“It’s just so important to know your body and listen to your symptoms.”
Last fall, former All My Children star Susan Lucci underwent emergency heart surgery after she nearly experienced a “widowmaker” heart attack. Now, she’s opening up about her experience.
Lucci revealed on Today that she had three rounds of chest pain and, during the third round, she felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest—a heart attack symptom she remembered hearing about years before. “This was undeniable,” she said of the pain, which started while she was shopping.
Lucci went to the emergency room, where a doctor told her she had a huge blockage in her main artery and was close to suffering a major heart attack, known as a widowmaker. “The doctor came back and said, ‘You have a 90 percent blockage in your main artery,’” Lucci recalled. She underwent surgery and had two stents put in her heart to open the blockage.
Lucci said she’s now “doing great” but wants other women to learn from her experience. “I think the takeaway is, for women in particular, to put yourself on your to-do list because even when I felt the elephant pressing on my chest and even when (the store manager) Judy said, ‘I will drive you to the hospital,’ I was thinking, ‘But I have to go here. I have to do this.’ You know, it was the middle of the afternoon and I have no time for this and I’m sure it’ll go away,” she said.
Lucci also said that many people (especially women) also tend to worry that they’re overreacting and, as a result, downplay when they’re sick—but getting checked out could mean the difference between life and death.
“It’s just so important to know your body and listen to your symptoms,” she said. “If something feels that it’s not right, call your doctor, go to the hospital.”
What is a widowmaker heart attack, exactly?
The term describes a heart attack that is “potentially lethal” because of where it happens in the heart, says Jennifer Haythe, MD, director of cardio-obstetrics and an internist at NYPH/Columbia, and co-director of the Women’s Center for Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Your heart has three main vessels which supply your heart muscle with blood and oxygen, explains Mohamed Al-Kazaz, MD, a cardiologist at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Sometimes you can have blockages in those vessels and a blockage in one particular vessel (the left anterior descending artery) can cause a widowmaker heart attack.
“This vessel supplies about 40 percent of blood and oxygen to the heart,” Dr. Al-Kazaz says. “A blockage here can cause a rhythm problem, chest pain, weakness of the heart, or even sudden cardiac death.”
What are the symptoms of a widowmaker heart attack?
Symptoms can be a little different for everyone, but people will typically have chest pressure and difficulty breathing, and may start sweating, says Sanjiv Patel, MD, cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif. Some may also feel pressure in their neck, arm, or back, and may have nausea and vomiting.
Women tend to get less typical symptoms, Dr. Patel says, and that can include experiencing less pain—and even having no pain. “Sometimes they get sharp pain or will just feel more nervous or anxious,” Dr. Patel says. Women are also more likely have symptoms like nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, abdominal discomfort, and fatigue, Dr. Haythe says.
What should you do if you suspect you’re having a widowmaker heart attack?
If your symptoms persist for anywhere between five to 15 minutes or more, it’s time to call 911, Dr. Patel says. You may be tempted to drive yourself to the hospital, but don’t—you could pass out behind the wheel, he says.
And, like Lucci said, don’t try to write off your symptoms. “Never ignore any signs of a heart attack,” Dr. Haythe says.
Everyone stores their groceries differently, and sometimes that sparks debate over where specific ingredients should be kept. Should butter go in the fridge or on the counter? What about ketchup? And do you store your nuts in a container in the cupboard or the fridge? Sometimes, the best place to store some of your grocery items can come as a surprise, so we gathered up a few items that could go either way. In most cases, these groceries won’t go bad right away if you happen to leave them on the counter or in your pantry, but they’ll last longer in the fridge (which might mean you can save a little on your grocery bill, too!).
1. Nuts (and Natural Nut Butters)
We know you’re probably used to leaving your nuts out on the counter or tucked in the pantry, but if you want them to last, it’s better to keep them in the fridge. The oils in nuts can go rancid over time but storing them in the fridge will help prevent that. You can still store nuts on your countertop for a couple of months, but if you have any that you want to save longer, just pop them in the fridge. If you feel like they’re getting a stale flavor from the fridge, toast them for a few minutes and they’ll be snack-worthy again. The same is true for natural nut butters too, like organic peanut butter. The oils in natural nut butters can also go rancid, so you should keep them in the fridge after opening a jar.
2. Whole Grain and Whole Wheat Flours
Flour is undeniably a pantry staple, but if you stock your shelves with whole grain or whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, you should make some space for it in the fridge. As the name suggests, whole grain flour is made from whole grains of wheat—that includes the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The bran and the germ are high in vitamins, nutrients, and healthy fats, which can go rancid over time (and they can also attract unwanted pests to munch on your flour). To help preserve them and keep away pantry pests, store any whole grain flour you have in your fridge. In contrast, all-purpose flour is usually made with just the endosperm, which doesn’t have as much oil, so it’s fine to keep in your cupboard.
3. Condiments (Like Ketchup and Soy Sauce)
Restaurants may leave their ketchup bottles out on the table, but that doesn’t mean you should. Heinz has stated before that their ketchup is shelf-stable due to its natural acidity, but they also added a caveat: Consumers should still refrigerate their ketchup after opening it. Once your ketchup is open, it’s easier for the product to deteriorate over time, especially after a month at room temperature (you should also refrigerate homemade ketchup). Soy sauce is a similar case—it’s unlikely to spoil if you store it in your cupboard because of its high sodium content, but it can still lose its flavor over time if it’s not stored in the fridge.
4. Sweet Corn
For the best flavor, you should cook and eat sweet corn right after it’s been picked. But if you wind up with a lot of extra ears on your hands, don’t leave them out on your countertop like you would with most fruits and veggies. Unless you preserve your corn, sweet corn starts to lose its flavor after harvesting. Storing it in the fridge with the husks on will help it to last longer, and keep more of its sweet flavor.
5. Flour Tortillas
It’s true that you probably just grab a bag of tortillas off the shelf at the grocery store, but once you get them home and open them, you should keep leftovers in the fridge. This isn’t a case where your extra tortillas will go bad right away if you leave them on the counter, but they will dry out sooner than if you store them in the fridge. Keeping your flour tortillas in the fridge will extend their shelf-life by as much as a few weeks, so it’s worth saving those extras in the fridge for the next taco night.
These tips may leave you with less space in your fridge, but trust us, they’ll pay off in the long run. While there are plenty of foods that are better left out of the fridge, in these instances, giving up some fridge space will help your groceries last longer and taste fresher when you use them. Plus, you can finally settle the debate in your house about whether ketchup belongs in the fridge or on the counter!
Some good tips from Better Homes and Gardens and By Andrea Beck.
Being told she would have to appear on Australian morning show to promote her first cookbook was all the encouragement Bridget Davis needed to lose excess weight.
The celebrity chef and mother of three was the heaviest she had ever been at 200 lbs. and was terrified of appearing before a crowd in 2018.
“I thought I was going to look like an elephant up there, the 44-year-old told the Daily Mail, particularly as she’d already been told “the camera adds 10 pounds.”
She had a little over a month before she was due to appear on the popular “Studio 10” show and set to work researching ways she could safely drop the weight.
What three things did Bridget Davis cut from her diet?
* Sugar
* Gluten
* Dairy
She started to reintroduce sugar and high-quality dairy after nine months of “dieting” but has a gluten intolerance.
“I thought about going to the gym and exercising like a crazy person but I don’t really like those kinds of workouts,” the Sydney-based chef said.
“So, I started looking into gut health and realized this could be the way to do it. I eliminated gluten, sugar and dairy and instantly felt lighter and less bloated. In just over three weeks I lost 26 lbs. so I knew it was working.”
She limited her fruit intake to just one apple a day and stopped eating honey, maple syrup and artificial sweeteners.
Davis began to notice that she picked up the natural sweetness in foods you otherwise wouldn’t think could be sweet, like cabbage.
“I make a seaweed-based soup and leave the shredded cabbage to soak on top… and I can really taste the sweetness!” she said.
For breakfast she would start the day with chicken breast, turkey meatballs or prawns because the protein would sustain her until mid-morning.
In total she lost 66 lbs. eating this way and has maintained her goal weight for at least eight months, slowly reintroducing small amounts of sugar and dairy.
But one of the best things to come out of her journey was her Facebook page Bridget’s Kitchen, which Davis used to share recipes she was eating on her lifestyle.
Now, with 60,000 followers, the chef has reintroduced good quality dairy like certain butters and cheese, but steers clear of cow’s milk.
“I also cook with avocado oil and coconut oil now,'” she said. “But I stay away with gluten because it still doesn’t agree with me.”
What does Bridget eat in a day?
Breakfast: Chicken breast or prawns, turkey meatballs. Protein for breakfast helps you stay fuller for longer.
Lunch: The heartiest meal of the day for me. I have a cottage pie – use a very lean beef mince, lots of spices, almost like a gravy, top it with roasted garlic cauliflower mash.
Dinner: Stir fry, something quick. I don’t have much time. 10-15 minutes maximum. I like doing things with fish, throwing things in the air fryer. Cook without any oil and fat.
Davis knows how important diet is when it comes to weight loss because her journey was 100 percent based on the food she put in her mouth.
But as Australia edges closer to the cold depth of winter – and hunger increases – she said there is a way to have your cake and eat it too.
“If you’re wanting something comforting try oven-roasted meatballs. You can even put some mozzarella cheese in there to make it even tastier,” she said.
Despite having once cooked for Oprah, New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern and King and Queen of Tonga, Davis said she feels nervous cooking for anyone.
“While you definitely feel there is additional pressure I get just as nervous serving for six people coming to my house for dinner,” she said. “It’s always about the meal you’re creating and not just about who for.”
Earlier this year the chef won a world Gourmand cookbook with her second cookbook “Breakfast Around the World.”
That same book was also named by UNESCO as one of the most influential cookbooks of the past three years, and is currently on display at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
During your fasting window, you need to refrain from consuming any food or beverages that contain calories. So….. no food. But you have several beverage options, and these are important, because it is critical to keep yourself hydrated while fasting. Plus, there are certain drinks which can even help enhance the benefits of your intermittent fasting plan. Sweet!
1. Water
Water is always a great choice, all day long, every day. It can be still or sparkling, whatever you enjoy. You can also add a squeeze of lemon or lime to your water, or infuse a pitcher of water with cucumber or orange slices. But make sure you stay away from any artificially-sweetened water enhancers (like Crystal Light). The artificial sweetener will wreak havoc on your insulin levels, which defeats the entire purpose of fasting!
2. Coffee
Technically, black coffee is a calorie-free beverage, and many people drink it during fasting with no adverse effects. There are some people who experience a racing heart or upset stomach if they use coffee during a fast, so monitor your own experience. You can can drink caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee, but any sweetener or milk is prohibited. Spices like cinnamon are totally fine!
Bonus: black coffee might actually enhance some of the benefits of intermittent fasting. This study demonstrated that taking in caffeine can increase ketone production, which means you’re more likely to slide into fat-burning mode even faster. Coffee has also been shown to improve your insulin sensitivity over the long term, which means more stable blood sugar.
3. Broths
A bone or vegetable broth is recommended for anytime you decide to fast for 24 hours. Beware of canned broths or bouillon cubes, as these have tons of artificial flavors and preservatives that will counteract the effects of your fast. A good homemade broth, or one made by a trusted source, is the way to go.
4. Tea
Tea just might be the secret weapon that not only makes your fasting plan easier, but also more successful. All types of tea are great to drink during a fast, including green, black, oolong and herbal. But green tea in particular has been proven to help suppress appetite and enhance weight loss. (21) And tea in general boosts the effectiveness of intermittent fasting by promoting gut health, probiotic balance and cellular detoxification.
5. Apple Cider Vinegar
Drinking apple cider vinegar has numerous health benefits, and you can definitely continue drinking it while intermittent fasting. And since apple cider vinegar helps to regulate your blood sugar and improve your digestion, it make actually enhance the effects of your intermittent fasting plan.
6. Drinks to Avoid
There are a few beverages that you might not realize are capable of breaking your fast. That just means that if you consume these, you will knock your body out of the fat-burning mode that intermittent fasting put you in: diet soda, coconut water, almond milk, and alcohol!
Even though diet soda technically doesn’t have any calories, the artificial sweetener it contains will spike your insulin levels and wreak havoc with your blood sugar. Same goes for alcohol. And coconut water and almond milk both tend to be very high in sugar. Sugar equals carbs, so as soon as you consume these, you are no longer considered to be fasting.
Tea and Intermittent Fasting: The Perfect Match
If you’re trying to stick to a new intermittent fasting plan, you’re going to want to see what we’ve learned about tea. Not only can tea make your fasting experience more enjoyable and manageable, but it will actually make your intermittent fasting more effective.
Considered to be a health elixir in many ancient cultures, this simple drink is a powerhouse enhancer for your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You know all those incredible proven benefits you can get from intermittent fasting? Well, drinking the right kind kind of tea will actually increase the health benefits you experience.
Read on to discover the documented benefits that drinking tea can unlock for you, which teas you should be drinking, and also how much. Cheers!
How Tea Enhances the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
1. Dramatically reduces hunger pangs
Especially in the first couple of weeks of intermittent fasting, it can be very normal to experience hunger pangs. Please know, this is NOT because intermittent fasting causes any kind of starvation.
Tea to the rescue! It’s not just something to fill your belly. Green tea catechins have been proven to lower your ghrelin levels. What’s ghrelin, you ask? Ghrelin is a hormone known as the “hunger hormone,” and it is the primary culprit of those annoying hunger pangs. For many of us, lifestyle, environmental and biological stressors can lead to a hormone imbalance which will actually set off hunger pangs that have nothing to do with a true need to eat.
Normalizing your ghrelin levels will alleviate this problem and help you adapt to intermittent fasting with minimal discomfort. Now that’s a fast fix!
2. Aids in weight loss
Green tea in particular has been proven time and time again to be a successful aid in reducing body fat and LDL cholesterol. This goes above and beyond mere weight loss — these are true long-term health benefits!
The catechins in green tea seem to be particularly effective in burning visceral abdominal fat, which is the most unhealthy (and potentially dangerous!) fat that your body stores. In fact, studies have shown that green tea can aid in reducing waist size without changing body weight.
The other way tea can aid weight loss is because caffeine has actually been proven to increase your body’s production of ketones. This means you’ll slide into a fat-burning mode even sooner.
3. Improves Autophagy (Promotes Anti-Aging)
Auto what? Your body relies on a process called “autophagy” to clear out old and damaged tissues and cells. You can think of it as housecleaning for your body on a cellular level. Autophagy is necessary to maintain muscle mass, reduce the progression of age-related diseases, and maintain mental health and function.
When you fast and give your body a break from the constant effort of digesting food, it is able to focus more energy on the repair functions of autophagy. Even better, drinking tea has been found to enhance the rate of autophagy in your body. This enhanced autophagy is the scientific reason behind why both tea and intermittent fasting have been linked to anti-aging.
4. Boosts detoxification
What makes tea such a unique substance is the polyphenols contained in tea leaves. Polyphenols are antioxidants that battle free radicals found in your body and have powerful detoxification properties. Ingesting polyphenols can help you experience improved gut health and digestion, healthier skin, sustained energy, improved mental clarity, a stronger immune system and reduced stress.
Tea is hands-down the richest source of polyphenols found in nature, but you do need to make sure you are getting them in sufficient quantity to experience these detoxification benefits.
Teas That Enhance Intermittent Fasting
The word “tea” often gets thrown around in a general sense when talking about healthy drinks. But have you ever found yourself staring down the tea selection at your local coffee shop or grocery store aisle and feeling overwhelmed? Us too! Especially if you’re new to tea-drinking, it can be daunting to figure out which type of tea you should choose! We want to help you break it down by highlighting the four types of tea which can be most beneficial to use as intermittent fasting tea.
Green Tea
Did you know that green tea is considered to be the healthiest drink in the world, right after water? It’s true!
As mentioned above, the catechins in green tea are proven to aid in reduction of body fat and LDL cholesterol. And since green tea contains not only these amazing catechins, but also caffeine, these two elements work together to boost your metabolic rate and ability to burn fat.
In fact, one study showed that your daily calorie expenditure could increase by up to 4% by drinking green tea. When that increase is happening on a daily basis, it makes more of a difference than you’d think!
The green tea catechins are also potent antioxidants, which are thought to protect the body from cellular damage and inflammation. And don’t forget what we mentioned above about green tea affecting your ghrelin levels, so you’ll definitely want to grab a cup anytime you’re struggling with hunger pangs or cravings.
Black Tea
Fun fact: black tea and green tea are derived from the exact same plant! The only difference is in how the tea leaves are processed. Black tea leaves are fermented, while green tea leaves are not.
While green tea has continually claimed all the attention of the health world, black tea is finally starting to get the recognition it is due, particularly because of its fermented properties. Most people don’t realize that black tea is a very potent prebiotic, excellent for promoting balanced gut health!
The fermentation process means that black tea provides slightly less antioxidants than green tea, but it also means that black tea provides more caffeine.
This might make black tea a great choice for you, because caffeine can not only help give you energy if fasting is causing you to lag, but it also has been shown to enhance your ability to switch to fat-burning (ketosis) and increase the rate of autophagy in your body.
The compounds found in black tea have been linked to increased heart health, plus improved digestion and detoxification, and even reduced stress levels. Black tea contains something called methyl xanthine, which boosts your serotonin levels. Increased serotonin leads to improved mood and relaxation.
So if you happen to find yourself stressed about your new intermittent fasting regimen, or maybe a bit grumpy during the hours you can’t eat (it’s okay, we won’t tell!), black tea might be your new best friend.
Ginger Tea
A tea with added ginger is an excellent option while fasting. Ginger is well known for its ability to soothe an upset stomach, but drinking it can actually reduce hunger pangs and cravings. Ginger also has the added benefits of improving your digestion and boosting your immune system. So you can be less hungry and stay healthier too!
Rooibos Tea
Known to be a potent detoxification elixir, rooibos tea is an excellent herbal option, for when you don’t want the caffeine boost that green and black teas will give you. Legend has it that Cleopatra drank rooibos tea regularly for clear and glowing skin. She was on to something, because rooibos does indeed help the body fight off toxins and improve circulation.
Even better, rooibos also supports your liver in processing fats and clearing them from the body. One study showed that rooibos caused existing fat to be metabolized faster and prevented new fat cells from forming. No wonder rooibos tea is considered to be a powerful addition to an intermittent fasting plan!
Autophagy is how your body detoxifies and repairs itself. And considering it plays a major role in anti-aging, we wanted to share a little more about this fascinating cellular process, including what health benefits you can expect and also how to turn it on!
Benefits of Autophagy Autophagy is sort of like cell recycling. We all know that recycling is good for the planet, but what can this cellular recycling do for our bodies? For starters: Might help you live longer Protects your brain Reduces inflammation Helps fight disease Full disclosure, the function of autophagy was only discovered in the past few decades, so we’re still learning about all of its implications. Many more long-term studies on humans are required before we know more, but for now, scientists who have been studying autophagy are referring to it as having a “key role in preventing diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, liver disease, autoimmune diseases and infections.” (34) Here’s more about what we know:
1. Might help you live longer
It’s virtually impossible to prove that any one thing can help every person live a longer life. All we can do is look at the science and decide what might work for us. So consider these facts: One of the primary reasons our bodies age is because of the accumulation of damaged parts of our cells. The more damaged cells we have, the faster we age.
Now, autophagy clears out these damaged cellular components, which means that increasing autophagy can help slow down the aging process. And this is more than just a theory — scientific studies show that increasing autophagy can extend the lifespan of several species of animals.
Is this a fountain of youth for humans? The evidence isn’t quite so black and white, but we do know that increased autophagy can reduce your risk of contracting disease, and that’s definitely a great way to live longer!
2. Protects your brain
The health of your brain cells can be very dependent on autophagy. Scientists have learned that many neurodegenerative disorders are caused by deformed proteins accumulating around the neurons of the brain. This causes death of brain cells which leads to a gradual loss of mental functioning. Yikes!
But if autophagy is running at a normal or increased rate, these problematic proteins are more likely to get cleared out so that they can’t accumulate and wreak havoc on your neurons.
3. Reduces inflammation
We typically associate inflammation with something unhealthy, right? Like putting too much strain on our muscles can make them inflamed, or eating a poor diet can cause our digestive tract to flare up. The truth is that even a superhumanly healthy person will eventually experience inflammation as part of aging.
Here’s the unfair reality: no matter how healthy your lifestyle, the world exposes you to toxins that eventually cause a buildup of free radicals in your body. These free radicals cause cell damage, and this happens at an increased rate as we get older. The cell damage is what causes inflammation in our bodies, and that inflammation can put you at greater risk for contracting disease.
The scary part is you might not even realize you’re suffering from inflammation! It’s not always as obvious as being sick. Do you battle regular headaches or just feel tired all the time? Maybe it’s remarkably difficult for you to lose weight? Inflammation could be the culprit.
Since cell damage is what leads to inflammation, getting rid of damaged cells is the key. And that is precisely what autophagy does. Autophagy is essentially the general housekeeping of your cells, sweeping away any of their damaged organelles.
4. Helps Fight Disease
Autophagy helps keep you illness-free on two fronts: 1) by battling pathogens in your body and 2) by boosting your immune system so you don’t catch as many illnesses to begin with.
When you have an infection, there is a certain amount of toxins that build up within your cells. Autophagy is responsible for clearing these out. This is why it’s so important that autophagy is working properly — the faster these toxins get out, the faster your recovery!
Autophagy is also particularly important to battling infectious disease. There are nasty little microbes that find their way into your cells when you contract an infectious disease. Studies have shown that autophagy can clear these microbes right out, including those associated with tuberculosis, streptococcus and HIV.
How to Boost Autophagy
If you’d like to avail yourself of any of those benefits above, you might be wondering just how you can increase your body’s own rate of autophagy. That’s what we wanted to know, and we’ve learned that there are three main ways to boost autophagy: 1) fasting 2) exercising and 3) sleeping.
1. Intermittent Fasting
One of the reasons that intermittent fasting has become so popular is because it has been linked to anti-aging benefits. And, you guessed it, the reason intermittent fasting diets can claim to slow aging is because of autophagy.
Studies have demonstrated that the restricted eating schedules of intermittent fasting do indeed activate autophagy in your body. That’s because it creates a condition of stress on your cells.
Here’s how it works: while you’re in the fasting period of your eating schedule, your cells no longer have a ready supply of nutrients coming to them. In order to make sure your cells can keep functioning without this nutrient supply, your body turns to autophagy to increase the recycling of the useful parts of your cells.
2. Exercise
Another very productive way to harness the benefits of autophagy is through exercise. You see, when you stress your lungs, muscles and cells through exercise, your body automatically fires up the autophagy process to help your cells recover from that stress.
Do you remember learning that strength training actually creates little tears in your muscles, and that’s how you get stronger? Well, in order to heal those little tears in your muscle fibers, your body relies on autophagy. So essentially, exercise helps your cells detox.
3. Sleep
Okay, so technically sleeping is not putting stress on the body. However, studies have shown that getting proper sleep is absolutely critical to autophagy. You know how the circadian rhythm affects your sleep cycle? Well, it also affects your autophagy cycle. If you’re skimping on sleep, your body will not cycle through autophagy as fully as it is meant to do.
Do you get suspicious anytime you hear people raving about a new diet plan that makes losing weight easy? We don’t blame you.
In a world full of gimmicks and fads, there is one plan quickly rising to the forefront because it has the weight of scientific research behind it. Intermittent fasting is increasingly being praised as a plan that causes steady weight loss while also being easy to stick to.
Many people swear it’s the most powerful tool they’ve found for losing weight, and they’re not imagining things. Intermittent fasting’s secret lies in the fact that it shifts your body from burning carbs and sugar for fuel to burning fat instead. A 2014 study demonstrated that this plan could help reduce your body weight by 3-8% in 3-24 weeks!
We’ve identified a few key reasons as to why intermittent fasting for weight loss works so well.
1. Secret Weapon for Battling Cravings
Considering that the mere word “fasting” can make us feel hungry, it’s a pleasant surprise for many intermittent fasting followers to discover that, after about 1-2 weeks, they no longer experience any hunger pangs during their fasting windows. And no, it’s not just a trick of the mind or extreme willpower. There’s a scientific reason why this happens.
You see, one of the most important effects that intermittent fasting has on your body is that your insulin levels become regulated. (10) Instead of rising and falling all day long (which is what happens when you eat all day long), your blood sugar levels stay stable. This automatically translates to less sugar cravings.
The other cool thing that happens when you start intermittent fasting is that the levels of a hormone called “ghrelin” become far more normalized. Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone. When it’s out of whack, that’s when you feel hungry all the time. After a couple weeks of intermittent fasting, your ghrelin levels become far more regulated, and that’s when your hunger pangs start to disappear.
2. Natural Calorie Restriction, But Better
At the root of nearly every diet known to man is the concept of calorie restriction. We’ve all seen the formula:
Calories eaten < calories burned = weight loss
Calorie restriction is also the main reason why most diets fail over the long-term. It goes against human nature and thus is incredibly difficult to sustain.
Intermittent fasting has earned high praise on account of the fact that it naturally leads to calorie restriction, without feeling like that’s what you’re doing. We like to call it “sneaky” calorie restriction. Here’s why: a typical intermittent fasting schedule (eating only between noon and 8:00pm) usually equates to skipping breakfast. Because it’s difficult to eat more than a certain number of calories per meal, cutting your day from 3 meals down to 2 can have a noticeable effect over time.
Studies have been done comparing a group of people who were asked to restrict their calories all day, and another group that was asked to follow an intermittent fasting schedule. Both groups derived similar health benefits, except the intermittent fasting group experienced better insulin regulation.
Most importantly, the intermittent fasting group found their diet much more manageable. For most of us, it’s psychologically and biologically easier to restrict our eating to a certain time frame, as opposed to restricting our overall daily caloric intake.
3. Retain Lean Muscle Mass
Perhaps the biggest downside of many restricted calorie diets is that they have been proven to lead to loss of lean muscle mass, which actually slows down your metabolism. This is really bad news for your ability to maintain any weight loss.
The good news? Research has shown that intermittent fasting actually helps you retain lean muscle mass while still losing weight. Phew!
4. Better Eating Habits
When you intermittent fast, you’ll be sticking to a smaller eating window than you’re probably used to. This will naturally cut down on late night snacking, which is often a hidden culprit of excess calories and sneaky weight gain. When you know that giving in to the munchies is just going to kick yourself out of fat-burning mode, it’s much easier to resist that late-night fridge raid!
5. It’s Sustainable
Perhaps one of the most striking things about the intermittent fasting “craze” is that people are treating it less like a diet and more like a lifestyle. So many followers find themselves not only losing weight but feeling better and actually wanting to stick with this eating schedule. So intermittent fasting can quickly become a lifestyle change, as opposed to a crash diet.
Intermittent Fasting and the Keto Diet: Can You Combine Them?
Possibly the two hottest diet plans around right now are the keto diet and intermittent fasting. Both claim to provide a wide array of health benefits well beyond weight loss. But can you follow both plans at the same time?
Yes! Not only are these two diets compatible, but they might even enhance one another. Have you hit a plateau with your keto diet? Or maybe you’re looking for a way to make intermittent fasting more manageable and effective? Well, you might want to consider taking advantage of this powerful duo.
First, let’s get a quick refresher on what exactly the Keto diet is.
What is a Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic (or “keto”) diet is essentially a low-carb and high-fat eating plan. Specifically, it prescribes eating 70-80% of your calories from fat sources, 15-25% of your calories from protein, and limiting your carbohydrate calories to 5% of your diet. The average Keto dieter tries to eat less than 40 grams of carbohydrates per day.
Eating in accordance with a keto diet is intended to shift your body to burning ketones for energy, instead of glucose (sugar and other carbs).
Here’s how it works: when you dramatically limit your carbohydrates, your body eventually goes into “ketosis,” which means it’s using ketones for energy. Translation: your body is using fat stores for energy.
Using fat as a fuel source is actually believed to be less stressful for your body and to give you more energy. Also, giving your body a break from having to work to regulate your blood sugar levels leads to lots of health benefits.
Interestingly, a keto diet actually mimics the effects of fasting, without the fasting. In other words, eating very little carbs can have the same effect on your body as eating nothing at all.
What to Eat on a Keto Diet:
Fats (70-80%)
Protein (15-25%)
Fruit/Veggies (5%)
Eliminate
Avocado
Fish
Asparagus
Rice
Butter
Seafood
Arugula
Wheat
Ghee
Chicken
Broccoli
Quinoa
Coconut oil
Pork
Caulifower
Pasta
EVOO
Beef
Celery
Bread
Avocado Oil
Lamb
Chard
Pizza
MCT oil
Bone Broth
Cucumber
Diet Soda
Almonds
Eggs
Zucchini
Cookies
Pecans
Tomatoes
Crackers
Walnuts
Pickles
Ice Cream
Cheese
Berries
Sugar
Cream Cheese
Lemons
Margarine
Sour Cream
Limes
Milk
Peppers
Alcohol
Onions
Artificial Sweeteners
How Intermittent Fasting Boosts the Benefits of the Keto Diet
Ok, so we’ve got the basics of each of these diets down. How exactly do they benefit one another?
1. Shift into ketosis sooner
One of the primary goals of a keto diet is to get into ketosis as quickly as possible, and to stay there for as long as you can. When you practice intermittent fasting, your fasted state has already starved your body of carbs, which means your glucose levels are lower than those of someone who doesn’t fast.
This means that when you’ve been fasting, your body will shift to burning fat reserves and ketones even sooner. And that translates to getting you into ketosis much more quickly than if you weren’t fasting.
The flip side of this is also true. Being in ketosis mimics fasting, because your body is burning fat for fuel. So, if you’ve been trying an intermittent fasting plan but haven’t really noticed any results, following a keto diet during your eating windows might just give you the jumpstart you’ve been looking for.
2. Lose weight faster
The common core that intermittent fasting and the keto diet share is that they are designed to switch your body from burning glucose to burning fat instead. And when you put both diets together, your fat burning is actually maximized.
Here’s why: if your keto diet has successfully put you into ketosis, then your body has adapted itself to using fat as fuel. When you add intermittent fasting into the mix, your body has a head start on the fat-burning track and will actually be even more efficient at continuing to burn fat.
Compare this to someone who doesn’t follow a keto diet. When they adopt intermittent fasting, their body will be much slower to enter the fasted state, which is where all the fat-burning magic happens.
3. Boost your brain health and mental focus
Did you know that your brain is one of the body’s biggest consumers of energy? It’s true. And it just so happens that fat, not glucose, is the most energy-efficient fuel that your body can run on. Since both intermittent fasting and the keto diet train your body to burn fat for energy, your brain reaps huge benefits from both these plans.
After all, we always have fat stores available to burn. So as long as your body knows how to tap into those fat stores for fuel, your brain has a constant energy source on which to run. This is why people following both intermittent fasting and the keto diet experience more mental clarity, focus, and other neurological benefits.
There’s better news for your brain. Studies have shown that fasting boosts production of a protein (BDNF) that feeds your brain stem cells and promotes neural health.
4. Make both diets easier
Let’s be honest, one of the main reasons some of us are skeptical about trying intermittent fasting is that fasting leaves you feeling hungry. A keto diet, however, is known to help decrease cravings and hunger, due to the high fat content of the keto eating plan.
So, if you’re already following a keto diet, you may find the fasting windows of an intermittent fasting plan much easier to manage. Both eating plans are designed to keep your insulin levels steady, which means less cravings and hunger pangs over the long term.
5. Enhance your exercise
Can you even exercise while you’re fasting? This is a common concern, but the answer is a resounding “yes!” Not only is it okay, but a growing number of studies show that following intermittent fasting and a keto diet can in fact enhance the long-term health benefits of your exercise program.
Both intermittent fasting and the keto diet train your body to burn stored fat for energy. This triggers a variety of metabolic adaptations that will actually increase your workout performance while you’re fasting.
Worried about losing muscle? Don’t be! This study revealed that you can actually maximize your muscle gains when you train while fasting. And this study indicates that when you do strength training in a fasted state, the nutrients you consume afterwards will be better utilized by your body than if you hadn’t been fasting during your workout. Pretty cool!
And for those of you concerned about whether your actual workout performance will suffer as a result of fasting, not to worry. Studies have been done on Muslim athletes who fast for Ramadan, and no negative effect on performance was found. If you do decide to work out while fasting, we recommend you do it right before you start your eating window for the day.
Tips for Starting and Sticking with It
1. Listen to your body
As with any new diet plan or exercise regimen, only you yourself can be the ultimate expert. We are all unique and will respond differently to the same plans.
If you’ve decided to follow a 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule but find yourself really struggling, tired and hungry, don’t hesitate to modify your schedule. Try shifting your eating window to later in the day or check to make sure you’re getting enough high-quality keto food calories.
If it’s still not working for you, maybe try expanding your eating window to 10 hours, or only practice an intermittent fast every other day.
2. Don’t start both at the same time
So, you’re really motivated to take advantage of the potent fat-burning effects that these two diets offer. We get it! But if you’re brand new to both intermittent fasting and the keto diet, it’s not recommended that you try to adopt both at the same time. Trying to master the new eating habits of a keto diet while also sticking to the new schedule of intermittent fasting can be overwhelming, to say the least, which means you’ll be more likely to give up.
We recommend starting with an intermittent fasting schedule for approximately two weeks, so that your body has time to adjust to the new pattern. At this point, your body will also be more adept at shifting into a fat-burning zone, so that when you start eating a keto diet, you’ll likely find it easier to drop into ketosis.
How the Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting Can Boost Sports Performance
One of the more surprising aspects of both the Keto diet and intermittent fasting is that some seriously tough athletes claim these eating plans help to increase their athletic performance.
They just might be onto something. If you’re looking to boost your sports performance, here’s what you should know: one of the primary reasons these eating plans work is because training your body to burn fat can help you recover from exercise more quickly. And if you eat a keto diet and follow an intermittent fasting schedule, then your body becomes increasingly more efficient at switching over to fat-burning mode. The easier it is for your body to burn fat, the better your athletic performance and recovery time.
There’s a growing number of endurance and elite athletes who have incorporated fasted training into their programs. Fasting creates a combination of high adrenaline and low insulin levels that further stimulates burning fat for energy. And if you’re looking to add lean muscle mass, regular fasting has been shown to increase growth hormone levels, which helps with muscular development.
Do Coffee and Tea Break Your Fast?
Despite what it might sound like, intermittent fasting is NOT about starving yourself. So, what exactly can you consume while following an intermittent fasting plan? And are there drinks that can make it easier or more effective? We wanted to get to the bottom of that question, and here’s what we discovered.
Intermittent fasting breaks your day into two parts:
Eating (feeding), and
Not eating (fasting)
There are entirely different guidelines for what you can eat and drink, depending on whether you’re in your eating window or fasting window.
Looking for a way to stay mentally sharp as you age? Here’s a clue: puzzles.
Indeed, two papers published Thursday in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry conclude that adults over 50 who regularly do word and number puzzles like crosswords and Sudoku have better brain function. And the more you do the puzzles, the better your brain function.
‘We would recommend doing [puzzles] daily if they can, but the message is that every little [bit] helps. … We saw the greatest impact in people who complete puzzles more than once a day.’ — Anne Corbett, University of Exeter Medical School
The research, which examined more than 19,000 people, was led by researchers at the University of Exeter and King’s College London. The researchers asked the participants how often they did puzzles (the response options were more than once a day, once a day, once a week, once a month to occasionally and never) and then performed cognitive tests on them focusing on attention, information processing, executive function, working memory and episodic memory.
“We’ve found that the more regularly people engage with puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, the sharper their performance is across a range of tasks assessing memory, attention and reasoning,” wrote lead researcher Anne Corbett of the University of Exeter Medical School. “The improvements are particularly clear in the speed and accuracy of their performance.”
And the results were especially pronounced on tests of grammatical reasoning, where those who do puzzles more than once a day had brain function equivalent to those about 10 years younger and approximated those eight years younger on short-term-memory tests.
So how often should you do puzzles? “We would recommend doing them daily if you can, but the message is that every little [bit] helps,” Corbett tells Marketwatch. “We saw the greatest impact in people who complete puzzles more than once a day.”
Of course, this doesn’t prove causality, but it’s not the only research to show a relationship between engagement with puzzles and mental games and mental acuity. Indeed, a 2011 study published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society concluded: “Participation in crossword puzzles delayed the onset of accelerated memory decline in subjects who developed dementia by 2.54 years compared to non-puzzlers.”
These aren’t the only ways you might be able to prevent cognitive decline as you age, either. Eating right can help, too: A study earlier this year found that people who ate two servings or more of mushrooms per week could reduce their risk of cognitive decline by up to 50%. Other foods that may help keep you sharp: blueberries, fish and nuts.
And Harvard Medical School notes that there is also evidence to suggest that exercise, sleep and regular social interaction may be helpful, as well.
The World Health Organizations says adopting these healthy lifestyle habits can boost brain health and help prevent dementia.
Dementia is a terrifying disease that affects 50 million people worldwide. And unfortunately, there is no cure for it, which is why prevention is so crucial.
The World Health Organization (WHO) just released its first guidelines to reduce the risk of dementia globally. “In the next 30 years, the number of people with dementia is expected to triple,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “We need to do everything we can to reduce our risk of dementia. The scientific evidence gathered for these guidelines confirm what we have suspected for some time, that what is good for our heart, is also good for our brain.”
The guidelines, which come in the form of a 78-page report, spells out what the organization thinks will and won’t help reduce a person’s risk of developing dementia.
“It is exciting to see a major organization recognize that the collective scientific and clinical evidence is now strong enough to formally recommend adopting healthy lifestyle habits for brain health,” says David A. Merrill, MD, PhD, a neurologist and geriatric psychiatrist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. “We have observed this anecdotally for a number of years in a clinical setting.”
WHO dementia guidelines on how to lower your risk
Lifestyle factors are important, according to the WHO report, which recommends that people do the following to boost brain health and lower their risk of developing dementia:
1. Don’t drink too much alcohol
There tends to be a consistently lower risk of dementia when someone drinks moderately, but the risk goes up as you drink more. “It may be due to toxicity to brain cells,” says Jason Karlawish, MD, co-director of the Penn Memory Center. The WHO recommends drinking at a “non-harmful level,” which is having up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
2. Exercise regularly
Exercise is important for two reasons, says Dr. Karlawish. “Exercise has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, and there’s ample data that if you can improve cardiovascular health, you can reduce risk of developing dementia,” he says. “There’s also evidence that exercise may have a direct effect of maintaining the health of brain cells.”
High levels of activity seem to be the most protective, the WHO says. Currently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting 150 minutes or more of physical activity a week.
3. Don’t smoke
“Tobacco dependence is the leading cause of preventable death globally,” the WHO report states. Not only does tobacco use increase your risk of heart disease and cancer, but studies show that it can lead to cognitive decline, directly impacting your brain health.
4. Manage blood pressure
A high blood pressure (aka a reading that is 140 or higher over 90 or higher, per the American Heart Association) has been linked to a greater dementia risk.
5. Maintain a healthy weight
Having high blood pressure and being overweight have also been linked to heart disease, spiking your dementia risk, Dr. Karlawish says. The WHO specifically recommends maintaining a BMI under 25.
6. Eat a balanced diet
Also named the best diet of 2019, the WHO calls out the Mediterranean diet—which is rich in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats like olive oil, and fish—as a good eating plan to follow for brain health. “Higher adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet correlates with less build-up of the plaque and tangle brain pathology associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” explains Dr. Merrill. “This relationship holds true even for individuals with even the mildest subjective loss of memory function, before development of full-blown Alzheimer’s disease.”
There are several supplements on the market that claim to help lower your risk of developing dementia, like B vitamins, antioxidants, omega-3, and ginkgo, but the WHO says they’re not worth your time. “Studies of supplements to date have been disappointing,” Dr. Merrill says. “This may be because single ‘silver bullet’ approaches are not sufficient to keep the brain healthy into older age.”
Bottom line: Following a healthy lifestyle now may help keep dementia out of your future
“It is never too early, and never too late, to start following healthy lifestyle habits,” Dr. Merrill says. “That said, midlife healthy behaviors have been shown to decrease the risk of developing late life dementia.”
So, start thinking about it now to prevent disease in the future. “Today’s the day to start a new habit, take that first step, to stave off dementia,” says Dr. Merrill. “Your brain will thank you for it.”
Jillian Michaels has made her feelings about the keto diet very clear-and she’s not backing down any time soon. Back in May, she urged people to stay away from the high-fat, low-carb plan, labeling it another “diet fad.”
Despite the backlash from fans and celebrities who have seen success on keto, Michaels is standing her ground. “People can criticize me all they want, but the bottom line is, it is science, and the science is there-and it is bad for your overall health and wellness,” she said in a recent interview on the #Adulting podcast, which is hosted by comedian Zack Peter and wellness expert Nikki Sharp.
While the ketogenic diet has maintained huge popularity, it’s not exactly easy to follow: Your daily calories are typically comprised of 80 percent fat, 15 percent protein, and just 5 percent carbs. The gist: Your body usually burns carbs for fuel, but when you basically cut them out of your diet, it will go into a state of ketosis to burn fat for energy instead.
And while that can lead to weight loss, Michaels says it’s not worth it. “Ketosis is a state of medical emergency,” she said during her interview. “So, when the body becomes what is called ‘ketotic’, your cells cannot function. Your cells function optimally in a very specific pH. Any endocrinologist will explain this to you. It’s science.”
Michaels isn’t really arguing that going keto won’t lead to weight loss. She simply believes that “you can achieve all the good stuff with none of the bad stuff.”
Some of that “bad stuff” includes certain unpleasant (and unhealthy) side effects of the keto diet, such as the “keto flu” (which comes with headaches, fatigue, and nausea), cholesterol issues, and even potential kidney problems. “It attacks the s–t out of your liver, your thyroid. It shortens your telomeres, it’s bad for your macromolecules. I mean, it makes you stink, but that’s-we can table that one!” she said.
In a past interview with Prevention, Michaels also criticized the keto diet for its lack of a calorie cap and restriction on nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables.
“Here’s the thing, we can accomplish both of those things-weight loss, fat loss, reversing disease-without going into ketosis,” the former Biggest Loser trainer said. “How do I know? Well, I’ve been doing it for thousands of people for three decades now.”
“What you also have to understand is that keto is a big business, right? So, you’ve got billion-dollar corporations dumping money into this diet,” she added.
One diet Michaels does endorse. The heart healthy Mediterranean diet, which was recently named one of the top diets of 2019.
Bottom line: Regardless of the diet you decide to try, be sure to talk to your doctor first before you make any dramatic changes, especially if you’re unsure of how it will impact your health-that’s something all of us can agree on.
If you’re vegan, there are two things you’re probably worried about at any given moment: the price of avocados and if you’re getting enough protein.
I can’t help you with avocado sticker shock, but if you need more protein in your life, you’ve come to the right place.
“The Institutes of Medicine recommend 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight for a sedentary woman,” says says Marisa Moore, RDN. Meaning you’ll need a minimum of at least 50 grams of protein per day—and it’s a good idea to take in more if you’re active.
That might sound like a lot, especially when you’re living your best vegan life, but there are plenty of plant-based sources of protein—and ways you can make them taste totally delicious (here for it!).
Each of these recipes has more than 15 grams of protein—and some have more than 25 grams. Plus, since they’re plant-centric, they come with tons of other health bennies.
The only issue? Which one you’ll make first.
Easy Vegetarian Chili
Two “secret” ingredients give this veggie chili its distinctive flavor: peanut butter and cocoa powder, which, FYI, has a surprising amount of protein (1 gram per tablespoon).
Per serving: 363 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 59 g carbs, 577 mg sodium, 10 g sugar, 16 g fiber, 19 g protein
2Ultimate Mediterranean Bowl
Minimalist Baker
Bowls are so in right now, and this one really brings it: Homemade vegan falafel, fresh tabbouleh, hummus, and mixed greens give it almost an entire day’s worth of fiber.
Per serving: 644 calories, 33 g fat (4 g saturated), 73 g carbs, 945 mg sodium, 13 g sugar, 23 g fiber, 25 g protein
Copy and paste for more dishes and their recipe’s:
People are already posting images of pollen powder on cars, blanketing sidewalks, and billowing out of trees.
For people with seasonal allergies, it can feel like the world is ending when pollen season hits. Unfortunately, it’s here, and people are already sharing their freaky pictures of the #pollenpocalypse on social media.
For the record, allergy season has just started, and it’s expected to be the worst season ever. Basically, this is expected to get much worse before it gets better.
What am I supposed to do when the local pollen count is high?
For starters, don’t panic. Yes, it’s freaky when everything outside is blanketed in yellow, but there are a few steps you can take to protect yourself, says Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist and immunologist with the Allergy & Asthma Network.
That means checking the daily pollen level as soon as you get up to see what you’re up against. (Pollen.com allows you to search for your local pollen count, and even tells you the top allergens that are circulating on any given day.)
If you’re dealing with some truly intense conditions, it’s a good idea to check in with an allergist to see what, exactly, you’re allergic to and to find out if you need to adjust your medication, Dr. Parikh says. “If you suffer a lot, it may be worth considering allergen immunotherapy (allergy shots) which actually make you stop reacting to pollen over time by desensitizing you,” she says. “This is best long-term option, as some people become asymptomatic and most then need less medications in the long run.”
And, while it’s always a good idea to follow these lifestyle recommendations from the American Academy for Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) during allergy season, Prashant Ponda, MD, an allergist/immunologist with ENT & Allergy Associates says it’s definitely important do the following when the Pollenpocalypse hits:
Keep your windows closed at night and use air conditioning (it cleans, cools, and dries the air).
Try to stay inside when the pollen or mold counts are high.
If you’re really struggling, wear a pollen mask if you have to go outside for long periods of time.
When you get home, take a shower, wash your hair, and change your clothes.
Try to delegate outdoor chores like mowing the lawn to someone else.
Don’t hang laundry out to dry.
Keep your windows closed when you’re in the car.
It’s also a good idea to wear sunglasses when you’re outdoors to protect your eyes from airborne pollen, says Lakiea Wright, MD, an allergist/immunologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the medical director at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
What should I do if I see a pollen wave or pollen cloud?
“Avoidance is key in this situation,” Dr. Ponda says. “If you are outdoors, then go inside right away and close all windows and doors, if you are at home.” If you’re not near home, try to get inside a public indoor space, preferably one with air-conditioning like a mall or library. “If you are driving, then close the windows, turn on your air-conditioning system, and set the air to recirculate,” he says.
Unfortunately, holding your breath if you can’t get inside isn’t going to do much, Dr. Parikh says. If you happen to run into a cloud or wave, do your best to shield your mouth, nose, and eyes in the moment, and then try to shower and change your clothes ASAP after it passes, Dr. Wright says.
Overall, experts say consistency with medications and doing your best to avoid being outside when the pollen count is through the roof are key. And, if you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to see an allergist.
Good advice from Prevention Magazine. Are we Americans the only one’s plagued by pollen?
