Since ancient times, many spiritual practices have included dietary fasting. Today, there are a lot of people claiming that fasting also has a lot of health benefits. And, in fact, research shows that short fasts, lasting anywhere from 20 to 36 hours can in fact reduce some risks for heart disease, diabetes and cancer. I wondered about the benefits of fasting and began researching. One finding in particular caught my interest and I’d like to share it and my thoughts. The National Institute on Aging conducted a study on mice for which, Mark Mattson, Ph.D., chief of the NIA's Laboratory of Neurosciences fed mice nothing every other day. The mice could eat as much as they wanted on the days in between, and they did. They pigged out. They ended up eating very nearly double what normal mice eat in a day. But fasting every other day caused them to live longer and healthier lives. A lot longer and a lot healthier. Mattson said, "We think what happens is going without food imposes a mild stress on the cells, and cells respond by increasing their ability to cope with more severe stress." He said maybe it's similar to what happens when you lift weights: You stress your muscles and they respond by growing stronger. Near the very end of the study, they injected all the mice (those fasting every other day, and those eating a normal diet) with a toxin that damages the cells in the same part of the brain Alzheimer's damages in humans (the hippocampus). Mattson and his team later looked at the brains of the mice and found that those that had been fasting every other day suffered less damage to their brain cells. I read another article that brought up some very good points. It seems likely that at least an occasional state of hunger would have been fairly common throughout our evolution. Our bodies might be adapted to it. Maybe it creates unnatural problems when the body doesn't ever go hungry. Maybe eating three square meals a day, every day, is unnatural. Going without food for several hours does not cause your metabolism to slow down nor does it wreak havoc with your blood sugar. Short fasts actually improve insulin sensitivity and this is pretty big deal. When your cells are sensitive to the effects of insulin, they do a much better job modulating your blood sugar levels after meals and this makes life a lot easier for your poor old pancreas. Loss of insulin sensitivity is a risk factor for both heart disease and diabetes. For the millions of years mammals have been evolving and right up to our invention of agriculture a short ten thousand years ago, mammals often went hungry many times in an individual's lifetime. Surely our bodies have evolved to handle this. Maybe that's why it is totally accepted by most people in the health profession that human beings gain about a pound a year. Maybe that is part of the body's adaptation to the inevitable lean times the eons have adapted us to. An occasional fast might very well be more natural and very good for us. The key here is SHORT FASTS and OCCASIONAL. You want to slow your metabolism down to where you’re not able to maintain a life of very little caloric intake and then end up gaining weight.
THIS IS A FILLING, LOW GLYCEMIC, NUTRITIOUSLY DELICIOUS MEAL and I made it up all by myself…oooh, so yummy
1 lb of Soba noodles
1 or 2 lbs baby portabello mushrooms, cubed into bite sizes
2 cups of raw spinach leaves
2 medium yellow onions, diced in bite sizes
2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp pure ground red chillies or ½ jalapeno pepper
1 ½-2 inches of Fresh ginger, peeled and cut into large cubes
½ cup lemon juice
1 bunch of scallions
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ cup tamarind sauce
6 oz. Firm Tofu cubed
8 Jumbo shrimp, peeled and cleaned, leave tail on
1 cup Vegetable broth or 3 cubes
1. Mix vegetable broth, ginger, and lemon juice with 6 cups of water and bring to boil.
2. Boil soba noodles for 5 minutes, drain, rinse and place in ice cold water. Let sit.
3. While above is boiling, place garlic and onions into the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. If using the fresh jalapeno instead of ground chillies, add the jalapeno here. Fry until onions are translucent. Place mushrooms into the mix and pour 1/8 tamarind sauce over them and toss in the skillet. Cook mushroom mix for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Place tofu into mushroom mix and pour the remaining tamarind sauce over mix. Add coriander, allspice, and black pepper.
5. Add spinach to mushroom mix. Stir until leaves shrink.
6. Remove mushroom and onion mix from heat and add to the boiling broth water.
7. Drain Soba noodles from ice water and add them to broth.
8. Add scallions and ground chillies (unless you used the jalapeno above) to soup.
9. Add shrimp. Continue to heat soup until shrimp is cooked…approximately 1-2 minutes or until red.
10. optional, add tamarind to your taste. Eat with chopsticks!
Makes 6-8 servings.
Most of the time, people do not consider what they had to eat that day when they are feeling down, but it really has an impact. Our food choices are so powerful to the way our bodies and mind function. They regulate our blood sugar levels, which affect our moods. Foods that are made of processed and simple carbohydrates such as candy may help someone feel better in the short term, but actually cause the person to “crash” shortly thereafter. Making wise food decisions, especially when your feeling stressed out, or having an afternoon snack, can make a big difference in how you feel the rest of the day.
To help achieve a good mood from your food, keep the following tips in mind:
Reach for complex carbohydrates when your feeling stressed out or want a snack will help boost serotonin levels and give you a nutritional edge.
Foods that help keep you on the path to a good mood include fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, brown rice, and lentils. Reduce the amount of refined and processed foods you consume, which include crackers, bagels, white breads and pastas, soda, fruit juice, cookies and candy. Such foods will not help to keep your blood levels regulated, which can lead to unfavorable changes in your mood. Try to include some form of protein with each meal or snack, which will keep you feeling better for longer. Ideal choices include low-fat yogurt, seafood, tofu, and eggs. Getting enough Omega-3s in your diet can help keep you in the right frame of mind as well. You can get them through walnuts, fish and ground flaxseed.
Other nutrients that help improve mood include folate and vitamin B12. You can get those from whole grain cereals, wheat germ, broccoli, lentils, oatmeal, shellfish, and fortified soy milk.
Reduce the amount of caffeine you consume, especially if its closer to bedtime. Caffeine can have a huge impact on one’s mood, not to mention also prevent you from getting adequate sleep, which definitely impacts your mood. Too much caffeine can make you irritable and quick tempered.
Beyond diet, getting enough exercise, access to sunlight (15 minutes/day), and relaxation also helps to keep you feeling good mentally.
Spend a week tracking how you feel an hour after each meal and you will be surprised to see the impact that food has on your mood. If you want to stay in a positive frame of mind, start with what you are eating each day.
CATEGORY GCI RATING
PASTA
Fettucine, 6 oz 45
Linguine, 6 oz. 52
Macaroni, 5 oz. 47
Ravioli, meat, 4 large 39
Spaghetti, wheat, 1 cup 37
Spaghetti, white, 1 cup 44
Spiral, durum, 1 cup 43
Tortellini, cheese, 8 oz. 50
Vermicelli, 6 oz. 35
Lasagna, beef 47
SNACKS, DESSERTS, and MISCELLANEOUS
Vanilla wafers, 7cookies 77
Sponge cake, plain, 1 slice 46
Snickers candy bar 55
Pretzels, 1 oz. 83
Potato chips, 14 pieces 54
Popcorn, 2 cups 72
Pop tarts, chocolate, 1 tart 70
M&Ms peanut chocolate candy 33
Granola Bar, chewy, 1 oz. 61
Graham crackers, 4 squares 74
Doritos Corn chips, 1 oz. 72
Oatmeal cookie, 1 55