One key to optimal health, better internal body function, cognition mood and focus is to eat the best nutrient dense sources available. A simple approach is to visualize the M.E.A.L. an acronym Meat, Eggs, Added oils-Butter and Leaves all of which are essential for optimal health due to their nutrient density. Always try to avoid processed food items and stick to proteins and fat with leaves-veg. with added oils or butter. Try to prioritize food items high in these macro nutrients. Plant foods (carbohydrates) should be carefully selected on the basis of their (dense) structure, glycemic index and fiber.

Processing, especially industrial refining disrupts structure and accelerates absorption, resulting in reduced satiation and sub optimal digestion and health issues. Excluding many carbohydrate sources can enhance metabolic efficacy by ensuring better fat oxidation and use for fuel for sustained energy and enhanced metabolism. Try to consume carbohydrate rich foods in very small portions and at the end of the meal- meats and leaves firstly then add in CHO or occasional dessert. Have fewer, larger meals vs. frequent small nutrient dense ones, until your metabolism gains efficiency. Snacking is fine if they are really good nutrient dense sources such as walnuts, cocoa nibs, nuts-seeds etc, the key is nutrient dense real quality natural based foods. Eat your meal slowly to maximize satiation via the increased release of saliva, enzymes and intestinal hormones.  

  Now let's look at nutrient timing and periods of time resisting eating or intermittent fasting, here I will help you understand the key aspects.  Set out an 8-9 hour window that you do eat within e.g. 10am – 6pm or 12am- 8pm. You should be eating nutrient dense foods only but of varying amounts depending on specific needs. Yes these include Proteins, vegetables, fats, small amount of Carbs if required (Depending of intensity of training- lifestyle) but for most they can be largely omitted.  One key aspect to remember is Time restricted feeding and exercising in a fasted state not only help turn that stored fat into energy but also enhances your metabolic function at cellular level. This has a more potent stimulus if you had reduced/no carbs consumed within your fasting time frame. Here is an example: 

Eat Dinner evening prior at 7-8pm -eat your required calories, proteins, fats, etc and no more foods. In your fasting state to the morning period go to work / do exercise, walk, run, cycle so you extend time frame 12hrs plus, start with 1- day per week and build it to 2-3 over long course. You may drink a keto-coffee, Ketone drink Goketo, Green tea, some protein (Whey) or just water. Add GoKeto MCT C8 oil powder into your coffee as it will also give you a superior sustained energy and ketone levels.

 Depending on your own goals, Coffee & protein intake differs from person to person. If I work out in the morning, I usually drink one scoop of Whey protein and then continue my fast for 1-2 hr’s maybe more, but find out what works for you, start with short intervals.  Also, stop comparing this with dietary fads or religion. Intermittent Fasting I F is a choice / lifestyle, which has proven scientific benefits, also remember it’s what generations did many years ago to much acclaim. Don’t do it for a period of time and stop, You do it for 1-2 per week and continue as long as you feel it benefit or reach your health goals.  

Fasting leads to improved health because it influences on circadian rhythms and acts as a metabolic kick start. The circadian rhythms of the body are controlled by the central clock of the hypothalamus. Other organs in the body are responsive to the food supply, and restriction of food intake can reset this clock rhythm. In addition, intermittent fasting regimens may have positive effects on the gut microbiome, which has its own circadian rhythm.  Weight loss can result not only from calorie restriction but also from a temporary increase in resting energy expenditure (REE). All these factors are depending on individual goals, desired outcomes and contextual relevance. During a fasting period, fatty acids are released from fat cells and enter the liver, where they're also converted into ketone bodies GoKeto (beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate), which provide an energy source for muscles and neurons. These ketone bodies protect neurons and fuel the brain. There's also evidence that fasting can enhance the ability of cells to remove damaged proteins and organelles. The take home message is to remember to focus your eating pattern (Not Dieting) on the best nutrient dense foods which you prefer, it’s different for everybody depending on availability, culture and seasons. I really hope this helps everybody as they move toward Better Food choices.

 References 

1. Mattson MP, Longo VD, Harvie M. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Res Rev. 2017;39:46-58.

2. Goodrick CL, Ingram DK, Reynolds MA, Freeman JR, Cider NL. Differential effects of intermittent feeding and voluntary exercise on body weight and lifespan in adult rats. J Gerontol. 1983;38(1):36-45.

3. Soeters MR, Soeters PB, Schooneman MG, Houten SM, Romijn JA. Adaptive reciprocity of lipid and glucose metabolism in human short-term starvation. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2012;303(12):E1397-E1407.

4.  Heather J. Weir Pallas YaoFrank K. Huynh Caroline C. Escoubas Renata L. Goncalves Kristopher Burkewitz Raymond Laboy Matthew D. Hirschey William B. Mair                              Dietary Restriction and AMPK Increase Lifespan via Mitochondrial Network and Peroxisome Remodeling. Cel Metabolism. 2017; 26, 6, P884-896.