To fast or not to fast

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If you eat according to Ayurvedic recommendations based on Dhinacharya or the Circadian cycle then you will be fasting every day and breaking your fast. How?  According to our relationship with the sun every 4 hours in the 24 hour cycle or predominant doshas shifts.

Starting at 6 AM to 10 AM the Kapha dosha predominates. It is the dosha of earth and water and is heavier. Therefore its best to get out of bed before 6 am to not feel heavy otherwise you will need some stimulating caffeine to wake you up.  

At 10 AM we move into the Pitta dosha as be get closer to noon when the sun is highest in the sky. From 10 AM to 2 PM our digestive fire is most active that is why Ayurveda recommends having our largest meal at this time. 

Then at 2 PM we move into the Vata dosha with air and space as the elements that create this dosha. This is good time for creative work.  Then at 6 PM we have a light meal and it is recommended to fast or not eat until we "break our fast" in the morning.  

During this 12 hour fast from 6PM to 6AM the Pitta dosha predominates starting at 10 PM.  At this time the Pitta dosha's various metabolic processes of transformation rebalance our physiology.  If are not asleep at this time it is much more difficult for this to happen and most likely we will get hunger at about midnight and eat something not allowing the detoxification and transformation to occur.

So no need to skip or eliminate meals to create "intermittent fasting" as you are doing a fast intermittently every 24 hours.  Skipping or eliminating meals breaks the routine and aggravates the Vata Dosha which is the leading dosha and causes all kinds of imbalances. 

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