More and more experts say no. In fact, fasting has emerged as a healthier alternative to eating 3 regular meals. Often referred to as “intermittent fasting” it can involve depriving yourself of calories for a day, or going anywhere from 12-18 hours without eating, then taking in all of your food within a short window.

According to various medical experts quoted here, fasting does numerous good things for the brain – it improves cognitive function, increases neurotrophic factors, increases stress resistance, and reduces inflammation – all of which help to prevent diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.  According to research cited in the article, fasting mimics changes in the brain that happen with exercise. One reason fasting or strenuous exercise has this effect on the brain is due to the formation of ketones – an energy source that can be used by the brain rather than glucose. A ketogenic diet also allows for production of ketones by severely restricting carbohydrate intake which is converted to glucose in the body and used for fuel.

You can have the best of both worlds by combing a ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting. I’ve experimented with intermittent fasting on and off for the past few months. I certainly like the way I feel in a fasted state, but my stomach does not do well when I introduce food after fasting 15 hours or longer.

I’m trying to figure out what I can do differently to calm it down once food is reintroduced. I have ready some articles on how fasting can impact women differently by causing excessive adrenal stress, but I hope to figure out a way to fast regularly without experiencing gastric distress. This article by Dr. Amy Shah explains what can happen to some women who fast, and suggests crescendo intermittent fasting – basically not fasting consecutive days in a row, but instead allowing your body time to adjust and to figure out what makes you feel the best.

Dave Asprey, founder of The Bulletproof Diet, is also a fan of intermittent fasting with the use of Bulletproof Coffee instead of just water. This is the type of intermittent fasting I do, as I can still get the benefit of healthy fat and MCT oil (I use Dave’s product, Brain Octane) for an added boost while fasting. For some great podcasts on the topic of intermittent fasting, visit https://www.bulletproofexec.com/?s=intermittent+fasting.

So is the 3 meals a day recommendation a great conspiracy by the food industry as some suggest? I suggest you try fasting for yourself and see if you truly do need those 3 meals!