Harriet Lyne Political Deputy Editor
Updated January 29, 2024 22:00, January 29, 2024 22:28
- The Prime Minister said intermittent fasting allows you to get sugar.
Rishi Sunak said Monday fasting was an “important discipline” that would allow him to enjoy it later.
Mr Sunak said that despite his busy schedule as Prime Minister, avoiding food for 36 hours at the beginning of the week was good for a “balanced lifestyle”.
A self-proclaimed “Coca-Cola addict” who prefers Coca-Cola from Mexico, which is made with pure sugar, said fasting helps him overcome his “sweet tooth”.
Mr Sunak told the BBC yesterday: “I'm not sure if people are that interested in my eating habits, but I try to fast at the beginning of each week as part of a general balanced lifestyle. There are trends, but everyone has their own way of doing it.”
“I think it's important to have a healthy lifestyle, and that's part of what I do. But I also have a weakness for sweets, so I end up eating them the rest of the week. .”
Asked how he fasts for a day despite his office's demands, Sunak said: “It's an important discipline for me, but it also means I can't eat all my favorite sweets for the rest of the week. It means you can eat it.” I tend to enjoy it.
“That's where I balance my work and everything else.”
Sunak's friends told The Sunday Times that he did not eat anything for 36 hours, from 5pm on Sunday at the beginning of each week to 5am on Tuesday.
Downing Street officials disputed the schedule but acknowledged he usually fasts on Mondays.
The Prime Minister's mother-in-law Sudha Murthy had earlier revealed the family tradition of fasting every Thursday and said her daughter Akshata had influenced Sunak's eating habits.
Intermittent fasting, in which you drink only water and non-caloric beverages such as tea or coffee, is said to help you lose weight.
The technique became more mainstream in 2012 when Daily Mail columnist Dr. Michael Mosley created the 5:2 diet, which involves restricting calories for two days a week.
Last year, in an article for this paper, he highlighted research suggesting that intermittent fasting can help with weight loss, improve insulin sensitivity, and boost the immune system.
