Gluten free, keto, intermittent fasting…words that I am sure you have heard quite often. These words, which are used as phrases and have a life of their own may sometimes confuse and frustrate you. There is so much information about them that you do not know what to believe. Obviously my word is not “gold” (unless you are my husband or kids) so you have to do your own research and discovery. What I talk about below is just barely touching on the word and hopefully prompts you to dig deeper.
This first one is so widely used, that it is misused. Organic. You may cringe just reading it. The dictionary definition is “relating to or derived from living matter” and “(of food or farming methods) produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial agents.” The misuse of this word and what food manufacturers can label as organic could be a whole book on it’s own. My best advice on this one is to know the source of where the food is coming from. A lot of local farmers will grow things organically and will be happy to show you their farm.
This next one is just as cringe worthy as the first…gluten free. There is a lot of information about gluten, gluten free and gluten sensitivity. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It is the binder (glue) that is activated when a liquid is introduced to the substance. 1% of the US population has Celiac disease and is the only group that needs to be entirely gluten free. There are people with gluten intolerance/sensitivity and that experience bloating, inflammation, stomachaches, headaches and many other ailments. It is not made up and by no means just a trend. A lot of people live with these ailments everyday and do not realize it could be cause by gluten. If you believe that this may be the cause of some issues for you, try eliminating it from your diet. You will have be very diligent in reading labels. Wheat is in a lot more than you think!
Have you heard anyone say “I’m on a keto diet”? Keto is short for ketosis. Ketosis is a process that happens when your body burns fat for energy instead of using carbohydrates. We’ve been told for a long time that we need carbohydrates for energy and that is not true, your body likes to burn fat! Unfortunately a lot of people don’t do the proper research when initiating a keto diet. And they end up doing what is called dirty keto, which is when you end up eating a lot of bacon, butter and cheese, (which I do not have problem with) but your body still needs balance. Don’t forget about the veggies, fruit and the healthy fats (the ones you should be eating). If you are interested in doing a keto diet and learning about all the benefits that come from that I urge you to please do a lot of research before you begin.
Intermittent fasting is probably the most popular buzzword in the health industry right now. It has been around for hundreds of years. Hippocrates, Plato, Paracelsus and Socrates were all rock stars when it came to promoting using food as medicine and implementing fasting into your daily life. Intermittent fasting is not about starvation, in fact it is not about cutting any food from your day. It is about eating your food in a shortened eating window. Instead of eating over a 12 hour period, you would be eating your food in a 8 hour (or less) period. Your body starts the fasting process when you sleep. Adding a few more hours to that time when you wake up is intermittent fasting. Instead off eating at 7am. wait until 9am to break your fast (breakfast). This gives the body the chance to heal itself. This is a regimen that you should build into, please do not jump into a 20:4 fasting window if you have never done this before. If you are interested in how you can start, contact me and we can discuss the building process.
Like I mentioned above. This is just barely touching on the subject matter of these words. I would love to chat with you more on all the information out there. Some of what you hear may seem like a fad diet or just a trendy word to use but there is truth out there and it could be life changing for you.
Breakfast is what we commonly refer to as the first meal of the day or the first meal we have to break our fast. What you eat for that meal doesn’t have to be breakfast foods. You know those foods that we associate with the morning…cereal, pancakes, eggs. And if you like “breakfast” foods, you don’t just have to eat them in the morning.
Like this oatmeal…it is good in the morning, as a snack or anytime! I use steel cut oats (they have more flavor than rolled oats) and then pile on the goodness. My go to toppings right now is berries (blueberries, mulberries, black raspberries), roasted nuts and protein pudding. Let me know what your favorite toppings are, I would love to try some new flavors…sweet or savory.
The move of the month is to relax and breathe. Find a spot in your house or outside, at the park, the library, at the lake and sit. Stare off into space, do mindful meditation, practice breathing techniques, listen to a podcast, read or zone out to music. Our mind and body need space to heal. That healing comes from a lot of different places and sometimes just being is enough.
My hope in writing this column is that it gets you thinking and researching. I definitely do not know it all (despite what my husband will tell you) but what I do know I love to share. If you have any questions or want to chat about health and fitness, please feel free to contact me.
Jilisa Ghareeb has been a Beachbody coach for 6 years. Her favorite part of being involved with fitness and nutrition is watching her clients change and open up a whole new world. As a coach, she is able to help others by introducing them to a change that is often scary, intimidating, and full of “what ifs” to an encouraging and inspirational lifestyle full of “I cans”. She uses her own story to show others that everything is possible with hard work and determination. If you’re interested in reaching out to Jilisa for more information you can contact her via email, on Instagram or Facebook.
Leave a Reply