I used to think that humans should spend our lives in a vat of nutrients. Or at least try to. This idea of being surrounded by nutrient-dense resources and/or advanced technologies lives in sci-fi and (boomer) fantasy via bacta tanks and med beds.
The truth, however, is that more doesn’t always work better. Indeed, many people struggle to get the right nutrients to the right places in their body in spite of having plenty of them. This is metabolic dysfunction in a nutshell.
The unbelievable adaptability of our bodies responds to feast and famine alike. So, if we're never challenged to ramp up efficiency, our cellular health will tell the tale. Bits and pieces of cells that are no longer functioning appropriately will accumulate. This junk in your cellular trunk is associated with accelerated ageing, neurodegenerative disorders, and a host of other issues. Regular cleanup is important here. This is what folks are talking about when they say autophagy – usually in the context of fasting.
Here's why fasting works: nutrient deficits are detected by your body's accounting department. It, in turn, sends a signal down to individual cells to stop spending like assholes AND, while they're at it, to look for any debris that's laying around. The ensuing rummage sale (breakdown of degraded cellular material) is what cleans up your environment and improves your overall metabolic function.
Fasting is useful here. But it does not need to be dramatic. In fact, it doesn't have to be fasting at all. We are looking for a mild but chronic energy deficit. It's a numbers game. This can be accomplished through intermittent fasting, longer periodic fasts, or simply by managing the size and composition of three squares a day. Eat a little less than you burn. Long-term. That's perhaps the biggest trigger of autophagy. But sustainability is more important than short-term changes. So, my counsel here is patience and curiosity. An eating style that requires daily suffering doesn’t tend to work long-term for some mysterious reason that nobody understands.
Friction, not restriction
Rigid rules feel strong until they break. That’s the nature of brittle things. That’s also why the only hard and fast rule that I have for nutrition is not to make it weird for yourself. Restrictive eating can do that. So, if there’s something that you want to turn the volume down on, whether it be total calories, saturated fat, etc, my advice is to add friction instead of restriction. Let’s say, for example, that you want to stop snacking after 8 PM. Rather than screaming “NO” into the fridge and/or void at 9 PM, you can add the following layers of friction. After you notice you are feeling snacky you can do any or all of the following:
You may wind up snacking. You may even wind up eating something wildly imperfect. But that’s ok, actually. Each layer of action and decision-making makes a difference. Especially over the long-term. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to put your thumb on the statistical scale. The practice increases the likelihood of feeling good – both in the moment and in the days that follow. Friction, not restriction.
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