Does Eating Kill Us?

Several studies done on rats have shown that caloric restriction leads to greater longevity.  Yet some "health advocates" are recommending that most people (who already over-eat), eat every 2-3 hours.  I am not a big proponent of fasting (although there is good research suggesting that may be beneficial) because for most people it's too challenging to do properly while trying to fulfill the demands of work and home life.  I do however think that eating properly portioned meals three times a day and letting the gut rest the remainder of the time is helpful and more doable.  It also helps regulate the hormones that dictate appetite and fullness better, leptin and grehlin.   Eating less frequently also means that people have less attachment to food, which is good and I also find that it balances the blood sugar better and keeps insulin lower than eating every two hours.  People who feel the need to eat every 2 hours need to view that as a cue that their blood sugar in unstable, most likely as a result of what they ate prior.  To avoid feeling hungry 2 hours after eating lower the carbohydrate content of the preceding meal and increase the fruit and vegetable, healthy fat and protein content.  Fruit and vegetables (i.e. fiber), healthy fat and protein are the keys to healthy blood sugar and feeling full and satisfied between meals. Eat your last meal no later than 7 p.m. and eat breakfast no earlier than 7 a.m. so that you are in essence fasting for 12 hours each day.  This allows the gut time to rest and repair.

I had some yummy raw lasagna the other day that had zucchini as the noodles, pesto, basil and sliced tomatoes with cashew ricotta - so it was low carb, gluten free, dairy free, raw and delicious!  It inspired me to find out how to make my own cashew ricotta, here's the recipe click here.

Also, Forces of Nature has a brand new Registered Massage Therapy specific website that I just completed.  Take a peek here - http://www.rmt-toronto.ca

To your health,

Pamela

Copyright 2010 Forces of Nature

References
1. http://www.ForcesofNature.ca/ 
2. http://www.NaturopathToronto.ca/ 
3. http://www.rmt-toronto.ca/ 
4. http://naturopathicdetox.blogspot.com/ 
5. http://h1n1naturopath.blogspot.com/ 
6. http://naturopathtoronto.blogspot.com/ 
7. http://twitter.com/pfranknd