Fasting Like a Girl

Fasting, mostly intermittent fasting, has been quite popular the last few years along with the biohacking culture.

However, we have a problem ladies, or, we had.

Up to date, there have been basically little to no studies about fasting done on women and since our hormonal composition is so very different from a man's, there has remained a huge discrepency about what is good for women. Until Dr Mindy Pelz came along, a pioneer in women's health and wellness, whose work has shown the miraculous effects of fasting for overall women's health when done properly. For far too long, women have been trying to fit into health and wellness models designed by and for men, and it’s taken a toll. But when women fast in a way that honors their cyclical nature, the results can be nothing short of miraculous.

Fasting “like a girl,” isn’t about skipping meals or starving yourself, it’s about a lifestyle in which we live in sync with the natural hormonal rhythms that govern a woman’s body.

Women live with a powerful and ever-shifting (sex) hormonal cocktail - primarily estrogen, progesterone, testosterone - each playing a vital role in energy, mood, immunity, metabolism, brain function, and overall vitality. These hormones rise and fall throughout the month (and throughout the phases of life), which means that a rigid or one-size-fits-all fasting approach can actually do more harm than good.

But when we fast with our hormones instead of against them, we tap into a deep well of resilience and healing.

Some of the incredible benefits of hormone-aware fasting include:

• Balanced moods and energy

• Improved metabolic flexibility and fat-burning

• Reduced inflammation

• Clearer skin and improved digestion

• Enhanced brain function and focus

• Support for perimenopause, menopause, and PMS

  
  

Dr. Mindy Pelz's approach gives women permission to work with their biology instead of ignoring it. She emphasizes that certain times in a woman's monthly cycle are ideal for deeper fasting, while other phases require more nourishment and rest. This rhythm-based approach not only supports hormonal harmony but empowers women to reconnect with the natural intelligence of their bodies.

Fasting becomes less of a restriction and more of a ritual with a rhythm - a way to clear space, reset, and come back home to yourself.