The latest radical ‘diet’
I have yet to meet a woman that has found total piece with what and when to eat.
There are so many suggestions about not only what to eat but when to eat. Most of us are confused, to say the least. Intermittent fasting has become very popular, and for good reason. It is backed up by science and it makes total sense if we think how our ancestors ate when availability of food was not abundant.
However, one thing intermittent fasting has also brought is yet ANOTHER way to control our food intake, in what it looks like to be, a very unhealthy way.
The more I speak with clients, friends and curious minds, I can’t help but wonder;
has intermittent fasting become another way to starve ourselves and then indulge without limits?
So what is t this ‘new’ and ‘radical’ approach to eating that has been shown to support your metabolic, nervous system and endocrine health that no one has spoken to you about before?
It is called ‘Eat when you are hungry’. Sounds simple? That’s because it is simple.
Yet, most of us are so out of tune with our real hunger. And even if we know when we are hungry we convince ourselves we are not and postpone our food intake to ‘optimise’ it according to somebody else’s suggestion.
When it comes to intermittent fasting, and I has spoken about this on Instagram before, we are taught the completely counterintuitive way of what supports metabolic and nervous system health. The result?
People walking around in the morning wired on coffee with butter or MCT oils instead of a proper nutritious meal, affirming that they are not hungry in the morning to have breakfast, when in reality they just run on cortisol!
And then, at the end of the day, we see uncontrollable food intake because we have starved ourselves all day and we finally need to bring this nervous system down to parasympathetic.
If we see how the endocrine system works we will se why fasting in the morning and eating in the evening is suboptimal and in fact, detrimental.
As we rise, cortisol spikes. This is healthy. This is what wakes us up and gets us going. But too much of that, plus a cup of coffee or two = excessive cortisol and agitation. What brings cortisol to a healthy level is a nutritious meal that incorporates all macronutrients. A meal that also includes micronutrients, that can support all metabolic processes from energy production to brain function.
As the day goes on cortisol lowers. In fact cortisol is lowest by 7pm and remains low till the next morning. This is when we go into rest mode. The last thing your body wants to do is to begin break down and metabolise a huge meal.
When we eat when we are actually hungry that means our bodies are ready to eat, they are ready to digest, they are ready to break down and metabolise. The optimal time to eat is when you are actually hungry.
So here are some action steps you can take from today: Instead of controlling when and how much to eat by postponing the times or controlling the portions, I suggest:
Upon wake up, before you put anything else in your mouth, hydrate yourself. Have a glass of warm water. Warm water helps to activate digestive and metabolic processes. You can add a few drops of lemon juice.
Before you reach for coffee ask yourself; am I hungry? am I having the coffee to mask my hunger and ‘fuel’ myself until lunchtime? what would be dreamy to eat or drink right now? (of course for many of us the answer is coffee!) what would be really nice to eat alongside this coffee?
Go about your routine as you do, but pay close attention; when do you really feel hungry? one hours after wake up? two hours? midday? Try to become a master of your REAL signs of hunger.
When you have your first proper meal of the day, notice; are you starving already? did you almost get jittery from hunger? Where you thinking/dreaming of that first meal one or two hours before you had it?
These prompts can inform you about whether you are eating according to your hunger or somebody else’s suggestions to optimise how you look and feel.
I encourage you to give yourself permission to eat when you are hungry as this is really the best way to support your metabolism, your nervous system and your endocrine system.
Feeling relaxed around when to eat and following your intuition is the best ‘diet plan’ you can follow to maintain a healthy weight and your sanity!
I would love to hear from you, as always, let me know how this feels as you read.
Much love,
Eleni