Unlearning

We spend most of our youth in school. Nearly all of it in fact. Learning all the things deemed important: math, writing, spelling, reading.

Very few schools teach us how to listen to our bodies, trust our intuition, and feed ourselves well, let alone how to grocery shop and cook. There are LOTS of reasons for this, which I will not get into, but it means that we have to take it upon ourselves to teach our children.

And in many cases, this means we have to unlearn everything we know about nutrition.

Nutritional science is the study of nutrition. It has disgustingly been corrupted by corporate America: Nestle and Coca-Cola are two of the worst offenders, dictating curriculum and sponsoring “nutritional” conferences. They, among others, pay for and sponsor most of the research being conducted around nutrition.

Which is why it’s hard to trust science when it comes to nutrition—it’s not all bad, but we have to be cautious.

Additionally important to be aware of is that there is a lot of money to be made in the diet industry. Again, not all bad, but people and companies make a TON of money convincing you their way will FINALLY help you kick that extra weight to the curb. It’s especially important to be wary of companies that market their own food products as THE way to make this happen.

I don’t believe these companies have malicious intent, but their core foundation of nutrition knowledge is like the house built on sand—it won’t withstand the first wind storm.

As millions of Americans kick off this week with a boatload of resolutions, I’m hoping to convince you that “unlearning” everything you know about nutrition is the perfect place to start.

Calories are not everything.

I bet you learned that to lose weight you have to eat less than you burn, correct? This grossly incorrect idea is based on poor science (which you can look up-I won’t bore you here) and doesn’t even begin to account for all of our differences in how we metabolize food, our individual and unique microbiomes, or our different energy needs. This is not really new information, yet it hasn’t yet permeated traditional doctors, nutritionists, or even our own CDC who still recommends portion control as the best means for losing weight.

Calories measure how much energy it takes to burn. Period. That’s it. Some bodies burn faster, some slower. Our bodies burn certain foods more efficiently, others clog our systems up. This is why the saying “a calorie is a calorie is a calorie” is a complete farce.

100 calories of roasted broccoli in olive oil are not the same as 100 calories of a snickers bar.

The broccoli contains fiber, phytonutrients, anti-tumor properties, good fats from the olive oil, and also vitamins and minerals that support overall health. The snickers bar contains well, processed crap. The 100 calories of broccoli are going to be filling while the mini snickers bar is going to leave you craving more because 1) it’s tiny, and 2) it will surge your insulin, leading you to not feel satisfied, making you want more.

There are many studies that support the notion that the quality of food matters more than the calorie content, but this study highlights something else that is interesting. A low-calorie diet could actually lead to weight gain when it consists of low-quality foods (high on the glycemic index/full of fructose and not fiber). Another study (a meta-analysis—the king of studies) found that low-carb diets actually increased how much energy one “burns” during the day, leading to weight loss.

Now, before you think I’m a fan of keto and stop reading, I’m actually not a fan of any one prescribed way to eat. But we’ll get to that—hang tight.

Whole foods are best

Foods that are grown in our soil or hunted are designed for human consumption.

Foods “grown” in a lab, mixed and matched to get the right fat-salt ratio, are not. Not to say we can’t enjoy these once in a while, (I mean I do love me some chips and salsa), but they should not dominate our diet.

Whole foods contain the right mix of fiber, fat, micronutrients, macronutrients, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and more to support our bodily pathways such as digestion and detoxification. They are designed is such miraculous ways that even the percentage of micronutrients they contain support optimal absorption,

When we eat whole foods, our bodies can “read” the nutrients correctly, will give us the appropriate cues to stop eating, and will maximize our metabolism. You won’t over eat vegetables. There is just too much fiber-you’ll feel full before you “over eat.”

Filling your plate with whole foods and not worrying about the calorie content is the number one step to “unlearning” if you want to find your optimal weight and feel your best.

Sleep is critical.

This quote sums it up:

Sleep is an important modulator of neuroendocrine function and glucose metabolism and sleep loss has been shown to result in metabolic and endocrine alterations, including decreased glucose tolerance, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased evening concentrations of cortisol, increased levels of ghrelin, decreased levels of leptin, and increased hunger and appetite. Recent epidemiological and laboratory evidence confirm previous findings of an association between sleep loss and increased risk of obesity (emphasis added).

We KNOW this is true. If you haven’t craved sugar like crazy—like a sugary coffee drink (my personal go-to) — or binged on chips because you were tired, are you even human? Late night snacking is the worst culprit in trying to find your ideal weight—no one binges on carrots or broccoli sprouts at 10pm. Well, maybe some of you do (and if you do-skip to my last point!)

When you are trying to lose weight and get to your healthiest self, it is crucial to balance our hunger hormones (ghrelin makes us feel hungry and leptin helps us feel full). Sleep deprivation, clinically getting less than 7 hours of sleep, messes with our insulin response to food too. So we feel hungry more, satisfied less, and tolerate glucose poorly. In fact, a study, as reported by Shawn Stevenson in his book Sleep Smarter, where the researchers kept the food intake identical between groups, the sleep deprivation group gained more weight than the group that was not deprived of sleep. In a separate study represented in his book, one 24-hour day of sleep deprivation equated to elevated glucose levels similar to someone with Type II Diabetes.

Pretty good motivation to get those Zzzz’s. Sleep deprivation is not a badge to be worn. If you want to set yourself up for finally losing that weight or maybe you just want to stop battling the hunger pangs all day, “unlearning” that you can “sleep when you are dead” is a MUST.

When you eat is just as important as what you eat.

The final thing we need to “unlearn” in our relationship with food is that timing does in fact matter. And you need to find what works for you.

Some people thrive with daily intermittent fasting and eating in a small time frame. Others experience a hormone crash when they do this.

Some people do best eating evenly throughout the day.

Some people like to eat more earlier in the day, others prefer a large dinner.

Bottom line: do what makes you feel best and meet these guidelines:

• Give your digestive system at least 2 hours between your last meal and bed time (ideally a little closer to 3 hours, but for many 2 is much more easily attained).

• Give your body 12-15 hours between your last meal of the day and breakfast the next day. Better yet, mix it up daily: somedays to 12 hours, others go for 14 hours. When your body is fasting (at night for most of us) your body cleanses itself, performs apoptosis (kills those bad cells), and solidifies memories. It does this best when there are no digestive processes going on.

• Don’t graze. When you graze your body is ALWAYS digesting. It never gets a break to do anything else. This negatively impacts your glucose and insulin levels. You are also more likely to be constipated.

Final thoughts.

Without getting too high up on my soapbox, there is no magical diet. Dieting, and the yo-yo effect that it often has on someone’s weight can ruin a metabolism, one’s psyche, and make it harder to believe in yourself.

We are all unique and there is and never will be a one size fits all for everyone. This includes keto, paleo vegan, omnivore, pescatarian, and carnivores. Although I would be remiss to point out that if you are on a diet for a medical condition, such as the Autoimmune Paleo Diet, you can take what I just wrote with a grain of salt. The goal is that you can have flexibility in your eating, but while healing, a limited diet is best (and you should be working with a trained provider to do this).

I want to see us get out of this boxed thinking (particularly as women), where we align with certain nutritional ideologies and doctrines, and realize that while whole food reigns supreme, how we utilize that food, how we cook it, how much we have of it, is all incredibly unique to each of us.

If you are confused by food, overwhelmed by the thought of trying to figure out the best approach to nutrition, or want to get off the yo-yo bandwagon FOR GOOD, I created Reclaim Your Metabolism just for YOU. Head over to this page to find out more and when enrollment will open next. I cannot even describe to you the freedom of hopping off the hamster wheel and FINALLY figuring out what foods nourish YOU. Don’t wait. Ignore the excuses. That’s just your brain trying to protect you and keep you with the zone of life of which you are familiar. Don’t let those excuses keep you from achieving the life you deserve.

Because sisters (and brothers), it’s YOUR time.