Intermittent Fasting...

I’ve heard this all my life: “If you want to be at your most optimal wellness, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”  I do not like eating breakfast. I never have. I totally like breakfast foods...savory breakfast foods, but I don’t like eating in the morning. I can’t stomach it. I get a bit queasy and nauseated when I eat in the morning. I would make myself because healthy people eat a hearty, healthy breakfast. Blah. Blah. Blah. See the thing is I don’t feel like “breaking the fast” until I’ve been up for a few hours.  Funny how the body knows what the body needs. It’s got built in intelligence and we just have to pay attention to the cues it sends us.

I decided that in my renewed focus on healing and strengthening my body, I was going to pay attention to its message of no morning meal, please. Upon waking, I generally drink a lemon turmeric tea followed by 16 ounce glass of water with another glass shortly thereafter. I will drink water and herbed teas throughout the morning and sometimes into the early afternoon before I’m ready to actually eat food. I do my household chores, workout for an hour most mornings, and do this and that. I feel fine. Not deprived nor do I experience glycemic drops. I know when I’m ready for food. My body lets me know. I find in the warmer weather, I go longer before my first meal. Now, the most interesting thing about deciding to follow my body’s wisdom on this breakfast thing is finding out that over the last two to three years health advocates have been preaching about “intermittent fasting”. Say whaaaat?! Ha! Ha! Yes, folks! INTERMITTENT FASTING. Seems that my body knows what is best.

Intermittent fasting (IF) by simple definition is fasting for regular intervals. It is not a single method, but a variety of methods that you can use to fit your body’s needs. (Beyond)  I tend to naturally use the “Leangains” in which a person fasts after dinner for approximately 12 or more hours before their first meal the following day. So, dinner done 7pm and first meal no earlier than 7am the next day, preferably longer. (Dailyburn)  

“To be effective, in the case of daily intermittent fasting, the length of your fast must be at least 16 hours. This means eating only between the hours of 11am until 7pm, as an example. Essentially, this equates to simply skipping breakfast, and making lunch your first meal of the day instead.

You can restrict it even further — down to six, four, or even two hours if you want, but you can still reap many of these rewards by limiting your eating to an eight-hour window each day.
This is because it takes about six to eight hours for your body to metabolize your glycogen stores; after that you start to shift to burning fat. However, if you are replenishing your glycogen by eating every eight hours (or sooner), you make it far more difficult for your body to use your fat stores as fuel.” (Mercola)

Further discovered health benefits of IF are (and I am quoting this list here without quotation marks from Mercola) (NIH)

• Normalizing your insulin and leptin sensitivity, which is key for optimal health as insulin resistance (which is what you get when your insulin sensitivity plummets) is a primary contributing factor to nearly all chronic disease, from diabetes to heart disease and even cancer
• Normalizing ghrelin levels, also known as "the hunger hormone"
• Promoting human growth hormone (HGH) production, which plays an important part in health, fitness and slowing the aging process
• Lowering triglyceride levels
• Reducing inflammation and lessening free radical damage

Sounds like there is something quite beneficial to this fasting thing!

There is a bit of difference of opinion among nutritionists and physicians concerning who can fast. You will need to make that decision based on your discussion with your own physician/nutritionist. Many doctors and nutritionists will say that people with adrenal fatigue and cortisol issues should not fast. Dr. Meaghan Kirschling points out that if you are constantly eating during the day, you are feeding your stress hormones. If you fast, then you “starve” your adrenals causing your body to release fewer stress hormones and focus on healing your body. Less cortisol, less visceral fat. (Kirschling) Again, as always, check with your health care practitioner before jumping into anything.

So far, I have found IF …the Leangains method… to be the perfect fit for me. It is interesting how the right and most needed information comes along at just when I am ready to receive and utilize it. Seek and you shall find…

Cited Works

Beyond http://beyondthebasicshealthacademy.com/researchbased-information-on-intermittent-fasting/

Daily burn http://dailyburn.com/life/health/intermittent-fasting-methods

Kirschling http://beyondthebasicshealthacademy.com/researchbased-information-on-intermittent-fasting/ and http://beyondthebasicshealthacademy.com/podcast-048-intermittent-fasting-what-all-about/

Mercola http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/06/28/intermittent-fasting-health-benefits.aspx  and http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/01/18/intermittent-fasting-approach.aspx  

NIH (National Institute of Health) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4352038/

Cortisol....adrenals...healing....

As I look back, I can see several symptoms that warned me of a cortisol imbalance. I use the term "cortisol imbalance" as if it were a singular problem to be treated singly like a hang nail, but truly it's not. Just like catching a cold can affect several organs of the body, a cortisol imbalance involves several organs. The adrenal glands, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and liver are organs mainly engaged in cortisol issues.
Cortisol is "a steroid hormone: the major glucocorticoid synthesized and released by the human adrenal cortex. It is important for normal carbohydrate metabolism and for the normal response to any stress."(Oxford) (Bender) Cortisol regulates or modulates many of the changes that occur in the body in response to stress including, but not limited to: blood sugar levels; fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism to maintain blood glucose; immune responses; anti-inflammatory actions, blood pressure, heart and blood vessel tone and contraction; and central nervous system activation. Therefore, if there is a consistently higher level of cortisol (say from high stress situations...I'm sure most of you can relate to nonstop stress!) may cause: sluggish thyroid, hyperglycemia, headaches/migraines, insomnia, decreased muscle mass, high blood pressure, premature onset of menopause, and visceral belly fat. These symptoms on their own each cause more problems for the body to deal with. There are issues with having too low cortisol, but this post will be related to stress induce high cortisol levels. (Dartmouth) (Mayo)
I’ve had insomnia issues for as long as I can remember, even as a child, even though my parents were terrific about putting us to bed at a reasonable time. Migraines started in my tween years. When I hit my teenage years I began having hyperglycemic issues although I had a pretty good diet. We didn’t have a lot of processed foods, had a huge garden providing our own vegetables, we had chickens and my grandfather raised our beef. Good, close to home sources.  When I hit my adult years, I pushed myself hard, overloading my days with two jobs, church activities, and composing in the wee-smas. I found that I could get things done faster and better when I was pushed. I now realize that I was running on adrenaline and caffeine. I really didn’t see this as detrimental because I was getting so much done and felt so very creative! Except for in the morning when I would wake up feeling nauseated for about 30 minutes….and the migraines…ugh. In my early 30s, I began experiencing menopausal symptoms and for a short time was put on Premarin (very short! I ditched that and began looking for healthier choices.). In my 40s, I put on weight by pounds every week quickly hitting over 200lbs. I was mystified and troubled. I went to see my physician who was also a good friend of mine and knew I ate a balanced, healthy diet and got moderate exercise. What was happening?! She explained about cortisol. Now, how to deal with it. She knew my stress level was enormous because of personal circumstances and suggested I find ways to de-stress. I began to meditate and make some personal time for myself. I decided that I couldn’t (or more honestly wouldn’t at that time) change my circumstances, but I could change me. Those changes in me brought about a huge life change (aka: divorce) and a big relief and reduction in stress. I’ve lost 45lbs total but still have this visceral fat. My hip to waist ratio tells me I still need to focus on taking care of this for my long term health. But how?! I’m doing all that I posted in a previous blog post (June 24, 2016). I still am learning things. Like this week I searched for and listened to several podcasts about cortisol and adrenals. I discovered that I need to be careful not to overdo workouts. I l.o.v.e. to workout! However, too much and I cause my adrenals to work too hard. I’m trying to heal them not continue to stress them. Yet, I also learned to lose visceral fat cardio is the key. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions were mentioned to be effective. So, I’m making sure I take a day off from workouts every three or four days. I am also looking into Tapping. I used it on my oldest son when he was smaller and it helped with some emotional overload he was experiencing. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) has been found to be very effective for releasing the emotions that have you anchored in a place you don’t want to be. In my case, I feel like I am holding onto stress and emotions from my first marriage. I still deal with some residual situations from this passed relationship and with those comes a connection of the frustrations, stress, resentment and anger. They are affecting me under the surface and it’s time to unload this baggage. Another aspect of getting to where I need to be that I am researching is Calorie Restriction (CR), Total Calorie Desistance (TCD), and Intermittent Fasting. What interests me about this is the benefits of balancing glucose metabolism and “to manage the storage of fats for energy reserves”. (CR TCD)
I’ve already begun to see significant results. As much as I want to lose weight (and I do have that goal in my thoughts), my focus is on maintaining and retaining my health. I hope my journey encourages you and helps you on yours.

Cited Works:

Bender, David A. "cortisol." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. : Oxford University Press, 2009. Oxford Reference. 2009. Date Accessed 9 Jul. 2016
CR TCD http://beyondthebasicshealthacademy.com/researchbased-information-on-intermittent-fasting/
 "cortisol." Concise Medical Dictionary. : Oxford University Press, 2010. Oxford Reference. 2010. Date Accessed 9 Jul. 2016
Dartmouth http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/2011/02/the-physiology-of-stress-cortisol-and-the-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis/#.V4EL4TW2HU0
EFT http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/what-is-tapping/ and http://www.thetappingsolution.com/
HIIT http://dailyburn.com/life/db/hiit-workouts-for-beginners/ and https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/can-you-hiit-like-a-girl-22-minute-cardio-hiit-workout-challenge and http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1011318-35minute-hiit-workout-wont-hurt-knees/
June 24, 2016 http://wholesomelivingjourney.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-few-things-ive-learned-about-my.html
Mayo http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037

A Quick Glance at Veganism...My Thoughts...

Veganism in simplest definition is not eating or using products that come from animals (aquatic animals are not considered part of veganism). As a diet, one eats no meat, no eggs, no animal milk, no cheese coming from animal milk, no animal milk-based butters, no animal milk-based kefirs or yogurts, etc. As a lifestyle, one does not wear clothing derived from animals: leather is obviously avoided, but even wool and other animal fibers are not used. Within this lifestyle, body care and household products that contain animal derived ingredients are a no-no. Veganism is often chosen because of the treatment of animals involved in the source of food and products. Veganism as a diet is often chosen for its health benefits.

I want to glance quickly at veganism from a diet choice perspective. The idea is that avoiding meat and animal byproducts has been proven to be healthier. Studies do prove that those who follow a vegan diet have lower risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, cholesterol problems, and blood pressure fluctuations (Madry) (McDougall).  But, I want to point out that this is a WHOLE FOODS vegan diet. What is often a common problem with those who "go vegan" is that it is easier to grab processed convenience vegan friendly foods, especially among adolescents (Ensaff). I have seen this personally with several teens and busy adults. Most potato chips, corn chips and many cookies are vegan friendly. Pasta and grains are so easy to prepare and are vegan friendly, but are high glycemic. There are tons of vegan frozen food choices. Processed foods...easy snacks and meals. Like any other diet out there, processed foods are not our bodies' friend and a diet based on grains is not balanced. Another problem sited across the board is getting adequate B-12 and omega fatty acids (Woo). Even with a whole foods vegan diet, this is an issue. It is definitely not impossible to get these nutrients eating vegan, but there needs to be a purposeful plan to get them. B-12 is not derived from plants. Many vegans find it necessary to take a sublingual B-12 supplement. However, nutritional yeast has been found to contain adequate amounts of B-12 (vrg.org).  Being vegan is not a guarantee of health, balanced nutrition is the key.

Bottom line: whole foods, no matter which diet you choose, is imperative for optimal health. Make sure your food choices and meal plans provide your whole body with the nutrition it needs.


Works Cited:

Ensaff, Hannah ; Coan, Susan ; Sahota, Pinki ; Braybrook, Debbie ; Akter, Humaira ; Mcleod, Helen. Adolescents' Food Choice and the Place of Plant-Based Foods. Nutrients, 2015, Vol.7(6), pp.4619-4637

 Mądry, Edyta, et al. "The Impact Of Vegan Diet On B-12 Status In Healthy Omnivores: Five-Year Prospective Study." Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Technologia Alimentaria 11.2 (2012): 209-213. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 July 2016.

McDougall, John et al. “Effects of 7 Days on an Ad Libitum Low-Fat Vegan Diet: The McDougall Program Cohort.” Nutrition Journal 13 (2014): 99. PMC. Web. 1 July 2016.

Woo, Kam, Timothy Kwok, and David Celermajer. “Vegan Diet, Subnormal Vitamin B-12 Status and Cardiovascular Health.” Nutrients 6.8 (2014): 3259–3273. CrossRef. Web.