This month we are excited to share a guest blog with you from our friend Kane Draper. Smart50 & BRW Fast 100 award winner, with a background in Health Science Medicine and Business Development, Kane has spent many years studying human function and developing tools and principals to optimise output both personally and professionally. His personal blog has a unique focus on productivity hacks in which he is now in the process of penning a book due for release later this year.
An admitted First Press fan, we were thrilled to see cold drip coffee feature as part of his Fast Benefits blog, about intermittent fasting. Enjoy!
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There are so many buzz word diets circulating these days….ketogenic, paleo, vegan, superfoods, probiotic-rich. The volume of information can be overwhelming to say the least! So let’s push that aside for a moment and talk about something that all of us can immediately implement for better health.
Got your attention yet?
First; let me offer you a couple of facts around a way-of-life that I introduced to my life around 2 years ago that has been an absolute game changer for me and the family & friends around me that have also implemented it. I’m sleeping better, I have more energy during the day and I maintain a consistent weight and still get to enjoy the good things in life; like deserts and carbohydrate-rich foods. Sounds too good to be true right? Read on..
Here are some facts about our body functioning:
FACT: Every single known chronic disease (and you can choose anyone you like – diabetes, Alzheimer’s, osteoarthritis, even more recently publicised ones like autism and celiac) all have 1 thing in common – they all start with chronic inflammation in the body).
FACT: 90% of all human cells are non-human cells. Really? Yep. We are a living organism consisting of thousands of forms and strands of bacteria, viruses, worms, etc. Our experiences in life are shaped by changes within our non-human cells – from the simple cold and flu through to the more ruthless terminal disease.
FACT: In the Western world, we are blessed with an abundance of easily attainable processed foods – which means we have transformed into an existence of grazers. A society of over-eating. Rather than eating at set-times, 3 times a day, 78% of us choose to consume our nutrients regularly and in small portions. Why is this less than ideal? We never give our guts the opportunity to fully recover and replenish itself.
FACT: For those of us looking to lose weight – we live in a world of glucose-dense foods. Glycogen is the principal storage form of glucose. Glycogen is stored in the liver. It takes our body’s a minimum of 12 hours of fasting to be able to access these glycogen stores (and become a fat-burning machine) and then 1-2 days of zero carbohydrates to completely deplete the glycogen stores.
So how do we counteract some of the scary stuff I’ve just pointed out? Well you better get to the doctor real quick…no, no, no! Its much easier than that!
Just give your body a rest from food every day. Yes, I’m referring to INTERMITTENT FASTING. Here are the benefits of using this in your everyday life;
BENEFIT: Insulin levels drop significantly facilitating a state of fat burning. The body will commence cellular repair process in the pancreas – an organ that NEVER gets a break when we graze on food.
BENEFIT: In as little as 14 days, you will have significantly increased your insulin sensitivity and your body will begin to better optimise the use of nutrients consumed within your food rather than storing or passing them as waste.
BENEFIT: Significant reduction in overall body inflammation. This guarantees that you will generally feel better, sustain energy throughout the day and help you recover much faster from injury. Chronic disease literally becomes impossible when there is no inflammation in the body
BENEFIT: Initial studies have shown that fasting may help to prevent the development of cancerous cells through the body initiating the cellular waste removal process. In short; the exponential growth of cancerous cells is restricted.
So how do you implement this?
Pick an 8-hour window that you wish to consume food. For example; mine is between 12 midday and 8pm every day. And then for the other 16 hours (which obviously includes your time of sleep) just get by on liquids that don’t contain any calories. The moment you consume any food or liquid that contains calories, you will break your fast. So try these to get through your fasting window;
- Water. Probably the most obvious one. We all know that we need more water consumption in our diets. The age-old number is around 2 litres daily. But if you are looking for concrete advice on how much is right for you – look within. Your body is an optimised machine and will alert you in times of need. Drink up when you’re thirsty and drink up when you sweat/exercise more.
- Coffee. Make it black. At 4:55am every morning, I kick things off with hot water and lemon juice (rich source of Vit C and protects the body from immune system deficiencies). I back this up with cold drip coffee – it is less acidic and bitter than a regular espresso meaning it is easily enjoyed black. No sugar, no dairy and no additives mean zero calories and zero carbs and, working hand in hand with intermittent fasting; it will suppress appetite. Regular espresso tends to also give you a quick caffeine jolt and short energy burst followed by a crash whereas cold drip is a steadier balanced energy source – ultimately a sustained, controlled caffeine boost.
- Herbal teas. There are literally hundreds of varieties and options on the market these days. Just be mindful of the ones which contain fruits or ‘fruit infusions’ with enticing combinations like strawberry or mango. These will release glucose into the water which will break your fast. I tend to stick to peppermint, lady grey and lemongrass/ginger as my go-to options.
So where to from here?
Pick the “eating window” to suit your lifestyle. If you can’t go without breakfast consider having an early dinner around 5pm and fast until 9am. Or, if you like to have dinner but don’t eat until 8:30-9pm at night – push your next meal back to 1pm the following day. The immediate benefits to your energy levels and general well-being will amaze you!
Live the life you love.