Nutrition Tips from Kathy Westover

Dr. Fields wants to share some helpful nutritional tips from Kathy Westover MA, MNT

Download the article in PDF form here.

CONSIDER EATING LESS OFTEN

Wait a minute…what happened to the universal recommendation to eat six small meals per day? The new research is really shattering this old idea. Due to the Paleo trend, “intermittent fasting” has been in the limelight lately. It seems like every health conscious website has been touting the benefits of skipping a meal now and then. Here is what we know:

“Eating six small meals per day” (which is still recommended by many trainers and doctors) is a cast off from the conventional diabetes protocol to help balance blood sugar. What it actually does is raise insulin, which is the real culprit in blood sugar metabolism problems, increased inflammation, and fat storage.

The human GI tract is not built to process food quickly, so by eating every few hours we are actually taxing the system. Many of the digestive complaints that are common in our society are caused or exacerbated by the GI tract having to be constantly processing food. Intermittent fasting gives the system a break.

Eating small meals all day encourages the need for a carbohydrate-heavy diet. Carbs break down into glucose and glucose is metabolized into fuel in about two hours. When we are “sugar-burners” we are always hungry, needing to “refuel” every two hours. The other fuel that is more sustainable and cleaner burning than glucose is healthy fat, such as nuts and seeds, avocados, and coconut oil. (See a list of healthy fats at the end of this article). Fat is a longer burning fuel, which does not create constant hunger. Becoming a fat-burner will improve your cognition, energy, and weight. Mark Hyman’s book, Eat Fat, Get Thin, explains this concept in a great, easy to read way.

Research has shown that inflammation, digestive problems, and hormone imbalance are all improved by having at least a full twelve-hour fasting period every day, i.e. “breaking your fast” at 6:00 a.m. and eating the last meal at 6:00 p.m. I suggest, as do many holistic healthcare practitioners, that you tighten up the “feasting” period to be even shorter. One easy way to improve metabolism is to eat only during an eight-hour window…say 10:00 to 6:00. Typically, I skip breakfast (I often have butter coffee, sometimes called “Bullet Proof” coffee…see recipe below) and then eat lunch between 11:00 and 1:00, then dinner around 7:00. I do not eat after dinner (that is the kiss of death for metabolic problems!)

links to research:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27899768

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27687742

So to start off a new season by trying a few days a week of intermittent fasting and increasing healthy fats in all meals. This will give your GI tract a break, create sustained energy, balance blood sugar, and help you attain a healthy weight.

The next To Your Health! E-newsletter will focus on fine-tuning your macronutrient (Carb/Protein/Fat) ratio. We will also take a look at a new biochemical discovery that is popping up in the all the anti-aging research, mechanistic target of rapamycin or mTOR. mTOR is a protein storage messenger in the body. Managing mTOR levels is the newest target in the anti-aging healthcare spotlight. See you soon!

WHAT IS HEALTHY FAT?

Healthy fat is really easy…it is the fat found in “full-fat foods”…if the fat is highly processed (canola or safflower oil), in packaged foods (cookies, crackers, etc) or fried (French fries, blooming onions) it is NOT healthy.

Here are some suggestions:

• Coconut products: oil, full-fat milk, and cream
• Organic butter/ghee
• Olive oil (other non-processed oils like avocado, hazelnut, grapeseed, etc)
• Avocado (guacamole)
• Well-made sausage, bacon, and other fatty meats
• Wild-caught cold water fish, such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel
• Nuts, seeds and Nut butters
• Full fat dairy
• Healthy mayonnaise (avocado oil, olive oil)
• Olives
• Dark chocolate (1-2 squares)
• Bone broth, homemade

QUICK AND EASY RECIPE

Butter Coffee

No need to go buy “Bullet Proof” ingredients (although the Bullet Proof brand is very good…it is also very expensive). I use organic ingredients that you can find at the grocery store.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Coffee 1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil 1 Tbsp. Heavy Cream or Coconut Cream A few dashes of Seasonings of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Brew a cup worth of coffee and put into a large container. I use a large measuring cup.
2. Cut 1 Tbsp. of butter. Drop your butter into the coffee and watch it ooze.
3. Measure out 1 Tbsp. of coconut oil and plunk that it into your coffee also.
4. Last but not least, add the 1 Tbsp. of heavy cream or coconut cream. This adds a great creaminess to the coffee.
5. You are welcome to add some ingredients of your choice to change the flavor. Try ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, or allspice with a drop or two of liquid stevia.
6. Blend it all together very well using a blender or Nutribullet. Don’t forget this step…this will make it like a latté.

Yields 1 total serving.

Per serving, it comes out to:

273 Calories 30g Fats, 1g Net Carbs, and 0g Protein.

 

 

Kathy Westover, MA, MNT

Nationally Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®

To Your Health Nutrition | 970-224-2310

info@toyourhealthLLC.com | toyourhealthLLC.