How Does Time Restricted Eating and Intermittent Fasting Work? Part II

How Does Time Restricted Eating and Intermittent Fasting Work? Part II

Intermittent fasting or IF is a practice involving alternating fasting time and/or calorie restriction with periods of feeding that has proven cellular benefits, metabolic gains and remission or reversal for a variety of symptoms and disease states. Time restricted eating is compressing an eating window to a specific number of hours each day. An example of this would be eating all the day’s food within a 6–8-hour window. 

With the prevalence of obesity and chronic disease impacting our healthspan and quality of life, implementing the practices of intermittent fasting or time restricted eating may prove to be an important lifestyle tool for maintaining health and vitality as we age.

In Part One of this series, I went into detail about how intermittent fasting and time restricted eating works along with the long list of health benefits that have been linked to these lifestyle tools. In today’s article, Part Two takes a more practical view regarding the different ways to structure intermittent fasting and time restricted eating. We will also cover some of the most common questions about the safety and details of these two lifestyle practices. This will essentially be a guide to intermittent fasting and time restricted eating for beginners and experienced fasters alike.

This article covers the following topics:

  • How to intermittent fast
  • Does intermittent fasting work?
  • Intermittent fasting times
  • How to do time restricted eating
  • Is intermittent fasting and time restricted eating safe?
  • Are these two practices different for men and women?
  • Can you drink coffee or tea?
  • Does intermittent fasting and time restricted eating promote weight loss?
  • Can a ketogenic diet be combined with intermittent fasting and time restricted eating?

By the end of this article, you’ll know if intermittent fasting and time restricted eating are for you and how to get started.

Time restricted eating meal plan hours – 16:8, 18:6, and 20:4

There are many ways to implement a time restricted eating and/or intermittent fasting plan. Let’s look at some of the most popular schedules for time restricted eating and intermittent fasting.

Type of time restricted eating or intermittent fastingExplanationSample scheduleWhat to eat in your windowTips
Time restricted feeding (TRF)Fast for 16 hours overnight and condense meals into an 8-hour windowFinish dinner by 8 pm then fast until 12 pm the next dayRegular dietMay be practiced daily or a few times per week
Time restricted feeding 18:6 (TRF)Fast for 18 hours overnight and condense meals into a 6-hour eating windowFinish dinner by 6 pm and fast until 12 pm the next dayRegular dietMay be practiced daily or a few times per week
Time restricted feeding 20:4 (TRF)Fast for 20 hours overnight and condense meals into a 4-hour eating windowFinish dinner by 6 pm and fast until 2 pm the next dayRegular dietMay be challenging to meet nutrient needs if practiced daily
One Meal A Day (OMAD)Eat only one meal per day and fast for 23 hoursEat between 12 pm and 1pm each dayRegular dietMay be challenging to meet nutrient needs if practiced daily 
Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)24-hour fast every other dayFor example Monday – Fast Tuesday – Eat Wednesday – Fast Thursday – Eat  Regular dietSafe for several months, long-term challenges (1)
5:2 fasting (periodic fasting)24-hour fast 2 days per weekMonday, Tuesday – Eat Wednesday – Fast Thursday, Friday – Eat Saturday – Fast Sunday – EatRegular diet 
Fasting-Mimicking Diet (FMD)5 days of plant-based dietMay be practiced monthly for between 3 and 6 monthsPlant-based diet of 800 to 1000 calories per dayFood available through Prolon or Whole Food FMD program, available through the Hoffman Centre

With so many options, it may be challenging to determine how to start time restricted feeding or intermittent fasting. For example, do you just dive in or do you ease into it more slowly? I recommend starting with either time restricted feeding (TRF) or with the fasting-mimicking diet. (FMD). With that experience, you can then work with your provider or myself to determine if you’d benefit from other practices.

TRF may begin with a simple 12:12 schedule, meaning that you begin fasting overnight and then eat your regular diet within a twelve-hour eating window. For many people this isn’t that much different from their typical pattern, although they may have to be aware of any tendencies for late night snacking. A fast from 8 pm until breakfast at 8 am the following day is a good schedule to start with. Once you have this under your belt, you can expand your fasting window, in increments if needed, to a fourteen-hour fast with a ten-hour eating window. You can then potentially lengthen this to include a fast of sixteen hours or longer.

The fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) is a five-day program, typically practiced once per month for between three and six months, and then one time every 3-4 months as a maintenance program. During the five day fast, you follow a plant-based, calorie-restricted diet. The diet is derived from plant sources like vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruit. The diet relies on plant foods for protein, olives, coconut and nuts and seeds for healthy fats. The diet constituents are carefully chosen by a nutritional expert. There is a commercially available program involving packaged constituents called ProLon.

With calories restricted to approximately between 750 and 1100 per day, with day one containing the most calories. This represents a réduction in calories of around 50 to 60 percent, this diet is designed to mimic molecular and cellular fasting while increasing patient compliance. The stomach sees food, while the cells see fasting. (2, 3)

The fasting mimicking diet has been clinically studied as a therapy for a variety of conditions including autoimmunity, breast cancer, and metabolic disease such as heart disease and diabetes. Extensive studies in mice have been completed, along with a few human clinical trials.

In the most recent randomized controlled trial from 2021, obese women received either a five-day fasting mimicking diet or their typical diet with a calorie deficit of 500 calories each day. This particular study didn’t indicate a difference in weight between the two groups, but the women following the fasting-mimicking plan showed reduced insulin resistance and improved appetite regulating hormones, along with preserved muscle mass and metabolic rate. (4)

At the Hoffman Centre, Justine leads a whole food fasting-mimicking program which I’ve personally undertaken three times and seen the dramatic results. An additional benefit to this structure is the group dialogue component and support provided throughout the process.

Learn more about this program here

It’s important to note that many fasting trends such as juice fasting don’t have the same benefits and may even have risks. Prolonged fasting of more than two days without food may contribute to electrolyte imbalances, dizziness, exhaustion, and other symptoms, making compliance quite challenging. Both time restricted feeding and the fasting-mimicking diet offer the benefits of fasting with intermittent fasting rules that are easy to follow.

Frequently asked questions

Let’s dive into some of the most common questions that I’m asked about intermittent fasting and time restricted eating, who it’s recommended for and who it’s not recommended for, along with some details to help you feel more confident moving forward.

Are intermittent fasting and time restricted eating safe?

Intermittent fasting and time restricted eating are safe and effective practices for many people. However, it’s important to work with your doctor, especially if you have a medical condition or take any medications. A doctor should look at your medical history, complete a physical exam, and review any laboratory testing. Please however note that your doctor may not be that familiar with these approaches to nutrition nor know the science behind it. Be sure that you are practicing the most well informed kind of patient advocacy and be prepared to educate you doctor on the subject .

While intermittent fasting and time restricted eating might be beneficial in a variety of medical cases, as explained in Part One, there are many cases in which intermittent fasting and time restricted eating are not indicated including:

  • Pregnancy and lactation
  • Anorexia, underweight, or chronic malnutrition
  • Type 1 diabetes or insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes (as insulin requirements may plummet dramatically requiring a lowering of insulin dosing)
  • Recent stroke or heart attack
  • Pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis
  • Cardiac instability or atrial fibrillation
  • Advanced kidney disease
  • Advanced liver disease
  • Advanced heart disease
  • Porphyria, MCAD
  • Inability to discontinue medications
  • Inability to obtain adequate rest while fasting
  • Active growth, such as with children or adolescents
  • Current fever, cough, or signs of an active infection (5)

Alternatively, if you’re working on any of the following imbalances or disease states, it may be worth discussing intermittent fasting and time restricted eating with your personal doctor or with myself.

  • Excess weight or obesity
  • Elevated cholesterol
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes
  • Lymphoma and other cancers
  • Digestive imbalance, including SIBO
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Dependency or toxicity

Fasting side effects may include fatigue, weakness, headache, dry mouth, menstrual irregularity, memory impairment, muscle pain, constipation, sugar cravings, and brain fog. Be sure to stay well hydrated and avoid strenuous exercise or extreme environments while fasting. Fasting is the ideal time for rest.

Is intermittent fasting and time restricted eating different for men and women?

While much of the initial intermittent fasting research has been conducted on animals and human men, we’re starting to learn more about the unique needs of women when it comes to fasting. Whereas men have similar hormonal patterns from day to day, women’s hormones fluctuate on a monthly cycle and then decline through perimenopause and menopause. You can learn more in my article on hormone replacement therapy.

Women seem to be more sensitive to over-fasting and restricting their food intake too much, too often. They might see imbalances in stress hormones, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones. In extreme cases, too much fasting may lead to amenorrhea or the loss of a woman’s period, especially when percentage body fat drops below a certain percentage. When it comes to intermittent fasting for women, it’s important to note that more fasting isn’t always better. A less-is-more-approach often applies.

And while each woman is different, it’s challenging to provide advice for fasting in women on a worldwide basis. For example, some women with autoimmune disease do very well with implementing intermittent fasting practices, while others might do more poorly. Remember that fasting is a stressor on the body and this can be a good stressor that leads to autophagy, detoxification, and cellular rejuvenation. Yet if the system is already stressed, fasting can sometimes be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Often, if a woman is exhausted, overwhelmed, and feeling burnt out this isn’t the time to add even more stress.

In a study of obese women, intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction was shown to reduce weight over a ten-week period. (6) However, many restrictive methods work in the short-term and we may need to learn more about the long-term results of fasting for women.

In another study comparing men and women in a forty-eight-hour fast, it was noted that women tend to accumulate triglycerides in their muscles, while men accumulate these in their livers, although other physiological aspects during the fast were similar. (7) We certainly need more research to further establish the differences related to long-term fasting practices and the different types of intermittent fasting between men and women regarding the potential benefits fasting.

As always with functional medicine, a personalized approach is best. As discussed above, I recommend starting with gentle time restricted feeding or with the fasting-mimicking diet.

Can I drink coffee or tea during fasting hours?

This question about hot drinks usually leads to hot debate! Whether you can drink coffee while intermittent fasting may depend on what works best for you as an individual.

Experts in the fasting field recommend “complete abstinence from all substances except pure water.” (5) Biological fasting is the absence of anything that triggers nutrient-sensing pathways. (3) This certainly means no protein, carbohydrates, or fats, but most likely no vitamins, minerals, or plant compounds either.

While black coffee or tea, doesn’t contain any calories, it does contain caffeine, which can influence the hormones cortisol and insulin. It also contains phytonutrients, the antioxidant compounds that are absorbed and which rely on digestion and metabolism.

So, what can you drink during intermittent fasting? If you want to be a purist, stick to only water during your fasting window then enjoy coffee or tea with your first meal of the day or at any time within your eating window.

After that, you can experiment with plain coffee or tea within your fasting window and see whether it improves, or deters from, your results. Coffee or tea with added fat, such as bulletproof coffee, should be enjoyed during the eating window.

Does intermittent fasting and time restricted eating help with weight loss?

Weight loss is difficult and traditional strategies are largely based on reducing calories and increasing exercise. However, these strategies, especially extreme versions, typically only produce short-term results. Many factors contribute to weight, including hormones, sleep, stress, nutrient levels, toxin exposure, mindset, and so much more. Simply looking at calories doesn’t always address the situation and a short-lived fast may only result in a Band-Aid effect. Yet for some, even a quick boost in hope and confidence that the body can lose stubborn weight can be a catalyst for deeper change. That’s why discussing how to use fasting with a trained professional is key.

Using intermittent fasting and time restricted eating for weight loss might be a solution, or just part of the weight solution, especially for someone who spends the majority of their time in the fed state. Fasting might provide the metabolic balance that will address some of the underlying physiology contributing to weight gain, such as inflammation, elevated insulin, and oxidative stress.

In a review of different types of intermittent fasting, IF produced similar weight loss results to those derived from caloric restriction. 5:2 fasting was similar to restricting daily calories in nine out of eleven studies. In addition, the majority of the weight loss occurred in the first three months before weight hit a plateau and results were similar with different distributions of macronutrients. Time restricted feeding and caloric restriction also seemed similar as far as weight was concerned. (8)

In a long-term study that compared alternate day fasting or ADF with daily calorie restriction in obese adults, weight loss after one year was 6 percent in the ADF group compared to 5.3 percent in the calorie restriction group, so there wasn’t a huge difference. (9)

When examining human studies involving individuals with diabetes, those practicing time restricted feeding as opposed to consuming six small meals per day lost more weight. The studies also showed more results with intermittent fasting in terms of decreasing A1C and blood glucose, which are markers of diabetes, compared to a common recommendation of eating frequent small meals. (10)

The definitive answer to this question regarding the intermittent fasting weight loss diet may not be clear in the science. However, I’ve seen it used successfully in my practice for patients who are good candidates, along with other functional medicine interventions.

Does intermittent fasting and time restricted eating work while following a ketogenic diet?

Ketogenic diets, time restricted eating, and intermittent fasting are often discussed as going hand in hand. Keto, which is an abbreviation for the ketogenic diet, is a high fat, low carbohydrate eating pattern that in its own way mimics the fasting state through the restriction of dietary glucose. The ketogenic diet, time restricted eating, and intermittent fasting all have the potential to increase ketones in the blood that can be used as fuel by the cells instead of them employing glucose. The ketogenic diet combined with time restricted eating and intermittent fasting may also have similar benefits related to a treatment approach to chronic and metabolic diseases.

To answer the question, yes, intermittent fasting and time restricted eating can be combined with a ketogenic diet. Those following a ketogenic diet that are in a state of ketosis, where the body is efficient at turning fat into ketones and using them as fuel, may have a better experience with fasting and fewer negative side effects. Similarly, those with an existing fasting practice might have an easier time transitioning to a ketogenic diet because their metabolism is already primed to use ketones.

So, while intermittent fasting or time restricted eating combined with a keto diet may certainly be an important dietary approach for some people healing from chronic disease or working to promote longevity, it may be too restrictive for others. This is another reason why working with an experienced practitioner can be so helpful. You can dial in your nutrition plan and then have support adjusting, and even expanding, the diet over time.

We all want to remain healthy and high-functioning as we get older, but it’s about more than living a long time. It’s about improving our quality of life. Intermittent fasting is meant to mimic the balance between feast and famine that humans have always experienced throughout history. Regular feasting is a relatively recent development and this excess time in the fed state may deter us from experiencing all of the important health and longevity benefits that come from fasting. The best part about intermittent fasting is that it makes fasting simple, gentle, and fit into modern life.

To learn more about working with me individually or to join our next group fasting-mimicking diet, please contact my office.

References:

  1. Stekovic S, Hofer SJ, Tripolt N, et al. Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging in Healthy, Non-obese Humans [published correction appears in Cell Metab. 2020 Apr 7;31(4):878-881]. Cell Metab. 2019;30(3):462-476.e6.
  2. Di Francesco, A., Di Germanio, C., Bernier, M., de Cabo, R. A time to fast. Science. 2018;362(6416),770-775.
  3. Hong, K. Intermittent Fasting and Fasting Mimicking: Clinical Applications. Presentation. University of Southern California.
  4. Sadeghian M, Hosseini SA, Zare Javid A, Ahmadi Angali K, Mashkournia A. Effect of Fasting-Mimicking Diet or Continuous Energy Restriction on Weight Loss, Body Composition, and Appetite-Regulating Hormones Among Metabolically Healthy Women with Obesity: a Randomized Controlled, Parallel Trial [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jan 9]. Obes Surg. 2021;10.1007/s11695-020-05202-y.
  5. Goldhamer, A. Can Fasting Save Your life. TrueNorth Health Center.
  6. Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Varady KA. Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is effective for weight loss and cardio-protection in obese women. Nutr J. 2012;11:98. Published 2012 Nov 21.
  7. Browning JD, Baxter J, Satapati S, Burgess SC. The effect of short-term fasting on liver and skeletal muscle lipid, glucose, and energy metabolism in healthy women and men. J Lipid Res. 2012;53(3):577-586.
  8. Rynders CA, Thomas EA, Zaman A, Pan Z, Catenacci VA, Melanson EL. Effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding Compared to Continuous Energy Restriction for Weight Loss. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2442. Published 2019 Oct 14.
  9. Trepanowski JF, Kroeger CM, Barnosky A, et al. Effect of Alternate-Day Fasting on Weight Loss, Weight Maintenance, and Cardioprotection Among Metabolically Healthy Obese Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2017;177(7):930-938. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.0936
  10. Muñoz-Hernández L, Márquez-López Z, Mehta R, Aguilar-Salinas CA. Intermittent Fasting as Part of the Management for T2DM: from Animal Models to Human Clinical Studies. Curr Diab Rep. 2020;20(4):13. Published 2020 Mar 12.

Patient Questions – HRT and Weight Gain

hormone replacement therapy weight gain

Question 

I’m an active baby boomer who tries to stay in good shape. I walk a lot, go to aerobics twice a week, inline skate in summer, and curl twice a week in the winter. I try to eat healthy food but I’m finding it nearly impossible to lose that excess fat around my waist. My question is, does taking hormonal drugs, such as Premarin and Prometrium, have any effect on trying to lose weight? I’ve tried several times to get completely off the drugs and although I’m only taking half my original dosage, I can’t bear the hot flashes and night sweats without the drugs. I personally believe that I’d be better off without the drugs but I don’t know if it would then be any easier to lose the abdominal fat.

Thank you,
Cathy 

Answer 

Dear Cathy,

Your letter has raised a number of very pertinent questions that every woman that’s approaching menopause should be aware of. 

First of all, we know that the negative conclusions reached by the Women’s Health Initiative study¹ led to 50 percent of women being removed from or voluntarily stopping their hormone replacement therapy. The negative findings were suggestive of an increased risk of heart disease, strokes, breast cancer, and dementia.

However, in later reviews and critiques of the study, many researchers have reversed some of their earlier conclusions. Please see my blog post on this subject, entitled Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Women. The researchers suggest that women become informed regarding the many helpful benefits of hormone replacement therapy, not just about the symptomatic treatment of hot flushes and night sweats. In the journal Fertility and Sterility in December 2005, the authors critiqued the study design and proposed two major reasons why the original authors of the study reached the conclusions that they did². The authors criticized the use of continuous combined estrogen/progestin or estrogen alone as a standard regime to an aging female population with little previous hormonal treatment, who because of their age were naturally predisposed to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. The authors also criticized the use of continuous synthetic progestin or Provera, which is known to have significant side effects and has been linked to increasing rates of breast cancer. There are now over a hundred published studies indicating that estrogen can be safely prescribed to women with a history of breast cancer. The hormone estrogen when prescribed alone, rather than in combination with the synthetic progestin Provera, hasn’t been found to be harmful in any study to date. The hormone combination Prempro was to blame and more specifically, the synthetic progestin, Provera. 

Due to the premature termination of hormone replacement therapy, many women are being exposed to increased risks of osteoporosis and hip fractures, colon cancer, and increased risks of heart disease, strokes, and breast cancer. In the field of anti-aging medicine, we’ve been warning patients of the detrimental effects of synthetic hormones and have strongly suggested that women use bioidentical hormones instead. Restoring one’s hormones to youthful levels seems highly appropriate and is supported by scientific literature. It’s strongly encouraged that you begin to use hormones as soon as possible after menopause. You should also check with your doctor that you have no personal or family history risk factors for hormone replacement therapy before beginning your regime.   

Cathy, bearing this in mind I’d strongly suggest that you continue your hormone replacement therapy, but switch to bioidentical hormones and be sure to reach therapeutic levels. If your doctor prescribes hormones to merely relieve hot flushes and night sweats, and doesn’t reach therapeutic levels with your hormones, you’ll not be protected against the deterioration of your bones, brain, and cardiovascular system. In addition, your risk of colon cancer will increase. 

With regards to the weight issue, it’s well established that Provera, which is synthetic progesterone, can lead to significant weight gain. Sometimes physicians use synthetic progestin in cancer patients suffering from severe wasting to increase their appetite and reverse a condition known as cachexia³. I suggest that you switch to bioidentical progesterone and see if this makes any difference. Prometrium is a reasonable choice but I prefer sublingual slow-release progesterone, which is available from compounding pharmacies. 

I suggest that you also check your levels of estradiol. If the level’s too high, this may lead to weight gain. The suggested level is between 186-367 pmol/l. I also suggest that you have your blood level taken approximately twenty-four hours after your last estrogen dose, if you’re taking oral estradiol. This will reflect the ‘steady state’ level in your bloodstream. If you’re taking transdermal estrogen cream, you’ll need to do a saliva hormone test to measure estradiol, estriol, and estrone levels to more accurately reflect your levels at the surface of your cell’s receptors. Blood levels of estrogen do not reflect levels of estrogen when given in a transdermal form, a mistake made by many practitioners new to the prescribing bioidentical hormones. You’ll also need to test your urinary metabolites of estradiol to ascertain if you’re making the less harmful metabolites of estradiol, which is known as 2-hydroxyestradiol, as opposed to the potentially more harmful metabolites of estradiol known as 4-hydroxy and 16-hydroxyestradiol.

In a study published by the Oregon Health and Science University, scientists observed a group of forty-six pre- and post-menopausal women. The scientists reached the conclusion that the drop in estrogen levels commonly associated with menopause is linked to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone is strongly linked to an increase in abdominal obesity. It was determined that if the women received therapeutic levels of estrogen, cortisol levels decreased and there was a reduction in visceral fat.

In addition, as we age, we lose muscle mass and there’s a corresponding decline in the metabolic rate. As a result, many perimenopausal and menopausal women who continue to eat the same amount of food that they did when they were younger find that with decreasing energy expenditure, they gain weight that’s difficult to lose. Find out if the gym or health clinic closest to you has a bioimpedance machine that can measure your percentage of muscle mass and ask them to track it over time. We routinely measure such biometrics at every visit when patients complain of weight gain or loss. 

Most weight gain during perimenopause and menopause is usually secondary to an increase in appetite. It’s well known that all hormones can significantly increase a person’s appetite. If there’s been rapid weight gain, this is usually due to fluid retention and brief use of a diuretic may be helpful. If your weight gain is gradual, it’s most likely due to an increase in appetite. 

It’s established that hormones have no caloric value. In fact, in a study in 1999⁴, the authors concluded that not only does hormone replacement therapy prevent weight gain, it also favours weight loss by significantly increasing the breakdown of fat after three months of treatment. It also positively influences the insulin/blood sugar response, plasma cholesterol, and energy expenditure.  

In another study published in 2004⁵, the authors determined that hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women, along with testosterone replacement therapy in older men, appeared to reduce the degree of central obesity. 

So Cathy, in conclusion I suggest the following:

  • Continue your hormone replacement therapy, but find a doctor who knows how to prescribe bioidentical hormones in therapeutic doses. 
  • Eat a low glycemic paleo autoimmune type diet with a decrease in the total daily dose of calories consumed.
  • Increase the amount of hot, spicy, bitter foods that you consume, as it has been shown in studies of Ayurvedic medicine that these tastes increase one’s metabolism. 
  • Concurrently, decrease your consumption of sweet, sour, and salty foods as these tastes have been shown to increase weight gain. 
  • Exercise five days a week with an exercise regime that includes significant muscle strengthening with large muscle groups, such as those in the legs, to increase your metabolic rate. 
  • Be sure to get a good night’s sleep as this naturally increases your levels of growth hormone, which has also been linked to weight reduction. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how hormone replacement therapy can affect or is affecting your health, then please don’t hesitate to read the other posts on the Hoffman Centre blog or contact my office to set up an appointment.

Resources:

¹JAMA. 2002;288(3) 321-333

²Fert Steril. 2005 Dec; 84 (6): 1589 -601

³Sem Oncol 1991: 18:35-42

⁴Maturitas 1999 Aug 16; 32(3);147 -53

⁵Obesity Review 2004 Nov; 5 (4);197 -216

Stress Can Lead to Weight Gain

When we are under a lot of stress, we are not only more likely to overeat but we are also more likely to eat foods that are high in sugar and fat. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have discovered a link between chronic stress and obesity; people who have high-stress levels produce higher levels of the hormone called cortisol, which often leads to increased eating of high-caloric foods, including sugar and candy.

To complicate matters, high levels of cortisol circulating in the blood result in an increase in the mobilization of protein breakdown from muscle tissue, a process known as gluconeogenesis. This protein is converted to glucose for energy. Also, if the increased blood sugar is not used immediately for energy use, it is stored as abdominal fat. This is why chronic sustained stress leads to muscle loss as well as fat deposition. Loss of muscle mass is a serious problem as muscle is metabolically very active and helps to increase metabolism, which is essential for weight loss.

Furthermore, as cortisol is increased, it continues to raise the blood sugar level and lead to the increase of its opposing hormone, insulin. Insulin lowers glucose when it is too high. If insulin production remains higher than normal for sustained periods, this can lead to a pre-diabetic condition known as metabolic syndrome.

New Scientist [1] reported a study by Kent Berridge of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, which showed that stress may trigger binge eating by changing how we value a reward. They showed that stress may increase our desire for pleasurable experiences while not actually increasing our sense of enjoyment. In a series of rat experiments, they demonstrated that stress magnified the desire for sugar, particularly when accompanied by a cue or tone that advertised the reward of the sugar treat: “It is a bit like seeing an advert for ice cream which makes you desire it,” he says. “If you are not stressed, you can resist, but together, the stress and the advert make it irresistible.”

Berridge’s team injected a corticotropin-releasing factor stress hormone into the nucleus accumbens of rats’ brains, which is part of the dopamine reward circuitry responsible for desire. These rats had been trained to press a lever to receive a dose of sugar and to associate hearing a certain tone with getting the sugar. The stressed rats worked harder at pressing the lever when they heard the tone than rats with low-stress hormones did.[2]

When amphetamines, which are known to increase desire, were injected into the rats, the effect was exactly the same. These findings may explain why some stressful pursuits can be rewarding and also how the presence of drug paraphernalia and stress make drug relapse almost inevitable.

Cortisol also interferes with a protein known as tyrosine, which is essential for thyroid hormone production. Excess cortisol leads to decreased thyroid function and a lowered metabolic rate, a further problem in weight gain. On an average day, most people experience eight to ten major triggers to their stress response. It has been estimated that our autonomic nervous systems are designed to respond to a major stressor only every three months. Each time our stress response is activated and our cortisol levels go up, we sometimes experience an urge to eat something soothing or stimulating. Our stress responses, also known as fight-or-flight responses, can be triggered by many everyday occurrences, such as being involved in an upsetting conversation or interaction, being cut off in traffic, realizing that we have left an important document at home, or not being able to find our keys.

Not only can stress make unhealthy foods more tempting, but it can also impair our bodies’ processes of digesting our food and absorbing nutrients. The best time to eat is when you are feeling safe and relaxed because that is when your body can digest food most efficiently and thereby enhance your metabolism, which leads to fat loss.

Action Plan for Stress-Free Eating: Dos and Don’ts

Dos:

  • Eat while sitting down in a relaxed atmosphere.
  • Eat at a comfortable pace; stay conscious of the process.
  • Chew every bite many times before swallowing.
  • Set your fork or spoon down on your plate between bites.
  • Take a moment to feel grateful for the food and the person or people who prepared it for you.
  • Pay attention to the internal signals that tell you when you are full
  • Eat in silence for one meal each week, savouring the flavour of each mouthful of food
  • Remember that food is for nutrition. Continuing to eat after you are satisfied overloads the digestive system, resulting in a build-up of toxicity in your body
  • Learn to include a variety of the six tastes in your meals: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Each taste has a subtle yet distinct effect on our physiology.
  • Kindle your appetite by eating a few pieces of freshly sliced ginger sprinkled with lemon juice fifteen minutes before your meal.
  • Eat freshly prepared foods. Lightly cooked foods are preferable to raw or over-cooked foods.
  • Sit quietly for a few minutes after finishing your meal. Focus your attention on your bodily sensations.

Don’ts:

  • Don’t watch TV, drive, or have upsetting conversations while eating.
  • Don’t eat out of boxes or bags. Put your food on a plate or in a bowl.
  • Don’t eat while highly emotional.
  • Don’t eat while driving
  • Don’t eat unless you feel hungry. Think of your capacity for food as an “appetite gauge,” whereby 1 on the dial means that you are famished and 10 means that you are completely full. Eat when your appetite drops to around 2 or 3.
  • Don’t eat any more when you’re satisfied or when your “appetite gauge” is 6 or 7.
  • Don’t eat or drink too many ice-cold foods and beverages, as these can significantly reduce the absorption of specific foods by diluting the acid produced by your stomach, which is essential for protein breakdown.
  • Don’t eat erratically when your life is hectic and you are suffering from high levels of stress. This will lead to inefficient energy production, weight gain, and obesity.

Use Your Breath to Lower Your Stress

  • Before you begin your meal, sit quietly and close your eyes. Then do the following:
  • Breathe in slowly to the count of four.
  • Hold your breath to the count of four.
  • Breathe out to the count of four.
  • Hold the exhale to the count of four.
  • Repeat the cycle three times

This exercise will reset your autonomic nervous system, shifting it from a fight-flight-activated stress response (which shuts down digestion and gut motility) to a rest, relaxed, and digestive healing response (which optimizes motility and the absorption of nutrients), lowering the stress hormone cortisol in the process.

*1. Berridge K, New Scientist April 2016
*2. BMC Biology, DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-4-8