While I usually talk about the benefits of intermittent fasting, it can also come with a few side effects.
But first, I want to mention all of the benefits people see, including fat loss. And not only weight loss, but you actually maintain muscle with intermittent fasting while losing fat, versus on a low-calorie diet where you lose muscle mass and fat mass at the same time.
Intermittent fasting increases brain function and lifts brain fog. You have more mental energy and are happier, as your serotonin, dopamine, GABA and other “happy hormones” are more abundant, and your eyesight can even improve as your inflammation in your eye tissue goes down! Inflammation throughout the body is reduced.
Intermittent Fasting also helps heal leaky gut, which is the source of most autoimmune issues an inflammatory issues throughout the body, improves digestion, clears skin issues, improves sleep and mood, and anxiety and depression can disappear.
Today I will share with you the side effects of intermittent fasting to be on the lookout for, and what you can do about them. So without further ado, let’s talk about…
The 8 Side Effects of Intermittent Fasting
1. A Spike in Uric Acid Related to Gout or Kidney Stones
There are two types of stones: oxalate stones and uric acid stones. During intermittent fasting, if you are getting kidney stones, they are uric acid stones. This is not common but can happen.
Uric acid is an antioxidant, so as your body is clearing things out, it uses uric acid to help it clear out your body. It is a sign that your body is too acidic, so when you do eat, you want to make sure you are eating lots of green vegetables and big salads to improve your pH balance and lower the acidity in your body.
You can also supplement with Ola Loa, which is a multivitamin electrolyte drink that gives you the proper potassium, sodium, and magnesium and other alkaline minerals that will help balance out your pH.
My other recommendation is to put Accelerated Ancient Salt™ on the tip of your tongue or in water to help re-hydrate and balance out your minerals.
Accelerated Ancient Salt is full of the proper balance of minerals that your body is deficient in and tastes great.
You can use it liberally on your food as well.
2. Feeling cold
When you are intermittent fasting, you are in an adaption phase. Your thyroid is turning off a bit, as you are adapting to not eating all day long.
This does not mean you have hypothyroidism, nor does it mean your metabolism is slowing down.
Actually, intermittent fasting speeds up your metabolism, as your body learns it can access your fat stores all day long and stoking that metabolic fire.
And the body is not starving like it is during a low-calorie diet. Your thyroid becomes more efficient along with your other organs when you are on a ketogenic diet and fasting.
Your body is cleaning up all the bad cells, and regenerating the good ones.
This is called autophagy.
This is all part of the process and another reason that when you get a blood test, some of the parameters should be different if you are eating a Standard American diet versus when you are on a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting.
3. Moodiness
This usually only happens if you stop the Standard American diet, and try to intermittent fast without being keto-adapted and go cold turkey. You need to do this gradually.
If you are burning glucose for fuel and used to eating all day long, your body is used to receiving fuel every few hours. If you stop that process you will become very “hangry”.
If you alternatively switch to a ketogenic diet where your body learns to burn fat for fuel and learns that it has thousands of calories of fat on its body to burn at any minute, then it relaxes and you are not dependent on that glucose every few hours.
So when you stop eating all day long and start intermittent fasting, your brain and body feel great energy as the body is tapping into its own fat stores, not needing to use energy to digest food and the happy hormones actually increase!
What makes it even easier if you use exogenous ketones, in the beginning, to kick start that process of being keto-adapted. Exogenous ketones put you in ketosis within 30 minutes and start teaching your body very quickly how to burn its own fat stores for fuel.
They teach the body to turn the fat stores into ketones and deliver those ketones to the brain and the body for quick energy. Your mood improves, and you feel great!
4. Headaches
Your brain is used to running on sugar, and it can’t store glucose. So once again, when you are not keto-adapted and you are not constantly giving your brain glucose, you will get a headache. Once you are keto-adapted and your brain is looking for ketones and fat for energy, the headaches go away. Accelerated Fast®™ will kick you into ketosis within 30 minutes help you transition into ketosis and intermittent fasting without headaches.
You can also get headaches from a lack of electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, and sodium. That is why it is important to hydrate with Ola Loa and replenish the electrolytes you lose when you are eating less sugar and carbs.
The kidneys release more water and electrolytes as you are in ketosis versus on the standard American diet. As a side note, this is the reason people lose 2 to 5 lb quickly within the first week because they are dropping a lot of water weight as the kidneys let go of water and electrolytes.
5. Increased Stomach Acid and Heartburn
Fasting increases acid in the stomach. However, most people have low acid in the stomach, which is actually what is causing their acid reflux, not too much acid.
So as the stomach acid increases, the stomach heals itself and it improves many issues like acid reflux.
6. Nauseousness When Eating
This is just because of the adaptation, and over time this will go away. It is usually related to a sluggish gallbladder. It could also mean you have a fat malabsorption issue.
I recommend a supplement called GB – 6 which helps digestion and improves the bile production in the gallbladder.
Bile is the detergent that helps break down fat, so if you are increasing your fat intake suddenly on a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting, your body might need extra support to break down that fat.
I also recommend a liver flush or liver support pills called Livrol Forte that will help increase metabolism and cleanse the liver.
Also, you can try enzymes to break down food as you are eating. Assist Dairy and Protein is specifically made for a higher fat and protein diet, and really helps people with this process.
Lastly, just because you are eating fewer meals, don’t overstuff yourself because you think you need to eat a lot more food. Your body will adjust, so just eat until you are satisfied and too full.
7. Fainting
This only happens if you do prolonged fasting, too quickly. Once again, this is rare and only happens if you are doing long fasts and way too quickly. This will happen if you are low on salt and electrolytes. You need to make sure you are supplementing with Accelerated Ancient Salt™ and Ola Loa to properly hydrate your body and make sure your minerals are sufficient.
8. Hair Loss
This will only happen if you are already deficient in vitamins and minerals. Usually, it is a B vitamin deficiency. By taking Ola Loa, you will cover your basis with B vitamins and with eating animal proteins.
If you are really struggling with hair loss I recommend trying liquid biocell collagen, MyVital C and Dr. Shen’s Shou Wu formula. Not only is it great for hair loss, but also for keeping hair from turning gray and other anti-aging effects in the body.
Ironically, hair loss can be attributed to high testosterone in women and when you are stabilizing your insulin while on a ketogenic diet, most hormones are balanced and hair growth improves.
Sara Banta
Sara Banta is a Stanford University Graduate with a Degree in Economics and Psychology, and a certified Natural Supplement Expert & Graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sara is the Founder of Accelerated Health Products and host of the health & wellness podcast, Accelerated Health Radio.