TENtalk: What to Eat-Take Ownership

You open the fridge...and all you can do is stare. You ask yourself, "What am I hungry for?" countless time.
How do you decide what to eat?
Let's look at the thought-process you can employ the next time this happens, and have some Q&A about it!
____________________________________________
- you can't decide what to eat...FIRST question you need to ask yourself? AM I TRULY HUNGRY?!??!
- **how do you know if you are truly hungry?**
- when did you last eat?
- what are you craving right now?
- true hunger causes craving for NUTRIENTS, not sugar/starches
- if you're hungry, nutrient-rich foods will be naturally appealing to you in the moment
- (would you eat liver? sardines?...then you are truly hungry)
- CRAVINGS for sugar/starch = EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT
- endorphin hits= satisfies emotional needs, leads to addiction
- sugar addiction leads to MORE FREQUENT EATING
- NEGATIVE CYCLE, sugar cravings serve perpetuate physical need for quick fuel, AND emotional needs for frequently more endorphin hits!
- **Intermittent Fasting (IF) can help with cravings**
- ancestrally appropriate (been doing it for over 2 million years)
- our genes are designed for extended periods of no eating (it's why we have fat stores)
- hunter gatherers: unsuccessful hunt= you don't eat
- carnivorous diet promotes increased satiety (higher carbs leads to less satiety/more freq eating)
- **SO, why am I hungry?**
- are you truly hungry, or is this due to a physiological need for quick, cheap fuel? (physical addiction)
- am I really bored/trying to fullfil an EMOTIONAL need? !!!!! (emotional addiction)
- is it both?
- **WHAT CAN I DO?!?!**
- if nutrient dense foods (liver, sardines, meat) sound great to you, then go ahead and eat those foods
- if you crave starchy/sugary foods, don't eat right now...wait until you are physiologically hungry
- try a pinch of salt on your tongue
- Then tomorrow, start an IF strategy
- wait one more hour in the morning before you eat.
- stop eating one hour earlier
- reduce, work on eliminating snacks between meals
- if you MUST snack, eat a low carb, nutrient dense food (high in fat=more satiety)
- gradually increase your salt intake
- over time (after 2 wks) increase your morning wait to 2 hrs; stop eating 2 hrs earlier
- etc, until you land on your optimal Eating Window (Feeding Window)
- 16:8= fast 16, 8 hrs eat (2MAD)
- 18:6= fast 18, eat 6 (2MAD)
- 20:
- OMAD

**THE BIG ASK**: find a HOBBY, or other passionate interest, to keep your emotional tank FULL (focused thought)
- start practicing meditation/prayer to lift emotional burdens
- allow your emotions an opportunity to get out, and play out to their "end"
- don't bury them, or
"Why We Get Sick", Ben Bikman
"The Big Fat Surprise", Nina Tiecholz

**Further Study:**

"Why We Get Sick", Ben Bikman
"The Big Fat Surprise", Nina Tiecholz

Dr Berry's videos on IF
Dr Cywes videos on IF/carb addiction

Dr Berry IF video
https://youtu.be/Vsa8cz8nPAA?si=6BJ9hAh19-Ti3-LD

Dr Cywes IF/Carb Addiction video
https://youtu.be/vlyptwTBREw?si=R_zqW9vFZgtBe0Cw