Rotational Meal Times: AKA Intermittent Fasting
This is a new twist on an old idea. It requires a little self-discipline and preparation, but the health benefits make it more than worth the effort!
For most of human history, people were not able to eat 3 meals a day with between meal snacks. Not to mention we didn’t spend our days sitting at desks working on computers! Humans learned to thrive and survive during periods when food was not readily available. It was uncommon for most people to have a readily available supply of food, not to mention a supply of high carb, high sugar, highly processed foods available 24/7! Using rotational meal times is one easy, effective way to make big, healthy metabolic changes in your body that will help prevent diseases like heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
What is meant by “rotational meal times” (RMT)? Think of it as planned eating. The goal is to eat 2 meals/day within a 6 hour period. You eat no food the rest of the day although some methods allow a cup of Bulletproof coffee in the morning. You can drink water and herbal tea.
An easy way to start is this. Eat the last meal of the day by 6:00 pm and do not eat again until noon the next day. If you find it hard to go 18 hours in the beginning, start with 16 hours or even 14 hours. You can adjust your window for eating to the times that best fit your schedule (rotational meal times) as long as you go 14-18 hours between meals. After working up to the 18 hours, you could even extend the fast to 20 or even 24 hours but go at your own pace.
Before you begin, there are some things you need to consider.
If you are eating the “Standard American Diet”, it is likely that you are eating too much sugar, carbs and processed food. Before attempting RMT, it might be a good idea to clean up your diet (if it needs it). With RMT, you are basically eating all your calories for the day in 6 hour window. Make sure to choose quality foods. Lots of healthy fats, moderate proteins, and minimal complex carbs (veggies and fruit). Simple carbs (bread, pasta, grains) are not recommended and avoid foods with lots of insoluble fiber, i.e. salads. Fiber usually goes through the system quickly and that is not what you need now.
The good news is….your diet does NOT have to be super clean to start this. In fact, implementing RMT is a great tool to help clean up your diet AND the benefits of doing this are amazing.
What are some of the benefits of RMT? There are many!
· Weight loss
· Increased energy
· Promotes cellular repair
· Promotes autophagy (when your body destroys defective cells and tissues in order to produce new parts).
· Reduces insulin resistance and Type II Diabetes
· Lowers bad cholesterol
· Promotes longevity
· Protects against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
· Improved memory and brain function
· Makes the cells of the body more resilient to sickness and disease
There are different methods you can try depending on your personal goals and abilities. Some popular methods include:
1. The 5:2 plan. Eat normally for 5 days a week and do RMT 2 days per week. This is a good place to start. After you have been doing this for a while and feel comfortable with it, you can modify the schedule to add variety by decreasing the number of days you eat normally and increasing the number of RMT days. Some articles recommend you work up to a 2:5 plan – eat normally 2 days a week and do RMT the other five days.
2. Eat – Stop – Eat. This plan may be a challenging for beginners, but it works for many. This plan is straight forward. You eat no food for 24 hours 1-2 times per week.
3. Bulletproof Method. This is an 18/6 RMT plan (18 hours of fasting with 6 hours of eating) however in the morning you have a cup of bulletproof coffee. This is regular, black coffee with a tablespoon of butter and MCT oil. No sugar or cream. The bulletproof coffee gives you a boost of energy and it curbs hunger pangs. If you need it, you can even have a second cup during the day. The butter and MCT oil do not stimulate insulin production and will keep you in fat-burning mode.
When I am doing RMT, I do the bulletproof method 4 days a week and eat normally the other 3 days. I recommend you experiment to find what works best for you. By the way, I drink bulletproof coffee EVERY day!
Note: If you work out, it is recommended you do so before your first meal. In other words, at the end of the 18-hour fast.
To get started, I recommend you begin with one day a week. Try a 16/8 or 18/6 approach and as you get comfortable with it, add days. Have fun, enjoy the process and see where it goes.
For more information, be sure to join us on December 16th, 2019 for our Public Health Workshop on this very topic. We will be discussing it in more detail and can answer any questions you might have. For more information, call the office at 501-842-1004.