Shift your mindset from focusing on calorie counts and fat/sugar percentages to understanding the quality of food. Realize the difference between ultra-processed foods and whole foods, as quality significantly impacts your health regardless of calorie content.
Strive to eat at least 30 different plant foods per week, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. This diversity feeds a wider range of gut microbes, which is crucial for overall gut health and bodily functions.
Increase your intake of foods high in polyphenols, which are plant defense chemicals that nourish your gut microbes and dampen inflammation. Good sources include coffee, dark chocolate, red wine, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, and brightly colored berries and loose-leaf lettuces.
Regularly include small amounts of live fermented foods in your diet, such as kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, tempeh, and real cheese (especially blue or fungal varieties). Ensure they contain live microbes and avoid those with vinegar that kill beneficial bacteria, aiming for daily intake rather than occasional large portions.
Experiment with time-restricted eating by compressing your daily mealtimes into a shorter window, ideally around 10 hours of eating and 14 hours of not eating. This approach can be more beneficial for metabolic health than eating frequently throughout the day.
Challenge the traditional idea that breakfast is universally the most important meal. Experiment with skipping breakfast or having it later in the day (e.g., as brunch) to see how it affects your hunger and energy levels, and to support time-restricted eating.
Prioritize good sleep and regular physical activity, as these lifestyle factors significantly influence your body’s response to food. Poor sleep can lead to greater blood sugar spikes from identical meals, while exercise can help lower them.
Choose less refined and less processed foods, as their intact structure slows down energy release and reduces blood sugar spikes. For example, opt for steel-cut oats over instant porridge, and be aware that even healthy foods like sweet potatoes can have different impacts depending on their preparation.
Explore personalized nutrition testing, such as the Zoe program (joinzoe.com), which uses continuous glucose monitoring, blood fat tests, and gut microbiome analysis. This can provide tailored insights into how your unique body responds to different foods and guide personalized meal plans.
If using a continuous glucose monitor, do so for a short, guided period (e.g., two weeks) to gain valuable insights into your body’s specific food responses. Avoid becoming overly obsessive or making reductionist dietary changes, and seek clear guidance for accurate interpretation.
Practice mindful eating and self-observation by paying close attention to your hunger and energy levels throughout the day. Keep a diary to note how different foods make you feel, especially if personalized testing is not an option.
Adopt a flexible, long-term approach to health and dietary changes, understanding that it’s a journey, not a quick fix. Focus on what you can consistently change and don’t get discouraged by occasional deviations from your goals.
Incorporate mushrooms into your diet as they are an excellent source of protein and nutrition, offering diverse benefits for your health and potentially contributing to planetary sustainability.
For individuals following a carnivore diet who feel well, consider gradually introducing small, regular amounts of diverse plants, such as leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and mushrooms, to support long-term gut microbiome diversity.
During podcast breaks, delve into the back catalog of episodes. Re-listening can offer new insights and perspectives as your personal life context and understanding evolve.
If you are a skilled sound engineer or editor who aligns with the podcast’s mission, consider applying for production roles by emailing info@drchastity.com with ‘sound engineer’ in the subject line.