Mini fasts may help with weight loss
By Allison Aubrey, NPR
This is not a detox diet. Nor is it an extreme version of calorie restriction.
Nope, the strategy of so-called 5-2 diets is to endure two days a week of mini-fasting.
This doesn’t mean starving yourself. Rather, it entails reducing your calorie intake during two days of the week down to somewhere in the range of 500 to 1,000 calories.
The idea of intermittent mini-fasting seems to be gaining traction. One version of the diet is being popularized by Michael Mosley, a British physician and journalist who’s written a bestselling book called the Fast Diectand produced a documentary.
And there are other popular tomes on the topic. Take for instance, the 5:2 Diet Book, which claims you can boost your brain power and transform your health by feasting for five days and fasting for two.