When You Eat Matters
By Dr. Ann Kulze, M.D.
Evidence is quickly mounting that when you eat and the timing of your meals may be as important as what and how much you eat. In a fascinating new laboratory study, scientists found that lab rats that consumed high fat food over a restricted period of 8 hours a day gained significantly less weight and showed far superior metabolic health relative to an identical group of rats that consumed the same amount of high fat food calories over a 24 hour period of time. According to the study's lead author, it appears "every organ has a clock" and that there are times when they work at optimal capacity and other times when they operate more sluggishly. Like our hunter-gatherer ancestors likely ate, this study suggests that discrete meal times (not random munching) and protracted periods of no food intake over a 24 hour cycle (like from dusk to dawn) are best for metabolic health and weight control. I am currently working hard to eat my dinner before the sun goes down to optimize my metabolic machinery (5).
Even more, a large, first-of-its-kind study in human subjects was just published that supports the critical importance of regular meals, especially BREAKFAST! and refraining from grazing or snacking during the day. The objective of the study was to determine the associations between skipping breakfast, eating frequently, snacking, and the risk of weight gain and type 2 diabetes. Over 51,000 adult males were followed over a 30 year period of time to gather the relevant information for this evaluation. The conclusions of this landmark study were as follows:
- Regular consumption of breakfast was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes independent of body weight. (Somehow eating breakfast protects metabolic health.)
- Eating 2 or less meals a day was associated with a greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
- Eating > 4 times daily or snacking was associated with an increased risk of weight gain and type 2 diabetes. (6)
Bottom line: For optimal weight control and metabolic health - eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner and no more than 1 daily snack.
Fast Food and Cancer..Did You Know?
By Dr. Ann Kulze, M.D.
After completing the most rigorous and comprehensive review of scientific data to date, an expert panel of world-renown cancer experts recommended, "fast foods be consumed sparingly, if at all." They concluded that limiting calorically dense food, especially fast foods and sugary beverages, was one of the most important steps an individual could take to reduce cancer risk. (World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. Washington, DC AICR, 2007)
Eating Healthy While Saving Money
Source: https://www.drannwellness.com
By: Dr. Ann Kulze
Buy your starch staples in volume. There is always superior "value in volume," and the starches I recommend are some of the very best nutritional buys of the entire grocery store, going for as little as 10 cents per serving. Choose the biggest bags or containers available for your brown rice, oatmeal, dried beans, quinoa, and barley. I am a big fan of wholesale grocers for purchasing my starch staples in bulk. They always have big containers at an excellent value, and even with the amount of healthy starches my family eats, we rarely run out!
I am always amazed by the number of people who consider avocados "unhealthy" or "fattening" when the delicious reality is that they are true wonder foods. Avocados are filled with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that lower bad (LDL) cholesterol while boosting good (HDL) cholesterol along with fiber, vitamin E, B vitamins and special cholesterol-lowering plant substances called phytosterois. They can also boast making it into the top 20 most potent antioxidant foods. This unique package of sparking nutritional attributes renders them oh so valuable for heart and brain health - so go guacamole!
I include them in my diet daily. Although I find them divine plain and simple with a little sea salt and lemon, here are 2 recipes you are sure to enjoy.
Sesame Kale Salad with Avocado
Veggie and Quinoa Stuffed Avocados