Apps and Startups To Help With Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is becoming a popular health trend across the western world.

The practice, which involves switching between fasting and eating at regular intervals, has been explored as a way to manage weight and improve health.

This way of eating is all about when to eat, rather than how to eat, and has been shown to have certain health benefits when stuck to – although a lot of the science is still inconclusive.

But why is it so popular? And what startups exist to help? Let’s take a look…

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is the practice of eating in regular cycles or schedules. Some methods of intermittent fasting include the 16/8 method (fast for 16 hours, eat within 8) and others include the 5:2 diet (eating as normal for 5 days, eating lower calories for 2).

One of the big bonuses of intermittent fasting is that there are no restrictions for eating within the designated window. This makes it relatively easy to stick to.

This idea of switching between normal eating and abstaining for certain periods of time has been shown to help with areas like weight loss – though it’s not clear exactly why this is.

Is Intermittent Fasting Good For You?

Intermittent fasting can be good for you, but it’s definitely not right for everyone.

Whilst it can be a great way to control blood sugar levels and increase weight loss, it has also been known for encouraging binge eating (within normal eating windows) and the science around long-term benefits is still inconclusive.

Most importantly, pregnant, breastfeeding and those who suffer from eating disorders can actually come into harm when trying intermittent fasting – so it’s definitely not a one size fits all approach.

However, if you do decide to embark on a journey of intermittent fasting – you’re probably wondering which tools exists to help. Here, we round up some of the best.

Fastic

Fastic is an app designed to help people adopt more healthy eating habits during their intermittent fasts. The app includes an AI companion which is able to answer questions around nutrition and wellness, as well as track the nutritional value of meals.

The app comes in both paid and free versions, helping people keep on top of their progress when it comes to their intermittent fasting.

Zero

The Zero app is one of the most well-known apps in the intermittent fasting space, helping people set their intentions, track their fasts, log their meals and see their progress over time.

The app is designed to help people more easily improve their health through intermittent fasting, without having to count calories.

GoFasting

GoFasting is a free app that helps people get started with their intermittent fasting journey quickly. The app supports a number of different fasting schedules, including things like a timer and progress tracking to help.

Users can also track their weight and access the latest articles around intermittent fasting, helping them see the benefits of what they are doing.

Window

For those looking for a more stripped back app, Window provides an easy way to track fasting an eating, set weight goals and manage them.

Their fasting timer makes it very easy to track eating windows, with reminders to help keep people on track. Not only that, but the app also has a water tracker, making sure you stay hydrated throughout your fasting schedule.

Fastin

Fastin is an intermittent fasting app designed specifically for women, focusing on providing them with a weight plan that that help with tracking exercise, calories and fasting schedules.

With ongoing tracking and insights baked into the app, it’s a great tool for women looking for an easy way to track their fasting schedules and the impact of them.

FastHabit

FastHabit is what it says on the tin – an app designed to help you make tracking a habit.

With an easy log for fast length and features like weight tracking, data export and multi-day fasting to track progress, the app is designed to keep users on track and motivate them through showing them strategies that work.