A timing framework and an inflammation score — different jobs, easy to combine.
Intermittent fasting is a timing framework — it doesn't say much about what you eat within your window, just when. THE FAD is a quality-and-pattern framework across five pillars, timing being just one small piece of the Food signal.
| Dimension | Intermittent Fasting | THE FAD |
|---|---|---|
| Core rule | A fixed eating window (e.g. 16:8) with a defined fasting period | No fixed window required — meal timing is one input among several |
| What it optimises | When you eat | What you eat, when you eat it, and four other lifestyle pillars combined |
| Flexibility | Requires discipline around a clock | Rewards consistency, but no single rule to break |
| Overlap | Longer overnight fasts align with circadian eating research | THE FAD's Food signal includes a meal-timing component for exactly this reason |
Very easily. If you already practice intermittent fasting, THE FAD simply scores the meals within your window the same way it would for anyone else — the fasting structure and the inflammation scoring aren't in tension.
The best way to understand the difference is to see what a real day scores.
Try the calculator