Do you want to live longer and be healthier, think more clearly, have more energy, and decrease your risk of getting cardiovascular disease, diabetes,  or Alzheimers?  Then you need to seriously consider not only WHAT you eat, but also WHEN you eat.  

Human beings are created with the ability to store excess calories as fat.  That is great, if a famine hits your area occasionally.  But that is not the norm in America.  If the famine never comes,  and we keep eating and storing fat, we not only get fatter, but we also tend to keep high blood sugar and insulin levels.  This, over time, is very detrimental to our circulatory system, which basically feeds every cell we have.  All sorts of damage is done by excess fat.  It happens slowly, and you may not notice it …….UNTIL YOU DO!   At that point, well…..the goal is to avoid that point.

So how (and when) should we eat?  I have talked before about intermittent fasting.  All that means is that in each 24 hour period, you leave enough time with an empty stomach for your body to recuperate from processing food and take care of other matters.  You need to leave time to actually use up some of that stored fat.  It is not meant to keep accumulating.  

FAT STORES ARE NOT LIKE A BANK ACCOUNT.   You do not want to keep storing and never use any of it.  If you keep storing fat and never use any of it, your body suffers.

However, if you give your body a chance to get hungry…to use up the easy glucose and glycogen stores, and then look around for other energy sources, there are a lot of benefits.

Your body will turn to using stored fat.  Since fat is also where the body stores a lot of toxins, there is the added benefit of getting rid of toxins.  ALSO, your body will scout for cells that are damaged and RECYCLE parts from defective cells.  That is called AUTOPHAGY, a process whereby the human body can clean up all sorts of problems.  But if you constantly keep pouring in new fuel, this will never happen.

So,  WHEN IS THE WORST TIME TO EAT?  The worst time is BEFORE BED or LATE AT NIGHT.   Since, for the most part, we don’t eat while sleeping, we get at least a 6 to 8 hour fast while in bed.    If you can add a few hours after dinner or before breakfast (or both) you can fast longer.  You need to get to about 12….or even 16….hours of fasting before getting the benefits.  By eating a bedtime snack, you are not helping yourself.  You are sabotaging your body’s efforts to stay healthy.

So….go to bed hungry.  It is a good thing!

TOO MUCH FOOD

What is essential to life but also one of the greatest killers?  What do you need to stay alive but also is responsible for more disease and premature death than Covid or Cancer?  The surprising answer is FOOD!

Overnutrition causes overweight and obesity.  It is easy to find out if you have become a victim by calculating your BMI (body mass index). Here is the formula:

BMI = (weight in pounds/2.205)/(height in inches/39.37) squared

Then plug that number in to the chart below:

• NORMAL WEIGHT               BMI greater or equal to 18.5 – 24.9
• OVERWEIGHT                      BMI 25-29.9
• OBESE                                   BMI greater or equal to 30

It has been know that carrying too much weight is harmful to one’s health for over 2000 years.  But the incidence of obesity has  skyrocketed in modern society.

• In the United States, from 1988 – 1994, the obesity rate was 22.9%
• Then form 1999 – 2000 it was 30.5%
• From 2015 – 2016, it was 39.6%
• By 2030 it is projected to be 50%

It is important for citizens to begin to learn how to avoid becoming obese…and how to undo damage already done!

OVERNUTRITION, in addition to leading to overweight and obesity, also leads to

• -poor health outcomes
• -premature deaths
• -cardiovascular disease
• -diabetes
• -hypertension
• -cancer
• -sleep apnea
• -GERD

It is also associated with osteoarthritis, gallstones, depression, and the list goes on…………

But we can learn to avoid OVERNUTRITION.   It starts with a few simple rules.

Rule#1 – avoid caloric drinks and stick with water, unsweetened tea, coffee, milk – drinks like gatorade and soft drinks have great marketing but leave you fat and empty

Rule#2 – avoid processed foods.

Rule #3 – practice portion control

Rule #4 – self monitor.  Keep a food diary.  Avoid mindless eating in front of the TV.

YOU CAN DO IT.  START SMALL.  LITTLE STEPS STILL MOVE YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.  IT’S NOT A DIET….

IT’S A LIFESTYLE