Longevity and Lifestyle

You have probably heard before that happier people live longer. A major reason why this is true is that happier people tend to manage stress better than unhappy people. When we are stressed, our bodies produce a lot of cortisol which can lead to negative health impacts such as blood sugar dysregulation, hormone fluctuations, weight gain, and more. This is why stress management is so essential to longevity.

Stress Management and Longevity

Longevity and the Gut Connection

We hear all the time about how important it is to have a balanced gut microbiome, but what is the connection between a healthy gut and longevity? Well, what we know is that having a diverse microbiome impacts our ability to fight disease and inflammation.

New data emerging shows that a healthy gut could help to reduce biological age by restoring aging-related immune and cognitive impairments. What this means is that it can be so easy to eat your way into feeling younger!

Some ways to help support a diverse and healthy microbiome are by reducing stress, eating a wide array of nutrients-including plenty of fiber, incorporating probiotic-rich foods in your routine like yogurt, kefir, miso, sauerkraut, and kimchi, and focusing on blood sugar balance.

All of our meal plans at the Daily Dose help to balance blood sugar like our paleo plan and ketotarian plan, but specifically our fasting programs- ReBoot is designed to support blood sugar management via increased insulin sensitivity.

Intermittent Fasting and Longevity

Intermittent fasting (IF) is proving to be an incredible strategy at promoting longevity and reducing biological age. IF has been shown to reduce inflammation, minimize cellular aging, promote blood sugar regulation, and reduce oxidative stress.

Before we get into the types of IF, you should know that IF is not safe for everyone. First and foremost, do not try IF without consulting with your provider, but it is definitely not safe for children, pregnant women, individuals with eating disorders or a history of eating disorders, women who are breastfeeding, and those who are underweight. You may also want to hold back on IF if you are chronically stressed or have hormone imbalances until those conditions are managed.

Okay, so now let’s chat about the major types of fasting:

• 5:2 Fasting: In this type of fast, you eat normally for 5 days and then fast for 2 days of the week where you consume about 500-600 calories.
• Time restricted eating: In this type of fast, you are eating in a specific window of time and fasting in a specific window- usually 14-16 hours. So for example, you may eat from 9AM-5PM, or 10AM-6PM
• Stop. Eat: This fast involves a 24 hour (complete) fast 1-2x a week.
• Alternate Day Fasting: The goal is to do a modified fast every other day (about 500 calories)

How Exactly Does Intermittent Fasting Improve Longevity?

• For one, IF is helpful in regulating blood sugar levels and has actually been shown to prevent individuals with prediabetes from getting type 2 diabetes. Fasting helps reduce hemoglobin A1C levels which is a marker that looks at how your body processes blood sugar in a 3 month time frame.
• IF helps to promote weight loss which can be very helpful for blood sugar management, and can help to lower insulin requirements, thus improving insulin sensitivity.
• IF helps reduce inflammation in the body, and as we know, many diseases can be caused by chronic inflammation. The thought process here is that intermittent fasting reduces oxidative stress to the cells, thus protecting them from oxidative damage.
• Lastly, IF has been found to be helpful in reducing brain inflammation, improving cognitive function, and reducing brain plaque, thus minimizing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

How We Can Support You Here at the Daily Dose!

You might feel overwhelmed at the prospect of IF, which is totally understandable! A great place to start is with ReBoot which is a 5 day fasting program for a total metabolic reset. Whatever you choose you can feel that here at The Daily Dose we have your back (and your longevity too!).