Typical Western diets consist of simple carbohydrates, such as pizza or sandwiches. These food items provide the glucose your body uses as fuel. Spiking glucose increases insulin levels, which the body uses to process blood sugars.

• Fasting for 16 hours evens these spikes out and recalibrates the body.
• A longer fast leads to lower blood pressure.
• Time-restricted eating is associated with better cardiovascular health because the body starts to burn fat, and as the body releases more fat, the level of insulin drops.

Paying attention to when you eat is as important as what you're eating. Intermittent fasting is a simple way to start experimenting with a diet. It requires you to abstain from food, or at least most food, for specific periods.

Diets based on intermittent...