The Impact of Intermittent Fasting and Low Glycemic Diet on Health and Weight Loss
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
Dr. Ranjith Mahen, registered chiropractor and a medical acupuncturist
On our most recent Forever Young podcast episode we were joined by Dr. Ranjith Mahen, a registered chiropractor and a medical acupuncturist, to learn about the impact of intermittent fasting and low glycemic diets regarding health and weight loss. With a diploma from the Canadian Academy of pain management, Dr. Mahen is the owner of two successful rehab clinics and has helped thousands of individuals struggling with chronic pain in the GTA. Dr. Mahen grew up watching his mother struggle with chronic back pain, stemming from numerous issues such as obesity and depression. After losing his mother during his first year of university, he quickly changed his major to become a chiropractor. He states that this is because he wants to be able to help suffering individuals, like his mother, to gain their quality of life back. Since then, Dr. Mahen has specialized in wellness management, treating his patients through the use of low glycemic diets and intermittent fasting. We are currently at a point in the year where many people are setting goals for the new year. Many of these goals often include weight loss or improved health, and today Dr. Mahen will be sharing with us how we can incorporate a low glycemic diet and intermittent fasting to help us attain our goals for 2022. Listen to the full podcast episode below:
INTERMITTENT FASTING
Intermittent fasting, commonly known as time-restricted eating, is a specific diet that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule. Intermittent fasting, unlike other diets, does not really focus on what you eat but rather focuses on when you eat. There are numerous different approaches to intermittent fasting, but Dr. Mahen explains that the most common form is called 16:8. This means that an individual fasts for 16 hours a day, and only eats for 8. He emphasises that the average individual sleeps for 8 out of those 16 hours, and the fast is really not as hard as one may think. He explains that when intermittent fasting, the body goes into ketosis. This means that your body gets used to your eating habits, which also results in burning more fat, faster. Dr. Mahen states that intermittent fasting is very doable for his patients. He explains that he starts his patients with 3 meals a day, then reduces it to 2. His patients skip breakfast, have lunch around noon, and then have dinner by 8 pm. Although this may seem very difficult for some, he explains that the body quickly adjusts to intermittent fasting and does not get hungry until lunchtime. During the fast, you can still have liquids such as coffee, tea, broth, and water, but no overall solid foods.
There are endless pros for intermittent fasting such as weight loss and clear skin. Dr. Mahen even explained that when you intermittently fast for 16-18 hours, it increases anti-ageing hormones by 1300-2000%, which is something we love to hear here on the Forever Young podcast. Many individuals often get discouraged when intermittent fasting, but Dr. Mahen explains that there are ways that you can slowly start getting into intermittent fasting, such as slowly decreasing breakfast and adjusting meal times.
LOW GLYCEMIC FOODS
Low-glycemic foods are those that have a low value on the glycemic index. These foods mostly include vegetables and fruits. Eating low glycemic foods is extremely important when trying to lose or maintain weight, as a low-glycemic diet can help you control your weight by minimizing spikes in your blood sugar and insulin levels. Dr. Mahen explains that you can find every food’s glycemic index score on Google. A Glycemic index score is a specific number that tells you how quickly that food is broken down into sugar). Some foods that have a very high glycemic index include orange juice, rice, and white bread (80-90). Proteins, such as chicken breast, fish, beef, and seafood are low glycemic. These foods are crucial to a healthy diet to help prevent insulin resistance. Dr. Mahen explains that insulin resistance is a major problem, especially in recent society. Health conditions such as cataracts, strokes, and even cancer have all been linked back to insulin resistance, which is why eating low glycemic foods is a great way to maintain a healthy diet. Insulin resistance is the main leading factor of diabetes, and Dr. Mahen states that just by losing weight (though a low glycemic diet) you can actually reverse diseases and conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS
Natural anti-inflammatories are foods that you can add to your diet to lower the chances of any inflammation. Christiana mentions that when mixing a high carb meal with a high protein meal (ex burger, which includes meat and bread), your body’s insulin increases by approximately 200%, so it is best to avoid mixing carbs and proteins. Also, low glycemic foods are typically anti-inflammatory, whereas high glycemic foods are not. It is important to note that when a diet is high in inflammatory foods, the body inflames (gut, skin etc). Such foods include tomatoes, nuts, and dark leafy greens. Dr Mahen recommends using a digital scale to help measure specific amounts of different food groups, and recommends 4-5oz of protein, 4oz of vegetable and 4oz of fruit (more specifically low glycemic foods).
*The Forever Young podcast is created and produced by Christiana and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your health care professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
