Abstract

MAPPING MODERN INTERMITTENT FASTING TO CLASSICAL AYURVEDIC DIETARY PRINCIPLES: A NARRATIVE COMPARATIVE REVIEW

Dr. Hemal Bharat Dhagai*, Dr. Anaya Ashish Pathrikar, Dr. Hemant S. Paradkar

Abstract

Background: Intermittent fasting (IF) has drawn wide interest as a strategy for improving metabolic health, managing weight, and possibly extending lifespan. Many of its core ideas, though, overlap closely with dietary concepts already laid out in classical Ayurvedic texts. Objective: To compare modern intermittent fasting regimens against classical Ayurvedic dietary principles, and to look at the wider therapeutic framework Ayurveda builds around them. Materials and Methods: This narrative review drew on classical Ayurvedic sources like Charak Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Hridaya, and Bhavaprakasha with particular attention to Ahara Vidhi, Kalabhojanam, Upavasa, and Langhana. Contemporary literature on intermittent fasting, circadian biology, and meal-timing strategies was reviewed via electronic databases, and the conceptual overlaps and differences were synthesized narratively. Results: There is substantial overlap between modern intermittent fasting models and Ayurvedic dietary principles. Time-restricted feeding, one-meal-a-day (OMAD), two-meal regimens (2MAD), and whole-day fasting all find parallels in Kalabhojanam, Prahara-baddha Bhojanam, Ekashana, Dvikalika Bhojanam, and Ekadashi Upavasa. But Ayurveda goes further, folding fasting into a broader framework that accounts for digestive capacity (Agni), constitutional type (Prakriti), seasonal change, disease stage, contraindications, and specific therapeutic use. Conclusion: Modern intermittent fasting and classical Ayurvedic dietary principles share real conceptual ground. Where contemporary fasting focuses mainly on meal timing and metabolic outcomes, Ayurveda situates fasting within a comprehensive, individualized system of health promotion and disease management offering a wider lens on dietary regulation than timing alone can provide.

Keywords: Chrono nutrition, Intermittent fasting, Kalabhojanam, Langhana.