Your Daily Source for Alternative Health News & Tips
The Alternative Daily team supports label reading. Even if it takes you a few extra minutes when you shop, do yourself a favor and turn the package or container over and skim over the ingredient list. Continue reading
Many fast food eateries have been touting their so-called healthier options after promising to make nutritional improvements in the food they serve, but unfortunately, they’ve failed to come through. While they have increased the use of the term “healthy” on their menus, simply labeling food as such doesn’t make it so. Continue reading
Real and natural salt is as essential to life as water – without it we would die. Salt has been so valuable through history that it was even used as currency in Rome and traded by explorers throughout Europe and Africa for gold. Continue reading
A recent study by American and Italian neuroscientists sheds new light on why it may be so difficult to lose weight. Research results show that complex processes in the brain’s hypothalamus instruct you to eat enough to maintain your current weight, regardless of whether it is healthy or not. Once a heavier weight is the norm, your brain resets, accepting it as the norm. Continue reading
We hear all the time how good fish oil, and the omega-3′s it contains, is for our health. While there is no denying that fish oil is of nutritional benefit, there is something that may be even better. Continue reading
Do you find your mind overcome with an intense desire for salty sweet, starchy or downright strange foods in the middle of the night? You are not alone. A recent study published in the journal Obesity shows that natural circadian rhythms signal your body to crave these types of foods in the evening. Continue reading
Prior to the Agricultural Revolution, humans did not consume grain on a regular basis. Interestingly enough, research shows that human brain function was at its peak just prior to the onset of the revolution. A steady decline in human strength has been observed since this time. Continue reading
It signifies a sad state of affairs in our country that it actually costs less to eat junk food than a healthy meal. Processed food consumption is a vicious cycle; as we eat more and more of these items, their production costs decrease, making them cheaper and more readily available. Continue reading
It has always been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We are told to eat breakfast like a king and lunch like a pauper. However, if you seem to have reached a weight loss or fitness plateau and nothing is moving those last few pounds, skipping breakfast may not be such a bad idea.
Intermittent fasting goes against the ever-popular and longstanding dieting approach of eating five or six small meals all day long. The premise behind the small meal technique is to keep blood sugar stable and avoid spikes of hunger.
Advocates of intermittent fasting claim that is a far-superior method of weight loss and muscle gain. There is very little evidence to support that eating small meals frequently keeps metabolism elevated or that it makes weight loss easier.
Natural health expert Dr. Andrew Weil states that contrary to popular thought, eating small bites all day long has two negative impacts. The first is that people who eat extra meals may not be eating healthy meals, but rather sugar-laden energy bars or power drinks.
These put an unnecessary burden on the liver and digestive system. The second reason why eating frequently is not such a good idea is that many people have a hard time distinguishing between eating many small meals and eating all the time.
This can lead, for some, to compulsive overeating. Interestingly enough, obesity began to skyrocket once the concept of ‘many meals’ was put into practice.
The Healthier Option
What may, in fact, be a healthier option involves allowing more time than usual to pass between meals. This may mean skipping breakfast and eating only two meals at, say, 1pm and 7pm. Of course, these meals need to be nutritious and packed with vegetables, healthy fat and plenty of fresh foods prepared the ‘old fashioned way.’
Intermittent fasting is not an excuse to eat high salt, high fat and high sugar meals; that will not work. But rather, intermittent fasting allows the digestive system time to rest; it gives the body a chance to dump toxins and re-balance.
Over the course of history, down through the ages, mankind has always been on some kind of intermittent fast. As food supplies came and went, the body responded by building muscle and fatty tissue during a time of plenty and utilizing the stores for energy during the lean times. Fasting for periods of time allows for the elimination of waste left by dead and damaged cells. This is thought to delay the signs of aging.
Research demonstrates that the benefits of intermittent fasting are like those seen in caloric restriction diets, when normal meal times are followed but with smaller portions allowed. The body, however, seems to respond well to short periods of intense hunger versus a low gnawing hunger pain all day long.
Animals studies have revealed some amazing health benefits of denying food for every third day. Male rats who were denied lived 20% longer and females 15% longer. In addition, researchers noted that intermittent fasting may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, decrease cancer risk, lower diabetes risk, improve cognitive function and protect against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
People who have undertaken periodic episodes of fasting report an increase in overall energy, mental clarity, fewer problems with insomnia and a general sense of balance both physically and mentally.
Not For Everyone
Intermittent fasting is not the answer for everyone. Children under 18, pregnant or lactating women or diabetics should not consider fasting. However, for most people, missing a meal from time to time can be incredibly beneficial as a healthy weight is maintained.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/fasting-health_b_1557043.html
A new study from Imperial College in London has shed light on some very disturbing soda statistics: drinking just ONE per day increases the odds of developing type 2 diabetes by 22 percent. The risk increases by another 22 percent for each 12-ounce sweetened soft drink consumed. Continue reading
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