this interview – click below.

Connect with Dr Fung:

Website     YouTube     Instagram

Facebook     Twitter

Dr Fung’s books:

The Obesity Code: the bestselling guide to unlocking the secrets of weight loss^†

The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally^†

The Cancer Code: A Revolutionary New Understanding of a Medical Mystery^†

Related Feel Better Live More episodes:

#236 Why This Cardiologist Recommends Fasting with Dr Pradip Jamnadas

#131 Tim Spector: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Food Is Wrong

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