What is Intuitive Fasting and What Sets It Apart From Intermittent Fasting?

It seems like new diet trends keep popping up every week, and one Gwyneth Paltrow-approved concept, in particular, has been gaining some traction lately: intuitive fasting.

Created by functional medicine practitioner Dr. Will Cole, intuitive fasting is similar to intermittent fasting, in that you are only supposed to eat in certain windows. However, instead of following someone else’s rules, it’s completely up to you to figure out what eating and fasting window works best for you.

Dr. Cole teaches us more about his four-week program in his book Intuitive Fasting: The Flexible Four-Week Intermittent Fasting Plan to Recharge Your Metabolism and Renew Your Health. Here, Dr. Cole outlines the best ways to fast, which foods to eat, and when to eat them so you can increase the benefits of intermittent fasting. He also shares some tips on reducing inflammation, improving gut health, and boosting your metabolism. Readers also have access to detailed meal plans, more than 65 recipes, daily eating schedules, and lots of flexibility.

This book is not intended to punish or restrict you in any way – instead, it gives you a road map. It also teaches you to listen to yourself and your intuition. While this may seem fairly simple, it usually isn’t – at least not initially. However, with Dr. Cole’s voice guiding you to rework yourself along with the newfound understanding of what your body needs and how to best respond, it becomes doable and even exciting.

Intuitive Fasting is full of what Dr. Cole knows about food and the best ways to nourish the body and support its healing capabilities. It contains everything he knows about restoring balance, reducing inflammation, boosting your metabolism, and improving gut health. While it does include results from various scientific studies, it also includes some interesting findings about fasting that Dr. Cole has learned by simply listening to what his patients have to say.

Many medical practitioners share Dr. Cole’s passion for discerning research findings. Some share his passion for working with the chronically ill who arrive at his practice claiming that they’ve already tried everything, while others share his passion for dealing with patients one-on-one. Some share his passion for sharing his knowledge in a way that is easy to understand. However, very few share all of these passions, and fewer find success in trying to sustain them. No one does it quite as well as Dr. Cole does.