A change for life

Now that I've been on the IF diet for almost a month, I'm really getting used to it.  So much, in fact, that I'm not really thinking about it alot.  One effect is that I don't have the capacity to eat as much as I did before starting this.  You would think that on the unlimited calories days, there would be a temptation to eat more and to have treats which you can't have on the fasting days.  I haven't experienced that at all and actually did two fasting days in a row over the last couple of days without realising, simply because I didn't want to eat any more.

Research suggests that eating more, and certainly eating high fat, high sugar foods, switches off the signals which tell the brain you are full. Read more about it here.....  Eat to live or live to eat?

Eating large meals also stresses the organs, particularly the pancreas, heart and liver, which have to work much harder in digesting it all. Constantly eating large quantities of food doesn't allow the body the break it needs to repair damaged cells or eliminate toxins.  My digestive system does feel much calmer since my level of food intake has dropped and my sugar levels aren't seeing any dramatic rises or falls.

Essentially, our physiology remains as it did when we lived in caves and hunted for our survival.  We would eat only when we had a successful kill.   There were often days when we would go without food, particularly meat and live simply on plants, berries etc and very meagre portions, until the next kill.   Our systems were developed over thousands of years to cope with this pattern rather than the world of instant gratification and over indulgence we live with today.  This is also the reason why it is suggested that our brains benefit from fasting.  When we were hunter-gatherers, a lack of food would sharpen our brains in order to increase the likelihood of a successful hunt.




Nutrition tip of the day

I'm eating a lot more fish, particularly the oily kind... Mackerel, sardines, and sild plus salmon which I love.  I've always enjoyed it but have found it particularly good on this diet because it's lovely and light and incredibly good for you.  Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, it is great for good cardiovascular health, reducing the pain of arthritis and warding off cancer.  It is one of the very few sources of so called 'long chain' omega-3  which are found to be most beneficial. 
 Benefits of oily fish