Basic Principles Of Healthy Diet

“The one thing more difficult than following a regimen is not imposing it on others“

Marcel Proust

People have different needs,goals and preferences. What matter most is your overall way of eating and living. If you indulge yourself one day,you can eat more healthfully the next. Then you are less likely to feel restricted.If you don’t have time to meditate for twenty minutes,you can do it for one minute-Consistency is more important than duration. Studies have shown that the people who eat the most healthfully overall are those who allow themselves some indulgences.

Like most things in life,the longer you do something and the more experience and practice you have,the more successful and skillful you become at doing it.

Offering a spectrum of choices is much more effective; then restrictive diet. Foods are neither good nor bad,but some foods are more healthful for you than others.Based on your own needs and preferences ,you have a spectrum of healthy choices.There’s no point in giving up something you enjoy unless you get something back that’s even better and quickly.More healthful foods make you feel good-light,clear,energetic.

“Feel better,lose weight and gain health with healthy spectrum of choices”

Even more than feeling healthy,most people want to feel free and in control. If I tell people ,”Eat this and don’t eat that” or “Don’t smoke” they immediately want to do the opposite. It’s just human nature.No body wants to feel controlled or treated like a child. Offering a spectrum of choices is much more effective; then ,you feel free. If you see your food and lifestyle choices as a way of living,you are more likely to feel empowered and to be successful.

Awareness is the first step in healing. When we become more aware of how powerfully our choices in diet and lifestyle affect us-for better and for worse -then we can make different and comprehensive lifestyle changes- not just to live longer but also to live better.

Basic principles of a healthy diet:

1. Consume some omega 3 fatty acids( good fats) every day

Omega 3 fatty acids may reduce triglycerides ,lower blood pressure,and decrease inflammation.

Warning: Any patient with an advanced state of impaired cardiac function should not be prescribed fish oil fatty acids or be urged to eat fish. For these people ,it may kill them- Dr Leaf, the scientific journal fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology.

2. Eat more “good carbs” and fewer “bad carbs”

Good carbs include fruits,vegetables,whole grains,legumes,nuts and soy products in their natural ,unrefined forms. Because these good carbs are unrefined,they are naturally high in fiber as well. The fiber fills you up before you eat too much. Also, the fiber in good carbs causes your food to be digested and absorbed into your bloodstream more slowly. This helps keep your blood sugar in a normal range.

Glycemic load is a better indicator of how foods will affect your blood sugar than glycemic index is. For example ,a carrot has a high glycemic index but a low glycemic load. Why? Because the carbohydrates in carrots are absorbed very quickly ,but there aren’t many of them.

When you eat a lot of “bad carbs” they are absorbed quickly ,causing your blood sugar to rise too rapidly. This doesn’t mean you should never eat bad carbs. I do, in moderation. When I eat bad carbs,I try to consume them along with good carbs and other high fiber foods.

When it comes to healthy eating,one size may not fit all. An optimal approach may be diet that pays equal attention to the high quality,unprocessed low glycemic carbs and plant based proteins and fats.

3.Energy balance is important than calories count.

When I hear the phrase”portion control”it makes me distasteful. “Eating mindfully” sounds so much better,and it’s much more sustainable. I believe “Eat more,weigh less”. When you change the type of food,you don’t have to be as concerned about the amount of food because the foods are less dense in calories. You can eat whenever you’re hungry and consume an equal or even larger volume of food,yet still lose weight without feeling hungry or deprived.

Body weight is inversely associated with dietary fiber and carbohydrates and is positively associated with protein intake.

4. What you include in your diet is as important as what you exclude

The healthy living is about abundance,not deprivation; feeling better,not just living longer. I want to emphasize eating more foods that are beneficial rather than just eating fewer foods that are unhealthful.

5. Anti-inflammatory lifestyle changes

A number of factors in our diet and lifestyle may play a significant role in inflammation. These include unhealthful dietary choices,lack of exercise,obesity,metabolic syndrome,chronic stress,smoking,environmental toxins, pollution and chronic infections.

By changing the way you eat,how much you exercise,and how well you manage stress ,and by increasing the love and intimacy in your life,you may have a significant impact on the amount of inflammation in your body. Small changes can lead to big improvements over time.

6. Choose foods that are nutrients dense.

7. Chose quality over quantity.

8. Eat less salt

9.Drink more green tea.

10. Avoid trans and partially hydrogenated fats.

How you eat is as important as what you eat. When you eat mindlessly,you have more calories and less pleasure. When you eat mindfully,you have more pleasure with fewer calories. Based on your own needs and preferences,you can make intelligent choices in what you eat and how you live.

First decide the spectrum of foods you tend to eat most of the time. Then,according to your own needs and preferences,decide how far ,and how quickly ,you want to move towards the healthful direction. It’s not all or nothing.

Keep it simple. Make small ,gradual changes or big ,rapid changes to create sustainable transformations in your diet and lifestyle. If it is fun ,it’s sustainable. Discipline can be liberating if it’s freely chosen rather than imposed.

Abundance is sustainable; deprivation is not.Joy is sustainable; repression is not.”It’s good for me”is not sustainable; “it’s fun for me” is.-Dean Ornish

Reference:

https://www.amazon.in/Spectrum-Scientifically-Proven-Program-Better/dp/0345496310

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Rheumatoid Arthritis and Functional Medicine

Are you suffering from following symptoms:

• Swelling and stiffness in joints in the morning that lasts for longer than half an hour.
• Severe tiredness
• Pain in joints.
• Low grade fever
• Numbness and tingling
• Redness
• Decreased range of motion.

These are the early alarming signs of arthritis. Before it is too late and you are overwhelmed with the burning sensation and dull ache ,steroids and its side effects, its time for you to wake up and take the right course of actions.

We have one body and one life. Everything we do it from our birth to our old age has an impact. When the body becomes imbalanced ,due to our poor lifestyle,it becomes irritated and inflamed. The body is on Fire!Our immune system is revved up and no more able to bear the insults. The immune system goes into overdrive and switches from a controlled system into a wild overcharged system that can start hurting itself. It can start attacking its own organs. This inflammation overtime ultimately leads to illness.

There are several different types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis(OA) and rheumatoid arthritis(RA) are two of the most common forms. Although RA and OA both affect your joints, they’re very different forms of arthritis.Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body. RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. OA is primarily a degenerative joint disorder caused by wear and tear on your cartilage.

The root cause of Rheumatoid arthritis :Leaky Gut and inflammation

A lot of people remain skeptical of the theory that arthritis symptoms can be caused or worsened by problems in the gut. Impressive new research led by a team from University College London is suggesting bacterial imbalances in the gut microbiome may play a major role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis.Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition, which means it’s caused by the immune system attacking healthy body tissue which cause inflammations and painful swelling in affected parts of the body

The Gut Microbiome

Healthy intestines are naturally permeable, allowing tiny nutrient particles to flow through their lining and enter the bloodstream. Problems arise if the intestinal lining becomes damaged. Gut health play a role in RA.So achieving microbial balance in the gastrointestinal tract could be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to managing RA symptoms.

Leaky gut

A damaged intestinal lining is too permeable, allowing larger, undigested food particles (for example, gluten proteins) and intestinal microbes to escape into the bloodstream.The food particles that leak into the bloodstream are viewed by the immune system as foreign bodies, causing an immune system reaction.

Natural treatment for RA:

Fix your gut health and inflammation to heal arthritis. Try to figure out the root cause of inflammation for reversing the process where it starts: in the gut, in the mouth, from your food, or from the stress response.

• Anti-inflammatory diet. A healthy plant based diet with lots of fruits and vegetables provides antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation by eliminating free radicals from the body.
• Eat whole, unprocessed foods. Make sure to include plenty of “FIBER” from foods like vegetables ,beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
• Avoid animal products , processed food and excess sugar. A diet rich in red meat, processed foods, saturated fat, and added sugar and salt may aggravate inflammation, which is a characteristic of arthritis.
• NO! to dairy. Dairy products like milk cause inflammation to your body.
• Take broad spectrum digestive enzymes food. Foods that contain natural digestive enzymes include pineapples, papayas, mangoes, honey, bananas, avocados, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kiwifruit and ginger.
• Stay away from hydrogenated oil and Gluten . These are inflammatory in nature.
• Get good fat such as coconut oil,desi ghee,Avocado,unprocessed butter, nuts and seeds to reduce inflammation.
• Take extra omega 3,which help cool inflammation in the gut.
• Consume food which are higher in sulfur.Sulfur contains something called a form of MSM that reduces joint inflammation and helps rebuilding your tissue. The top food rich in sulfur are -onion, garlic,asparagus ,cabbage , nuts and seeds
• 15-20 mins of sunbathing
• Do meditation to release stress.
• Manage your weight.
• Get good quality to sleep.
• Get enough exercise to keep your joint flexible and strengthen muscles around your joints.
• Use turmeric, black pepper,ginger, herbs and spices to your dishes.

Supplements:

• Good quality of collagen
• High quality of fish oil(Mercury free).
• Turmeric and black pepper concoction. Very powerful anti-inflammatory herb.
• Cold pressed coconut oil.
• Borage oil
• Glucosamine,chondroitin and MSM.
• Vitamin D .
• Ashwagandha powder.
• Evening primrose oil
• Zinc(10-15 mg)
• Selenium( Brazil nuts one or two in quantity)

I have written this blog to educate you,to offer you hope for options for healing and to empower you with the knowledge and tools to identify your fires and extinguish them.

Healing is not a simple task….. but it is worthwhile one!

References

http://10-Year Old Rheumatoid Arthritis Gone in 3 Months | Satvic Movement

http://Overcoming Rheumatoid Arthritis With Diet | Dr. Monica Aggarwal

https://www.amazon.in/Body-Fire-Inflammation-Triggers-Chronic/dp/1570673926

Supplements for RA: What to know- WebMD

Healing Arthritis- Susan Blum

https://www.amazon.in/Autoimmune-Solution-Spectrum-Inflammatory-Symptoms-ebook/dp/B00K53D3NI

Treating PCOS/Hormonal Imbalance Through Functional Medicine

“The body heals itself,if we create the right conditions for it.“

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age.However, hormonal imbalances have become increasingly with today’s fast-paced modern lifestyle.

Fortunately, a nutritious diet and other healthy lifestyle behaviors may help improve your hormonal health and allow you to feel and perform your best.

Here is the testimonial of Harshi kumar ,who was suffering from PCOS from a longer period of time. With her way power and persistent approach not only she made significant changes, she made me proud as well!

Let’s see what she has to share about her healing journey ?!

Name- Harshi Kumar

MY HEALING JOURNEY

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 15 years of age.  Initially I used to have irregular menstrual cycles which eventually stopped completely, when I was 14. Apart from having no periods, I had signs of extreme mood swings, irritation, insomnia and exhaustion. I had always been quite active but had extremely poor dietary habits. Living under extreme environment of stress, I had unknowingly resorted to food as my coping mechanism. After months of not doing anything about my missing periods, I went to see a gynecologist and was put on the usual pills for PCOS. My experience with the medicine was much worse. It led to increased mood swings, irritability and extreme body ache.

This was around this time, I started gaining a lot of weight and my cravings increased exponentially. I started working out but poor dietary habits, lack of sleep and acute stress ensured it didn’t work. After being on, on and off, medication for almost 3 years, it was clear that I was not making any progress, even after regularly working out.

It was in February 2021 that I decided to make significant changes in my diets and lifestyle. With these changes in diet and working out pattern, I was able to lose around 15 kgs of weight. However, the three major changes which eventually helped me battle PCOS were

First, including Iodine and Magnesium supplement in my daily rituals. Taking iodine in ACV solution daily followed by magnesium really helped balance my hormones, kept my cravings in check and provided much needed energy boost. It also took care of Thyroid, which is something I was always on a verge of.

Second, taking small dose of ashwagandha first thing in the morning and again before sleeping (in a concoction of turmeric, crushed pepper, ginger and cumin). Ashwagandha is a medicinal herb known for reducing cortisol level and inflammation in the body, which are the two things it did for me as well.

Third, applying castor oil and heat pack on my lower abdomen every night for last 6 months. Castor oil therapy is the one thing which helped me restart my menstrual cycles naturally after 4 years. I have been following this practice since June 2020 and have had regular periods each month. It is nothing less than a miracle.

I still have a long way to go. I still have a lot to do to get a healthy body. But I am on the path and seeing what all I have gained in the last one year; I know it’s the right one.

How to restore your hormone?

Even small changes in hormone levels can result in adverse effects, including extra stress on the body. Symptoms can grow worse over time, and a hormonal imbalance can lead to chronic issues.

You can fix your hormone naturally with simple changes in ; Dietary,lifestyle (including exercise) and stress management.

Dietary changes:

• Pay attention to how different foods make you feel. After you eat do you feel tired? Energized? Heavy? Inspired? Depressed? Cold? Hot? This is the first step in learning how various foods affect your hormone.
• Eat adequate protein in your meals. Be aware of quality and quantity of food. “One man’s meat is another’s man poison”
• Eat predominantly plant based diet.
• Avoid stimulating food and drinks that contain sugar, alcohol, or caffeine.
• Avoid excessive amounts of cold or raw food (e.g raw salads or vegetables) and cold drinks. Switch to lightly cooked/steamed foods and warming drinks. Eat whole foods.
• Consume healthy fats and omega rich foods. Eggs and coconut oil are good examples of healthy fats.
• Consume high fiber diet.
• Take adaptogens like Ashwagandha(Indian ginseng),Turmeric,Black pepper, basil leaves.
• Eat smaller meals more often than a large meal. Avoid undereating and overeating.

Lifestyle changes:

• Do Intermittent fasting(calorie restriction).According to an article published by Harvard Medical School, intermittent fasting is a solution to hormonal imbalances: “Between meals, as long as we don’t snack, our insulin levels will go down and our fat cells can then release their stored sugar, to be used as energy.
• Wake as early as you can(predawn ideal) and meditate ,engage in quiet contemplation,or read inspirational material. Do prayer,or gentle breathing exercises.In any case whatever you do should quiet the mind.
• Exercise for 20-30 mins.This can be a combination of brisk walking, gentle stretching or yoga,tai chi,hiking or biking,depending on your energy and stamina. Do pranayama for 15-20 mins. It encourages the free flow of Prana(Qi) in the body.
• Get high quality sleep. Spend the evening quieting the mind and body, in preparation for bed.Avoid too much of light at night.
• Retire at the same time each evening.Create a calming, well-ventilated bedroom environment. 
• Avoid heavy foods or drinks or any heavy activities before bedtime.

Learn to manage Stress

Stress can wreak havoc on your hormones. Try to devote at least 10–15 minutes per day to stress-reducing activities, even if you don’t feel you have the time.

• Do ABHYANGA( a form of self massage) .Apply warm oil to your body. This can take as little as 2-3 mins. This has an incredibly calming effect on the nervous system. Having a less trigger happy nervous system means less stress and more balanced hormones.
• Do deep breathing and meditation for vagal toning. By stimulating the vagus nerve you can activate parasympathetic nervous system and send a message to your body to relax and de-stress.Yoga and mantra chanting has deep impact on hormone balance.
• Cold bath and splashing cold water on face is quite helpful in stress. Our ancient yogis bathed in cold water to increase prana(vital force energy)in body.
• Get in touch with your feelings and take time to listen to your body and emotions.Go for a meditative walk/ forest bathing,do gardening,listen music, pursue your hobbies….

“If someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness.“

Hippocrates

Diabetes-Treat the root cause

We are wired to feast and famine not feast,feast,feast.

If we focus on just fixing the symptoms, we are wasting our time and energy. Instead, we should shift our focus from fixing symptoms to finding a root cause and fixing that instead. And although finding the root cause may require courage and persistence, it is the only true way of fixing the problems you are facing for good.

People have the dream but not the drive.

What diabetes is and is it reversible?

Fact # 1

Indubitably it is! It is reversible and preventable under certain conditions depending upon a person’s lifestyle.Type 2 diabetes is your dietary disease and you can’t fix it by using drugs.Medications alone do not reverse it. If a person does not make healthy lifestyle changes, it persist, and eventually will need more medication to manage it.

Fact #2

Empty bowl

Bowl full of sugar

Imagine your body as a big sugar bowl. At birth,the bowl is empty.Over several decades ,you eat sugar and refined carbohydrates and the bowl gradually fills up.When you next eat,sugar comes in and spills over the sides of the bowl because the bowl is already full.

The same situation exists in your body.When you eat sugar,your body secretes the hormone insulin to help move the sugar into your cells,where its used for energy. If you don’t burn off that sugar sufficiently,then over decades your cells become completely filled and cannot handle any more. The next time you eat sugar,insulin cannot force any more of it into your overflowing cells,so it spills out into the blood. Sugar travels in your blood in a form of glucose ,and having too much of it-known as high blood glucose – is a primary symptom of type 2 diabetes.

In response to excess glucose in the blood,the body secretes even more insulin to overcome this over flood of glucose. This forces more glucose into the overflowing cells to keep blood levels normal. This works ,but the effect is only temporary because it has not addressed the problem of excess sugar,it has only moved the excess from the blood to the cells,making insulin resistance worse. At some point,even with more insulin,the body cannot force any more glucose into the cells.

Lets think about packing a suitcase.

At first the clothes go into the empty suitcase without any trouble. Once the suitcase is full ,however ,it difficult to jam in those last two T-shirts.You could say the luggage appears to be resisting the clothes. This is similar to the overflow phenomenon we see in our cells.

Once that suitcase is full,you might simply use more force to shove those last T shirts in .This strategy will only work temporarily,because you have not addressed the underlying problem of the overfilled suitcase. As you force more shirts into the suitcase,the problem-lets call it luggage resistance -only become worse. The better solution is to remove some of the clothes from the suitcase.

Your doctor may prescribe a medication such as insulin injections or perhaps a drug called metformin,to lower blood glucose,but these drugs do not rid the body of excess glucose.Instead ,they simply continue to take the glucose out of the blood and ram it back into body. It then gets shipped out to the heart,where it can eventually create other problems. The underlying problem is unchanged.

Remember the bowl that overflowing with sugar? It still is.Insulin has simply moved the glucose from the blood ,where you could see it,into the body ,where you cannot.

At first,you need only a single medication,but eventually it becomes two and then three,and the doses become larger.And if you are taking more and more medications to keep your blood glucose at the same level,your diabetes is actually getting worse.

Conventional diabetes treatments: How to make the problems worse.

The blood glucose got better with the insulin,but the diabetes got worse. Here’s is an analogy.Consider that hiding garbage under your bed instead of discarding it allows you to pretend that your house is clean. When there’s no more room under the bed,you can throw the garbage into the closet.In fact,you can hide it anywhere you can;t see it; in the basement,in the attic,even in bathroom. But if you keep hiding your garbage ,eventually it’s going to begin to smell really,really bad because it’s starting to rot. Instead of hiding it,you need to throw it out.

Get rid of it! But the standard treatment for type 2 diabetes follows the same flawed logic of hiding the glucose instead of eliminating it.

Fact#3

Type 2 diabetes affect every organ in the body.What happens when excessive glucose piles up in the body over ten or twenty years? Every cell in the body starts to rot,which is precisely why type 2 diabetes affect every single organ. Your eyes rot,and you go blind.Your kidneys rot,and you need dialysis.Your heart rots and you get heart attacks and heart failure. Your brain rots ,and you get Alzheimer’s disease. Your liver rots, and you get fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. Your legs rot,and you get diabetic foot ulcers.Your nerves rot ,and you get diabetic neuropathy. No part of your body is spared.

Fact#4

Type 2 diabetes is reversible and preventable without medications. Once we understand that type 2 diabetes is simply too much sugar in the body,the solution is obvious. Get rid of the sugar.Don’t hide it away. There are only two ways to accomplish this:

1. Put less sugar in.
2. Burn off remaining sugar.

That’s all we need to do. It’s all natural and completely free. No surgery ,no cost!

Effects of raised insulin levels

1. It causes water and salt retention(Edema), which causes raised blood pressure
2. You become at risk of atherosclerosis (“furring of arteries”), which can lead to heart attacks
3. Raised insulin levels increases VLDL (very low density lipoprotein), a type of blood fat and one of the “bad” forms of cholesterol
4. Can drive the growth of certain cancer cells
5. In women, it can cause the ovaries to produce more testosterone, which is associated with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
6. Significantly increases your risk of getting type 2 diabetes

If I has a flood in my house…. I would not spend day after day,week after week,&year after year buying buckets,mops and towels.I would not be inventing different types of buckets and more expensive mops or drainage systems to ensure the water drained away quickly.I would find systems to ensure the water drained away quickly. I would find the source of the water and turn it off!!

Dr Verner Wheelock

The only way to effectively reverse type 2 diabetes (or even pre-diabetes) is to deal with the underlying cause – Insulin Resistance. Trying to address the blood sugar levels (with medication) without addressing the insulin levels is treating the symptoms, not treating the root cause. It is similar to using a bucket to remove water from an overflowing sink rather than actually turning off the tap!

The most important thing to do is to stop adding fuel to the fire. If Insulin Resistance is driving the condition, you need to firstly stop consuming foods that increase insulin production. Secondly, you need to make some lifestyle changes so that you can become sensitive to insulin once again.

There is no one perfect diet for everyone. Different people respond to different diets.

THREE RULES FOR REVERSING TYPE 2 DIABETES:

Rule#1:Avoid fructose

The most important rule,without exception is to eliminate all added sugars from your diet. Insulin resistance is the result of fatty liver becoming overfilled and unable to accept more glucose.The most important determinant of fatty liver is not just carbohydrates,but the fructose.

What about fruit? The truth is there is no chemical difference between the fructose contained naturally in fruit and the fructose contained within sucrose( table sugar). The dose makes the poison.Best advice is to avoid eating excessive amounts of fruit,especially as many modern varieties are now available year round and have been bred to be sweeter than in the past. Dried fruits are usually high in sugar.

Rule#2 Reduce refined carbohydrates and enjoy natural fats

• Avoid ALL refined carbohydrates. That means no pasta, rice or bread (even wholegrain bread will spike your insulin)
• Avoid ALL added sugar. If your body is already in a state where you cannot process carbohydrates and sugars properly, you are going to have to take steps to fully eliminate all sugars, at least in the short term.
• Avoid ALL sweet drinks. It is best to stick to water, tea, coffee.
• You should maintain a moderate,not high ,intake of protein. Adequate protein is required for good health,but excess cannot be stored in the body and so the liver converts them into glucose. Therefore,eating too much protein adds sugar to the body.
• Do not be scared of good quality, healthy, natural fat – avocados, olives, almonds etc. Don’t worry about this causing you to put on weight. A study published in 2003 showed that people who supplemented their diet with almonds lost more weight than those who supplemented with so-called “healthy, complex carbs” Eggs are an excellent choice.
• The industrially processed,highly refined seed oils that are high in omega-6 fat are not recommended because they can cause inflammation and adversely affect human health. These oils include sunflower,corn,canola,safflower,and vegetable oils. Do not use these vegetable oils at high heat because they release harmful chemicals called aldehydes when heated.
• Do not waste your energy counting calories. Concentrate on the quality of the food that you are eating and the calorie control will take care of itself.

Rule#3 Eat real food

• FEED YOUR GUT BUGS, not just yourself. There are trillions of bugs that live in your gut – their health is critical in determining your health. Start improving the health of your gut immediately by eating five servings of different coloured vegetables each day. The non digestible fibre in vegetables is the preferred food for your gut bacteria and when your gut bugs are happy, you will be happy. The wider the variety of colours, the more phytonutrients you will be getting.
• If you like to snack, keep some high fat healthy snacks with you, such as olives, nuts or hummus. When you snack on refined carbohydrates such as biscuits, you go on a blood sugar roller coaster that results in you feeling hungry shortly after. Fats, on the other hand, will keep you fuller for longer.
• Include high quality protein and fat with EVERY single meal. This helps to stabilize your blood sugars and promotes satiety and fullness, making it less likely that you will want to reach for dessert after your meal.
• Eat your meals sitting down at a table and before 6.00 pm. Better to skip dinner if you are not very active. Eating on the sofa while watching TV encourages a mindless form of eating – this can lead you to eat higher quantities than you otherwise would. If you sit at a table and concentrate on what you’re eating, you are more likely to enjoy your food, feel satisfied at the end of your meal and eat less.

The fourth rule,in case the first three aren’t enough- FASTING!!

It’s the oldest dietary intervention known to humans,its natural cleansing power has been harnessed by virtually all religions in the world,it’s free ,and it can be done anywhere.

Fasting, the voluntary abstinence from from food,has been known to cure diabetes for close to 100 years. For type 2 diabetes,its seems self-evident that if you don’t eat your glucose levels will drop and you will lose weight.As you lose weight,you type 2 diabetes will reverse.

Exercise- Resistance training and aerobic training – can have a beneficial effect on type 2 diabetes,but it is far less powerful at reversing the disease than Dietary interventions. And FASTING is the simplest and surest method to force your body to burn sugar.

There is difference between intermittent fasting and continuous caloric reduction.The portion control strategy of constant caloric reduction is the most common dietary approach recommended. Does it work?

But why doesn’t it work? Because restricting calories causes a compensatory increase in hunger and decrease in the body’s metabolic rate. This effect derails weight loss efforts and ultimately ends in failure. The secret to long term weight loss is to maintain your basal metabolism.

Intermittent fasting succeeds because it produces beneficial hormonal changes,keeps basal metabolism high and most importantly reduces insulin and insulin resistance. Fasting is four times better at preserving lean mass!

During fasting,the body opens up its ample supply of stored food- body fat! Basal metabolism stays high,and instead of using food as our fuel,we use food our bodies have stored as body fat. During fasting ,we burn glycogen stored in the liver. When that is finished,we use body fat. To burn off sugar ,a popular strategy is to fast for 24 hrs ,two to three times per week. Another popular approach is to fast for 16 hours ,five to six times per week.

Both fasting and LCHF(low carbohydrates ,healthy fat) diets effectively reduce insulin,and thus can cause weight loss and reverse type 2 diabetes.

How long it takes to reverse the disease depends on the intensity of the fasting regimen and the length of time you’ve had the disease.

IF YOU ARE TAKING MEDICATIONS,THEN YOU MUST SPEAK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE STARTING A FAST. Carefully monitoring and adjusting your medications is essential.

Adjusting to a fast can take a bit of time. It’s not unusual to get hunger pains or headaches or even to experience muscle cramps or skin irritations. This side effects are often signs that the body is dumping its toxic sugar load.

If losing weight was the key to reversing diabetes,how could medications like insulin,which causes weight gain,be beneficial?

The secret to reversing type 2 diabetes now lies within our grasp. All it requires is having an open mind to accept a new paradigm and the courage to challenge conventional wisdom.

Be the author of your own health.

References:

https://asweetlife.org/the-diabetes-code-by-dr-jason-fung-treating-type-2-diabetes-naturally/

https://drchatterjee.com/video-treat-and-reverse-type-2-diabetes-without-drugs/

Solution to Indoor Pollution is to go Green Resolution

Thanks for liking our recent write-up –  Dilution is the solution to pollution in human body

Some say knowledge is power. I strongly disagree and believe that information is everywhere, but power is not. The real power is applied knowledge. I hope by now some of you would have tried our concept to some extent.

If you are curious and adventurous enough, you could be your doctors, scientists, and artists like us. We will soon publish a follow-up blog to share our scientific backing of how the dilution method is simple, safe, and sustainable. Thanks to medical and technological advancements, we are living longer than we used to a century ago.

The question is how long is the health span (not life span) and how sustainable our lifestyle choices are. I see most effective fad diets fail (the Atkin, Dukan, Mediterranean, Keto, Carnivore, vegan, Rosedale etc.) because they are too restrictive, expensive, rigorous or complicated. Even the most effective diet plan fails, in the long run, if it is not sustainable and straightforward in our ever so hectic life with more urgent tasks to hand- kids exams, boss’s marriage anniversary, corporate deadlines, emergency ailments, utility bills etc. We hardly ever come off the metaphorical urgency treadmill.

However, if we focus more on changing our HABITAT (the environment) than changing our ingrained HABITS; if we focus more on WAY POWER (how many ways we can) than WILL POWER (in short supply), we might change the equation by counting on small wins. These principles have already been worked out for you in the previous blog.

By changing how we breathe (AIR), drink (LIQUID), eat (FOOD), move (SPACE) and spend the day (TIME) we control our habitat and work with natural forces not against them. 

However, we cannot control where we live, work, rest, exercise or spend leisure time. It is startling to know that our homes could be more polluted (indoor pollution) than the outside. Hence dilution strategy for indoor pollution is the key to improving our health as we spend a great deal of time indoors. I can say with my two decades of experience and Gunjan can attest how we have practiced these principles successfully.

Indoor pollution

Some of our astute readers asked me to write this interval supplementary blog (kindly invited by Gunjan Mishra) on how to dilute the increasing indoor pollution coming from overcrowding, chemicals, air conditioners, smoke/ food/ drinks, perfumes, petroleum products etc. causing Sick Building Syndrome.

I selected the following resources from my wellness repository while I was organising my indoor habitat. I suggest you grow these plants – Aloe Vera, Chrysanthemum, Peace Lilly, Areca Pam, Snake Plant, and Money Plant -recommended by NASA and WHO for indoor pollution. They are simple to grow and maintain. They purify the air and keep humidity at an optimal level. They also improve our mental health and may improve our productivity. Furthermore, we need to make sure that we keep the windows open for a while everyday for cross ventilation.

Health benefits of snake plant

7 Great Snake Plant Benefits Proven In Research & Studies

Good luck

Alphabet Takeaway Concept for high blood pressure

ABCD Takeaway

A-Apple, Almond, Avocado, Apricot, Asparagus, Artichoke, Amaranths, allium family(garlic/Onion/leeks/shallots etc)

B-Brazil nuts, Banana, Beetroot, Berries, Beans(lentils/legumes/peanuts), Bok Choy, Brussels sprouts, Broccoli.

C-Carrots, Cashew nuts, citrus fruits, Cruciferous family(rocket, Cabbage, Cauliflower), Celery, Cucumber, Colourful Capsicum, Coconut, Cherries

D-Dates, Dry fruits not included elsewhere.

AVOID/MINIMISE– 

A-Alcohol in all forms, B- Baked food-biscuits, bread and cake etc, C- cigarettes, D- Diary in all forms except milk in tea and coffee may be.

ABCD is a concept to keep things simple, sustainable and satisfying for those who are busy working full time or full time taking care of the family. This concept is based on the Pareto principle where you get 80% benefits from eating healthily by devoting only 20% time and resources! In this concept, you regulate only one meal of the day which is -breakfast.  It gives you flexibility and vast array of choices.

Scientific studies have shown that when you do something in the morning for your health or wellness, you feel confident, energetic and resourceful all day long. Healthy and highly productive people focus on getting up early, exercising in the morning and writing a few lines in the journal and then starting the day.

By regulating your one meal, you will feel like a champion all day and will have enough self-esteem and willpower to do other things well. You can exercise your creativity and imagination to make it wholesome and tasteful to your liking. The emphasis should be to choose at least five nuts from each category because that will give you nutrient density and satiated feeling. Rahim knew it long before our scientific community could prove it.

Rahim Ke dohe-                 

      एकै साधे सब सधै, सब साधे सब जाय।                         

      रहिमन मूलहिं सींचिबो, फूलै फलै अघाय।।

 Ekai sadhe sab sadhai, sab sadhe sab jay

 Rahiman mulahin seechibo, foolai falai aghaay

अर्थात (Meaning in Hindi): मन को एक समय में एम विषय पर केंद्रित किया जाए तो उसमें असफलता असंदिग्ध है। एक समय में अनेक विषयों में बुद्धि लगाने से किसी में भी सफलता अर्जित नहीं की जा सकती। कहा भी गया है कि जो आधे को छोड़ पूरे के चक्कर में भागता है, उसे पूरा तो नहीं मिलता, आधे से भी हाथ धो बैठता है। सदैव एकल सिद्धि करनी चाहिए, इसी से सब सिद्ध हो जाता है।

रहीम कहते हैं, एक को साधना ही पर्याप्त है, इससे सब सध हो जाते हैं। यदि सबको एकसाथ साधने का प्रयास किया गया तो सबसे हाथ धोना पड़ेगा। पौधे को सींचने के लिए आवश्यक नहीं कि उसके तने, पत्तियों व फूलों की पंखुड़ियों को अलग-अलग सींचा जाए। इससे तय है कि पौधा नष्ट हो जाएगा। पौधे के मूल (जड़) को सींचना पर्याप्त है, इससे पौधा तृप्त होकर फलता फूलता है।

If you have any Liver, kidney and heart problem, please contact your registered medical practitioner before following this concept.

Follow this concept for at least 6-8 weeks to perceive and enjoy sustainable results supported by recent research in London.

Stay tuned to follow the ABCD concept and its benefits in the future.

We would value your mindful feedback and thoughtful suggestions.

                    

 

Concept designed by Dr Rish Sharma

With Gratitude,

Gunjan Mishra

Metabolic Relaxation Day

“Fasting and natural diet,though essentially unknown as a therapy,should be the first treatment when someone discovers that he or she has a medical problem”- Joel Fuhrman

Tradition and culture are an invincible part of our society. We too are so used to following them but most of the time blindly. This is the reason why many people think today that these traditional practices are mere superstitions. However, with the visitation of science, it has become quite evident that these practices do have a significant reason behind them. One such practice is “Metabolic Relaxation Day”. In this blog, I will try to modify the way fasting has always been looked upon in recent years and introduce a new dimension of fasting -which is not only reasonable due to traditions but due to its biological, physiological.neurological and spiritual benefits. 

This blog is actually an insight into my journey from fasting to Metabolic Relaxation Day. A few years ago, I used to do traditional fasting, where you fast, pray and bribe God for the fulfilment of your desires and dreams (Bangalow, salary, desired life partner, good grades in exams, nice car and the malarkies goes on). You pray and fast out of fear or just for the shake of your customs, not for the love of your mind, body, soul. I did traditional fasting for the past many years and was getting mentally weak with time. The very thought of fasting triggered hunger, fidgety and adrenal fatigue in me.

Then I was introduced to the practice of METABOLIC RELAXATION DAY by my mentor, Rish Sharma.I was influenced by his scientific and spiritual approach of MRD. I noticed a profound contribution of lingo in my mindset and discovered a new dimension and broader perspective of fasting. I REPLACE THE WORD FASTING WITH METABOLIC RELAXATION DAY. With this new scientific, spiritual, contemporary understanding and newborn mindset, I started enjoying my MRD and began to reap its health benefits in a few weeks.

What is Metabolic relaxation or intermittent fasting is?

Metabolic relaxation day, as the name suggests, is a relaxing, holidaying and rejuvenating day of your metabolism process. In simpler words, it is calorie restriction or restricted feeding day. On these days your body recovers and heals from all type of common(Physical, mental, environmental ), chronic or oxidative stress. It is actually a delicious recipe for fat loss and is a quintessential healer.

Now, I do flexible MRD’s once a week, Twice a week, every alternate day or sometimes a whole week(and yes I am the person who earlier felt exhausted by the mere thought of fasting). How you practice depends on you and your well-formed outcomes. Remember to have a good track of all the changes you begin to feel post starting any new practice! 

In our wellness centre to prevent and heal from the chronic diseases like- blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammations, thyroid, asthma, arthritis etc, and weight management, we focus on the following practices-

• Metabolic relaxation day
• Emphasis on Bio-individuality. What works for one person may not work for another, so we focus on customized training.
• Exercises with varieties and intensity.
• Cutting out process foods, refined grains, sugar, milk products and fruit juices.
• Adding real, whole, Low glycemic index, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory rich foods.
• Encourage our clients to eat mostly plants and think of meat and animal product as condiments.
• Eating weird grains( buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, brown rice ) and avoid gluten.
• 10,000 min step diet
• Moving your body every after 30 mins.
• Advise prioritizing 7-8 hours of good sleep.
• Recommend to actively relax.
• Enlighten to get connected with your body’s original design i.e hunter-gather lifestyle

“He who eats until he is sick must fast until he is well”

In the plethora of health and fitness, we have one thing in common – INFLAMMATION. Heart disease, autoimmune conditions, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, digestive problems, anxiety, depression, brain fog, and hormonal problems all are an inflammatory response. And as a functional medicine practitioner, I see the immense impact of inflammation on the health of people around the world every single day.
The powerful tool to drive inflammation level down is –Metabolic Relaxation Day!
It has worked equally well for me and my clients. Below you will find an experience of MRD by one of our clients, Kalpana Chahar, who lost 13kg in five months with the support of this tool. This tool works well with exercise. 

Kalpana progress sheet

Kalpana’s experience of MRD

As I mentioned above, I personally use this tool weekly, sometimes twice a week. Once I did it for 21 days, relishing one nutrient dense meal a day(no need to be manic like me) and here are my personal experiences of MRD which I would like to share-

• Now, I feel more energized, empowered, enthusiastic, lighter, and great throughout the day.
• Calm and relaxed breathing. My resting heart rate(RHR) and breathing rate are lower.
• My body acts like a machine, well tuned and more energy efficient.
• Fast healing. Now, I understand my body has the potential to make its own internal medicines. I gradually gained a sense of control over my health and knew that I could help my body make its own longevity medicine.
• Clearer vision
• More sensitive nose.
• Fat loss.
• Leaner body.
• Improved body composition and fitness.
• Healthier skin.
• Emotional detox-Better Emotional hygiene.
• Improved sense of taste.
• Improved triglycerides.
• Thyroid test report normal.
• Self-control and improved willpower.
• Better resilience.
• Good gut feelings.
• Gut and brain working together and telling me if you stay committed to your practices i.e -eating well, eating right, practising MRDs, adequate sleep and proper rest, you will feel good. Always listen to your gut and brain voice- Eat right, eat less and chew longer. There is a hidden sweetness in the empty stomach.
• Now, I believe, I could greatly influence my destiny- Ageing healthfully and gracefully.

In actuality, Years of unhealthy eating and less physical activities had blocked all my senses and the helpful signals. It was as if my body was screaming – to hell with her and her nonsense. She is not going to listen to us anyway so let’s stop telling her what good and bad to eat and do and the consequences were following-

• I suffered from insomnia for 15-16 years.
• Unbearable pain in my joints
• Nagging lower back pain
• Severe neck pain
• Thyroid problem
• Daunting knee pain
• Muscle spasm
• Most of the time headaches and use to take painkillers.
•  Itchy, Irritating Vaginal infections.
• Poor posture.
• Brain fog
• Asthma(For a period of 6 months I was on steroid and Asthalin inhaler)

Starting days were a bit taxing but with determination, discipline, and limbic impulse control, I started enjoying MRD. I noticed that now I crave for the good quality of plants food, I also noticed that I was satisfied with less.
Eating less but good quality of food with all ingredients required by your body to function efficiently, your body has less food to metabolize, less oxidation(wear and tear on the body) and healthier ageing.

“Fasting is the first principle of medicine,fast and see the strength of the spirit reveal itself”-Rumi

Now my body seems to know that all real foods and spices are full of Phyto, natural anticancer, antiaging, and anti-inflammatory substance.
We all born with a sixth sense–The wisdom of the body. But decades of not listening to it has caused our awareness to fade. Now my sixth sense is turned on due to MRD. I keep reading lots of books, articles and research papers to find why real foods or exercises or breathing or mindful living or eating clean or MRD are good for me. The more you read, the more you become committed to achieving your real goal.

UNLEARN, LEARN AND RETRAIN YOUR METABOLISM TO KEEP YOU FIT AND HEALTHY-

“Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own”- Bruce Lee

We pay very little attention to our metabolism. But why? Is it because it never immediately attack us? or is it because of our unawareness? We have all heard of heart attacks but have we ever heard of metabolism attacks? Actually neither the heart attacks nor the metabolism, it is we who attack them with our habits, lifestyle, lack of activities, exercises, sedentary lifestyle and the list go on.

Unfortunately, we share a very abusive relationship with our stomach and digestive system. And I think we don’t care much about this abuse because it doesn’t lead to our sudden death. Loading the stomach with all junks is criminal.

In Ayurveda, 13 different types of Agni is mentioned and one of them is Jatharagni(Digestive fire or metabolism). Majority of diseases are the outcome of malfunctioning of digestive fire which leads to poor digestion, languid blood circulation, poor complexion, brain fog, low energy level, weak immunity against diseases. Thus in Aryuveda, promoting proper functioning of digestive fire is used for treating the root cause of most diseases.

“Udaram Vyadhi Mandiram”- Ayurveda (The stomach is abode of all disease)

“All disease begins in the gut”-Hippocrates

This means that your digestive fire i.e metabolism should be active and efficient. You can keep the fire active through a metabolic relaxation day ( or intermittent fasting), disciplined lifestyle, nutrient dense food, regular exercises and dynamic attitude. Our basic problem today is that our digestive capacity (or fire) is diminishing and our consumption is increasing!

Our ancestors had a very different approach than us. At that time availability of food was not easily within reach, they went for long periods without eating.Their circumstances and lifestyle gifted them “Metabolic flexibility” and our lifestyle have gifted us “Metabolic Inflexibility”. They were able to withstand harsh conditions and long periods of time without food through metabolic flexibility.

Metabolic flexibility is the ability to respond or adapt to conditional changes in metabolic demand by shifting back and forth between using glucose (from carbohydrates) and fatty acids (from fat) for fuel.
The human metabolism is a complex system, but here’s what you need to know to understand how our bodies use food to produce energy: When we eat (especially carbohydrate-loaded foods) our insulin levels rise, which stimulates our cells to take in glucose. The cell’s mitochondria, then, use this glucose to make ATP or energy. Amount glucose that is extra than what the body needs gets stored as glycogen and fat that isn’t utilized gets stored as well. During periods of MRD, the body calls upon this stored energy. And the longer the MRD period lasts, the more the body will eventually break down the fats to fatty acids to use as fuel.

If you can’t stay without food for long, feel like you need to take a snooze after a meal, hard time to lose weight despite all efforts, feel lethargic most of the time, then you may be experiencing metabolic inflexibility. The good news is that you can reset your metabolism by changing your lifestyle behaviour and feeding habits. Take charge of your metabolism and shift your gear from metabolic inflexibility to metabolic flexibility!

MANY WAYS TO DO MRD :

MRD has been very popular and trendy in recent years. There are many ways to practice MRD and all of them are equally effective but which one fits best will depend on the individual.
Note-It is very important to eat mostly healthy foods during your eating window. This won’t work if you eat lots of junk food or excessive amounts of calories.

8-12 WINDOW PLAN-

This method is also known as the Leangains protocol and was popularized by fitness expert Martin Berkhan. Doing this method of fasting can actually be as simple as not eating anything after dinner, and skipping breakfast.

For example, if you finish your last meal at 8 pm and then don’t eat until 12 noon the next day, then you are technically fasting for 16 hours between meals. In your eating window, you can have 2,3 or more meals.

I drink a cup of black coffee without sugar, lots of water and herbal tea on my MRD.

5:2 DIET: FAST FOR TWO DAYS PER WEEK-

This diet is also called the Fast diet and was popularized by British journalist and doctor Michael Mosley.

The 5:2 diet involves eating normally 5 days of the week while restricting calories to 500-600 on two days of the week. For example, you might eat normally on all days except Mondays and Thursdays, where you eat two small meals (250 calories per meal for women, and 300 for men), but eat regular clean foods the other 5 days.

THE WARRIOR DIET: FASTING DURING THE DAY, EAT A HUGE MEAL AT NIGHT-

The Warrior Diet was popularized by fitness expert Ori Hofmekler.
This diet also emphasizes food choices that are quite similar to a paleo diet – whole, unprocessed foods that resemble what they looked like in nature.

ALTERNATE DAY FASTING: FAST EVERY ALTERNATE DAY-

A bit extreme, so I don’t recommend beginners. Alternate-day fasting means fasting every other day, either by not eating anything or only eating a few hundred calories.

FASTING MIMICKING DIET-

It is a modified, scientifically based and nutrient dense plan. Instead of abstaining from food completely like a traditional fast, you still consume small amounts of food in a way that produces the therapeutic benefits of fasting.
Black coffee, tea, buttermilk is typically allowed, although not necessary—and make sure they don’t contain any added creams or sugars. You can also take Coconut oil and some dry fruits.

VOLUNTARILY FASTING; SKIP MEAL WHEN CONVENIENT-

Another option is to simply skip meals from time to time when you don’t feel hungry or are too busy to cook and eat.
It is a myth that people need to eat every few hours or they will hit “starvation mode” or lose muscle.

The human body is smart to handle long periods of famine, it is just missing one or two meals from time to time! 

So if you’re really not hungry one day, skip breakfast and just eat a healthy lunch and dinner. Or if you’re travelling somewhere and can’t find anything you want to eat, do a short fast i.e spontaneous MRD.
Just make sure to eat healthy foods at the other meals. Food quality is still absolutely crucial.
If you are already content with your health conditions and not find much room for improvement then please feel free to safely ignore all of this. And if you decide to try this out, then keep in mind that you need to eat healthy as well.
It is not possible to binge on junk foods during the eating periods and expect to lose weight and improve health.

BENEFITS OF MRD-

• MRD can help you to lose belly fat and maintain healthy body weight i.e your lean muscle mass and bone density.
• Blood levels of insulin drop significantly during MRD, which facilitates fat burning
• The blood levels of growth hormone may increase as much as 5-fold. Higher levels of this hormone facilitate fat burning and muscle gain and have numerous other benefits.
• Lower insulin, higher growth hormone levels and increased amounts of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) all increase the breakdown of body fat and facilitate its use for energy.
• The body induces important cellular repair processes(Autophagy), which removes waste toxic from cells.
• There are beneficial changes in several genes expression and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease.
• Promising evidence from animal studies indicates that MRD may help prevent cancer.
  (Fasting cycles retard the growth of tumours)
• Short-term fasting actually increases your metabolic rate by 3.6-14%, helping you burn even more calories. When your digestive fire is nice, bright, active and strong you can digest and assimilate all the nutrients from the food you eat and not just that the fire also helps you get rid of the toxins from the food.
• MRD can reduce insulin resistance, lowering your type 2 diabetes.(Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes prevention)
• MRD switch your body from being a sugar-burner to a fat-burner.
• Studies show that MRD can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body which slow down ageing and prevent the development of numerous chronic diseases
• One of the most impressive benefits is it keeps your heart healthy by increasing HDL(good cholesterol ) and decreasing LDL and triglycerides(bad cholesterol) MRD improve numerous risk factors for heart disease such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglycerides and inflammatory markers.
• MRD may extend your lifespan helping you live longer by boosting mitochondrial function.
• More resilient to stress.
• Excellent for your brain health. It promotes neurogenesis( growth of new nerve cells) and also increases the level of BDNF(Brain-derived neurotrophic factor) which is the fertilizer for your brain cells. Deficiency of BDNF has been implicated in depression and other brain-related problems. It prevents brain ageing and enhances the cognitive function. (Fasting promotes brain health)
• Balance Ghrelin and leptin hormone. Ghrelin is your hunger hormone, whereas, Leptin as your Satiety hormone. Ghrelin has been found to increase appetite and weight gain. Leptin is the hormone produced by fat cells which turn off appetite and makes us stop eating. Your leptin levels drop when you’re hungry and increase when you’re feeling full. So, if you want to lose weight on a long-term basis, you need to tune down ghrelin and tune up your leptin.
  Eating all the time sounds like it will turn off hunger and ghrelin. Surprisingly, the answer is the opposite – fasting. Eating, remember, does not necessarily make you less hungry. In my personal experience, eating makes you more hungry.

Final thoughts:

If you are looking forward to kickstarting your metabolism, lose body fat, improve your lean muscle mass, brain health, enhanced cognitive function while getting some more extra bonus overall health benefits as an incentive, the practice of metabolic relaxation days is right for you.

As mentioned above, There are many ways to do MRD, choose your own plan with the variation that fits your lifestyle and helps you to prosper in the best way possible. Remember,  everything does not suit everyone. 
MRD may not be a good fit and ideal for everyone. If you suffer from low blood sugar, for example, going without eating all day may lead to dangerous drops in blood sugar causing symptoms like fatigue, heart palpitations and shakiness. If you have diabetes, it’s best to work with your doctor to determine if MRD is right for you.
If you are a child or teenager and still growing, intermittent fasting is not recommended either.

I hope this will help you to lead a better life. Thank you.

Invited Comments from Rish Sharma on MRD

For the further exploration of this captivating topic, I encourage you to click the following links:

–Dr Mosely on fasting

-Intermittent fasting for fat loss-Dr Jason Fung

-Dr Jason Fung – ‘Therapeutic Fasting – Solving the Two-Compartment Problem’

-Fasting: An Ancient Solution for Modern Problems

-Fasting for Health & Healing | Dr Fuhrman

I am grateful to Harshi Kumar for her support in editing this blog! And Kalpana Chahar for sharing her MRD experience! 

I am thankful for all my present and past clients who are providing me with the opportunity to learn, to grow and enhance my skill. Without their invaluable support and feedback, our mission of goodness propagation would be incomplete.

STRESS- YOUR ALLY OR FOE?- IS DETERMINED BY YOU!

“IT’S NOT THE LOAD THAT BREAKS YOU DOWN,IT’S THE WAY YOU CARRY IT”-LOU HALTZ

Have you ever wondered how stress could work both as an agonist and as an antagonist? Stress could be your – ally or foe. It depends on your – lifestyle, attitude, mindset, choices, robustness, perception, management of psychic abilities and art of handling emotions. Either you handle your stress or your stress will handle you!

Stress has always an important role in our survival.Stress is not a disease that we should be afraid of. We are evolved out of stress. It’s our reaction to external pressure and a condition we experience in our daily life tensions. It is simply the body’s response to the changes that create taxing demands.

We often use the term “Stress” to describe negative situations, this leads to believe people that all stress is bad. It’s not true. Stress is good in short-term and harmful in long term. We need some amount of stress to grow and thrive! Stress is everywhere. You may notice stress while dealing with your kids, boss, office colleagues, spouse, managing your finances….. And while some stress is ok, too much stress can wear you down and make you sick mentally, physically and spiritually.

The first step to control stress is to realize that you are stressed. We become habituated of being in stress and don’t realize until the boiling point!

What is stress?

Stress is body reaction to harmful situations-whether they are real or perceived. When you feel threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in your body that allows you to act in a way to prevent danger. This reaction is known as “fight-or-flight,” or the stress response. During stress response, your heart rate increases, breathing quickens, muscles tighten, and blood pressure rises. You’ve gotten ready to act. It is how you protect yourself.

GOOD STRESS AND BAD STRESS:

Good stress is known as –EUSTRESS, whereas bad stress, is known as – DISTRESS. One more type of stress is – OXIDATIVE STRESS.
Eu-stress-The term was coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye, consisting of the Greek prefix EU- meaning “good/healthy”, and stress, literally meaning “good stress”.Eustress means beneficial or adaptive stress – either physiological, psychological, spiritual or emotional-having a good effect on your health, motivation, performance and emotional well being. Stress is healthful and the stimulus for growth. During positive stress, a feel-good hormone – ENDORPHINS (endogenous morphine- body’s self-produced painkillers), are released.
Distress– on the other hand, Distress is negative, harmful stimuli that make you weaker, less able, anxious, panic and less confident and in extreme result in depression. It occurs when something is difficult for an individual to cope with. Distress causes tension to build in body and mind and the situations seem daunting. Distress leads to poor decisions making skills. Physiological symptoms include -High blood pressure, heart problem, Type 2 diabetes, Thyroid problem, Headaches. Behavioural symptoms include- emotional eating, smoking, drinking, and avoiding the task at hand, negative coping skills.
Oxidative stress – Environmental factors and unhealthy lifestyle choices influence oxidative stress in humans. An elevated oxidative stress is a contributing factor to many chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, an autoimmune disorder, cancer, diabetes, thyroid problem and the list goes on. It is a state of your body in which excess of free radicals is present. A free radical, is a molecule in an unstable state, with a missing electron. To gain the stability it takes an electron from a nearby molecule. It can happen in any part of the cellular structure. Now the second molecule is unstable and in turn, it needs to gain its stability by taking an electron from another molecule. Now, a dominal effect of electron stealing begins! This process leads to the cellular destructions. Free radicals are the by-product of the metabolic process. The problem comes from the excess of free radicals produced which leads to oxidative stress.

Stressors that cause common stress:

• Too fast change of our environment that our genes can’t adopt.
• Unemployment
• Educational stress on students.
• Workplace-Having too much responsibility and heavy workload, long working hours.
• The death of loved ones
• Divorce
• Traumatic events
• Toxic environment
• Toxic relationship
• Conflict with co-workers and family members
• Financial problems
• Fears

Factors that cause oxidative/chronic stress:

• Poor dietary habits and lifestyle.
• Eating refined carb, sugar and fried foods
• Dairy products and poultry
• Imbalance of omega -3 and omega- 6
• Carbonated water
• Drinking and smoking
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Air pollutants
• Insecticides and pesticides
• Stress-emotional and physical
• Excessive exercise
• Some medications
• Radiations/UV light

Today’s irony is that when no tiger is chasing us then also we are most of the time in – fight and flight mode, even in our sleep. We are stuck on sympathetic dominance. A proper balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic is the key to the good health!

The sympathetic nervous system is related to activities that require your mental or physical alertness such as work and exercise. The parasympathetic is related to more relaxing activities such as sleeping, eating, meditation, nature walks, Listening music etc.

We never have only one system working because both are necessary in order for the body to function.
Sympathetic is – fight and flight mode that prepares our bodies for action.
Parasympathetic is-rest and digest mode that produces a state of equilibrium in the body.

Fight and flight mode are not good for your health in long duration. It releases stress hormone- “Cortisol “which is a toll on your body. Cortisol produces free radicals which result in oxidative stress. Overproduction of free radicals can cause oxidative damage to biomolecules, (lipids, proteins, DNA), eventually leading to many chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetics, rheumatoid arthritis, post-ischemic perfusion injury, myocardial infarction, cardiovascular diseases, chronic inflammation, stroke …

Common effects of stress:

Indeed stress can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings and your behaviour.Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can give you jump on managing them. Stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to many chronic health problems. Common effects of stress-

• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Change in sex drive
• Anxiety, anger, depression and restlessness
• Overeating or under-eating
• Social withdrawal
• Exercising less often

Effect of chronic stress/oxidative stress on your body:

• Coronary artery disease
• Diabetic
• Cardiovascular problem
• Thyroid problem
• Autoimmune disorder
• Obesity
• Trigger depression
• Gastrointestinal problem
• Ruins your sleep
• Wreak havoc on your hormones.
• Asthma
• Neurodegenerative diseases such as –Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
• Cancer
• Fast ageing

Stress detoxification pathway:

When you get stressed, you get physically, mentally and spiritually exhausted. Nobody wants too much stress in their life. Don’t let it dominate or overpower you. Let stress work as an agonist, not as an antagonist. Unlock your potential to handle your stress skillfully, otherwise, it will fill you with negative energies and promote a sense of failure, which can be devastating!

However, there are plenty of things successful people can do to counter a burnout and keep moving forward in life.

Act to manage common stress:

• Regular physical activity and work out. Exercises are to stimulate you and keep you active throughout the day. It boosts your happiness level and strengthens your immune system.
• Relaxation technique, such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, getting a massage, listening music, meditative walk/forest bathing, gardening etc.
• Learn to Relax, Breathe and Take it easy. Simplify your life by doing less rather than more.Problem is that we are trying to do more and more things in less and less time and pay price in term of quality. Focus on quality of work rather than quantity.
• Get involve in creativity
• Set aside time for hobbies.
• Socialize with family and friends.
• Keep a sense of humour.
• Make sleep a top priority.
• Say” NO “more often. It will help you to focus on the most important project that matters to you.
• Unplug yourself from the technology. Decide a specific time to check your messages/emails. Don’t keep your gadgets all the time with you. Kill your darlings. Though technology has made our lives easier in a lot of ways, it can also increase the amount of stress people feel on a daily basis. Constantly checking your messages causes your brain to be overstimulated, leaving you hypoxic.Keep few hrs wifi free zone, it will increase your creativity and productivity! Utilize that time with your family, friends, in fulfilment of your dream project, self-healing, hobbies etc.
• Get in touch with your feelings and take time to listen to your body and emotions.
• Take responsibility for yourself.
• Adjust your attitude. Don’t fall into the trap of negative emotions that can quickly get out of control and only make us feel worse. Stress is a part of our life which cannot be avoided, but we can change our mindset! Instead of focusing on the negative, try to focus on the positives.
• Aim to find active ways to manage your stress. Inactive ways may use to manage stress-such as watching television, surfing the internet or playing video games, may seem relaxing, but they may increase your stress over the long period of time.

Act to manage oxidative/chronic stress:

• Eat nutrient dense food
• Reduce acid load of your body by -Rainbow eating/Alkaline diet. Make sure your plate is enriched with colourful fruits, vegetables, nuts and real food.
• NO to dairy products and poultry.
• NO to the refined carb, sugar and carbonated water.
• A proper balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acid.
• Avoid alcohol intake, tobacco use, smoking, excess caffeine and the use of illicit substances
• Get rid of unhealthy life choices
• Boost your daily dietary intake of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory food, phyto-nutrient, fibre, herbs and spices. Antioxidant such as-Turmeric,nuts,vitamin C,green tea,garlic,onion,cinnamon etc.
• Be on at least 10,000 step diet daily
• Do Metabolic relaxation day(Intermittent fasting) at least once a week. Better to do twice a week or every alternative day for fast healing from oxidative /chronic stress. You can design your own metabolic relaxation day according to your personal wellness goal. Make sure your feasting days are nutrient dense rather than calorie rich.
• Fluid balance.
• Wash your fruits and vegetables with hydrogen peroxide to get rid of insecticides and pesticides.
• Avoid over-eating.
• Listen to your body.Avoid excessive strenuous exercise.Give your body time to heal. Go for an intermittent burst of moderate to the high-level intensity with intervening periods of rest and recovery. High-intensity interval training sessions should be performed once or twice per week.Do different types of exercises to enhance your organic fitness and to avoid boredom, overuse injury, emotional burnout and high level of oxidative stress.
• Get at least 7-8 hours sleep daily.

“YOU CANNOT GO BACK AND START THE BEGINNING,BUT YOU CAN START WHERE YOU ARE AND CHANGE THE ENDING!”-C.S .LEWIS

For further exploration of this fascinating topic, I encourage you to click on the below link –

Kelly McGonigal: How to turn Stress into an advantage