From a practical standpoint, our immune system mostly resides in the gut with the lymph system used for drainage. The liver is the main organ responsible for detox.
I highly recommend eating nutritious food, nutrient dense smoothies with the following ingredients: (My personal recipe)
Oat Milk or Almond Milk or Coconut as a base
Protein powder of your choice
Flax seed flour (for fiber)
Toasted flax seed for added benefits
Chia & Hemp seed (to taste)
Beet root powder (small amount, 1/3 of a teaspoon)
Ashwagandha powder (tip of a teaspoon)
Turmeric Curcumin powder (very little)
Maca Root (teaspoon)
Cacao powder (fun)
Greens powder (teaspoon)
Occasionally add Almond butter (for fun)
Brazil nuts and Almonds
An apple
Frozen berry fruit
You can call it a meal replacement if you want. It’s very, very filling and doesn’t have the negative effect of taking too much energy to digest.
I use a $19 blender. You don’t need a $400 vitamix to make a smoothie. I listened to a brain surgeon talk about health and two things stood out. The best brain food is Omega-3. And intermittent fasting is a prescription for longevity. I’ve been using intermittent fasting for 9 months now. Simply put, I eat over an 8 hour period and I allow my digestion to fully process by not interrupting the process for 14-16 hours.
Was it hard to change your lifestyle to intermittent fasting?
Maybe the first few days but I settled into a routine that worked for me. The most important thing was to change the meaning of being “hungry.” Instead of “oh me oh my, I am fasting, sacrificing…” I used words like, “wow, I am in charge and getting lean.” Since I am a morning worker, I just stay busy and if needed I drink tea or coffee. Those drinks don’t break the fast.
When do you break your fast?
Around Noon. I take my time preparing the smoothie, slicing up the apply, adding ingredients. Blending. After my first few sips, I take my supplements. (Supplements generally are best taken with food.)
How much weight have you lost?
I was 186 standing 5’8″ in July 2019. I am now 163. So 23 lbs or 12.3% of my body weight.
What are the benefits you feel from losing this extra weight?
First of all, I had had two gout episodes nearly back to back in June 2019. I had real pain. It means I had a reason to make this change to my eating habits. Motivation is key. So all those symptoms seemed to be contained. When I was still in my weight loss phase, I had my blood tested. All my blood chemistry numbers had significantly improved. That was an added bonus.
Do you recommend intermittent fasting?
Naturally. Just google it. You’ll find different methods of doing intermittent fasting. But as a whole it’s important to exercise everyday, eat nutrient dense food, reduce stress in life. Have a positive, optimistic attitude and enjoy life. Having fun is part of the deal.
What kind of exercise do you recommend?
Personally, I’ve taken to swimming. It’s a full body workout but no jarring of the joints. I do like to sprint from time to time but not regularly. I swing a 25 lb kettle ball everyday with at least 100 reps. So it’s only about 4 or 5 minutes a day.
Any last advice?
Use common sense. Start any changes you want to make slowly. Write down your goals in a notebook that you can refer to often. If you need an accountability health coach, I am here. You can use the free assessment tool here. It’s a health coaching questionnaire. I’ll respond to every request.
