Timing of your meals may influence your health
The study of diet and how it influences health has been a topic of interest for centuries. Previous study into diet has looked into micronutrient deficiencies, discovery of super foods, proportions of macronutrients and many others areas. These areas of study have led to improvements in dietary recommendations. Although positive improvements have been made through the years, there are some areas where current dietary recommendations fall short for some people.
There are several challenges in providing dietary advice to people. It has been underestimate the strong psychological tie some people can have to some foods. Trying to get people to eliminate or reduce certain foods can been challenging for professionals providing dietary advice. Most people are not going to be compliant when they are required to eliminate or reduce foods to which they have a strong attachment.
Another popular strategy is to recommend some type of “super food.” This may be a unique food or supplement. This approach may be the most popular recommendation that is used. We all see these “super foods” in infomercials and ads everywhere. The problem with this approach is fairly obvious. The idea that one food source is going to be the answer for dietary health problems is not likely. Another issue is the availability of these “super foods.” Not all regions can grow these foods and some populations can’t afford to purchase them.
In the past several years there has been investigation into meal timing. This refers to when food is consumed and not the food itself. This concept of meal timing is influence by the study of fasting for health promotion. Fasting as an intervention for health problems has been around since recorded history. The problem with fasting is that compliance is incredibly low for obvious reasons.
It seems that a compromise may have been found. Professor Valter D. Longo of USC has been studying how meal timing influences health for several years. His initial research looked at the benefits of various lengths of fasting on health. His research discovered many benefits of prolonged fasting on health outcomes. The problem with fasting is what was addressed previously. The adherence to fasting is minimal and challenging.
Dr. Longo has developed a dietary plan that maintains the advantages of fasting without the long-term fasting. For now, I will focus on just one small aspect of his dietary plan. This is the easiest one to employ and doesn’t require much to implement.
Dr. Longo’s research shows that keeping your feeding window to 12 hours can give benefits of fasting without having to fast for long periods. What this means is that you only consume food within a 12-hour window. For example: You wake up at 7 a.m. and may eat until 7 p.m. Your consumption after 7 p.m. is then limited to plain water until 7 a.m.
The main health benefit we will cover in this article is something called autophagy. Autophagy is the physiological process where the body removes dead or dysfunctions cells. This process is believed to improve health and slow or improve the aging process. By gaining a benefit of fasting on a daily basis Dr. Longo reports that health can be improved with his recommendations.
There is much more to Dr. Longo’s recommendations, and I have only touched on a small aspect. To learn more about his research you can go to valterlongo.com. Advanced Center For Pain And Rehab is not affiliated with Dr. Longo in any way. I am not recommending you purchase his products but simply exposing you to new ideas about diet and health.
If you have any questions please contact me. I am happy to help you reach your goals!
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