Considering the amazing health benefits of intermittent fasting, you would think the food and pharmaceuticals industries would be interested in studying it. A portion of the transcript from a TEDx Talk by Mark Mattson, the current Chief of the Laboratory of Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging may help to explain why:
“Why is it that the normal diet is three meals a day plus snacks? It isn’t that it’s the healthiest eating pattern, now that’s my opinion but I think there is a lot of evidence to support that. There are a lot of pressures to have that eating pattern, there’s a lot of money involved. The food industry — are they going to make money from skipping breakfast like I did today? No, they’re going to lose money. If people fast, the food industry loses money. What about the pharmaceutical industries? What if people do some intermittent fasting, exercise periodically and are very healthy, is the pharmaceutical industry going to make any money on healthy people?”
In a similar manner, the lies of “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” and “You must eat five or six small meals a day” continue to be told. These ideas may be good for food company and restaurant bottom lines, but not your waistline!
Watch the TEDx talk below: