“Intermittent fasting (or time-restricted feeding) is a method of limiting the time window you eat each day to a consistent number of hours and a consistent time each day. Between 8-10 hours of (an) eating window is considered optimal in humans, which leaves 14-16 hours for your body to fast. This period allows your organs a break from digesting so they can heal.” -Dr. Satchin Panda
What Is Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting (IF) is an approach where individuals intentionally limit the time window in which they eat and keep those hours consistent. Done properly research has found many benefits to allowing the body time to rest from digesting food in this way.
Benefits of IF
- Blood Sugar Regulation
- Weight Loss
- Better Sleep
- Reduce Leaky Gut
- More Energy
- Increased Nutrition
- Improvement in Blood Pressure
A Look At The Science
In 2012, a study came out that would expand our knowledge of how our eating patterns affect the body. Until this point most professionals believed that the quality and quantity of food were the main issues surrounding nutrition. This new knowledge would show us that when we eat impacts our health as much as what we eat and how much we eat.
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Omega 3 and Omega 6 are essential fatty acids that the body can not make on its own. Omega 3 is thought to have many health benefits, while omega 6 is known to cause inflammation.
It is very important for your health to have the right balance of these acids. People who are deficient in omega 3 may notice dry patches or bumps on their skin, brittle hair, dandruff, or nails that break easily. Inadequate levels can also negatively affect concentration, mood, energy, and sleep.
While it is possible to achieve this through diet, many professionals recommend getting a good quality supplement. Let’s take a look at the dietary impact of fatty acids and the benefits of getting the balance right to discover if a supplement could be a good choice for you!
Historically
Research suggests that our hunter-gatherer ancestors consumed around a 1:1 ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fats. It also indicates that these hunter-gatherers did not struggle with many of the inflammatory diseases that our culture does (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.).
Modern culture’s push for convenience foods, as well as the food industry’s attempt to lower cost has had a significant impact on these ratios. Today, the average ratio of omega 6 and omega 3 is between 10:1 and 20:1, with some individuals as high as 25:1.
If you eat out or consume processed foods it is likely that you are exceeding the amount of omega 6 that your body can handle!
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Gina Bria was an anthropologist studying how desert cultures survived with very little water when she got a call from her mother’s care facility. She was dismayed to hear that her mother was suffering from chronic dehydration. Bria decided to delve into her research to see if there was anything that she could learn from the desert cultures to help her mom.
Bria learned from her research that the Tarahumara people of Mexico used chia seeds to aid in hydration. Deciding to adapt this practice for her mother, she used her coffee grinder to turn some chia seeds into powder and instructed the caregiver to add it to her mom’s orange juice each morning. That did the trick and her mom did not have any more issues with chronic dehydration!
What Is Gel Water?
In their book Quench, authors Cohen and Bria describe gel water, or living water, as a “newly identified phase of water that’s not quite liquid, vapor, or ice. (It is) identified by an extra hydrogen and oxygen atom, so the molecular structure is H3O2.” Gel water exists in plants and can be found in fruits, vegetables, & seeds.
The Aztecs and Incas are thought to have often subsisted on only chia and cacti, actually going weeks without water. The fact that these plant products are full of gel water is probably the reason they could survive in this way!
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When people come into my office for their first visit, we discuss their current health concerns as well as their medical history. After sharing a list of symptoms which may include body aches, inflammation, skin irritation, digestive issues, or the like, they often explain that they have a certain condition or believe that they have a genetic predisposition towards these symptoms.
While a clear diagnosis can be helpful to understand symptoms and develop a treatment plan, often times these labels lead people to believe that there is little they can do to improve their situation. The same is true when people believe that a symptom “runs in their family.”
There is a certain level of resolution built into these beliefs - like an underlying conviction that there is nothing they can do about the situation. This is especially true when it comes to conditions like diabetes.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or respond to insulin properly, resulting in elevated glucose levels. Instability in blood sugar increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, vision problems, neuropathy, infections, and inflammation.
Diabetes has long been thought of as a chronic, progressive, incurable disease that simply needs to be managed. As Dr. Sarah Hallberg notes, “You get this disease, and there's nothing you can do about it. There’s no going back...that paralyzes people. It takes away their hope, and it takes away their control.”
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Eating healthy, whole foods is important to me. But I’m also a busy mom of two little ones who runs her own business. When I come across a resource that makes meals both easy and delicious, I get very excited!
Recently I started cooking from “Cook Once Eat All Week” by Cassy Joy Garcia. I am two weeks into the meal plans and am very impressed. The book is based off of the concept that preparing components of a meal in advance and assembling the dish the day of will give you a fresh, quick meal.
What I Love About This Book
- There are 26 weeks of meal plans. That's 6 months of delicious meals!
- All the recipes are gluten free and real food based (modifications are available for those on dairy-free, grain-free, or low-carb diets).
- Each week has a full shopping lists.
- Following the instructions on the prep day gets you ready to quickly prepare hot meals throughout the week.
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Spices and herbs have been believed to preserve health for thousands of years! Egypt has had schools for herbalists since 300 B.C. According to The Book of Spices, around 2600 to 2100 BC in Egypt “onions and garlic were fed to the one hundred thousand laborers who toiled in the construction of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, as medicinal herbs to preserve their health.” Recent studies have supported what the Egyptians long knew. There are many health benefits of herbs and spices.
Healing Properties of Specific Spices
- Cinnamon is a delicious spice that has many health benefits. In a study comparing 26 spices, it was found to have the highest level of antioxidants. It has many anti-inflammatory properties and is known to help with blood sugar regulation. It may help individuals with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, HIV, and cancer.
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