Week 1
Day 1: Let's start with our health goals
What should our health goals be? 1) Should we be focusing on achieving the perfect Hollywood or professional athlete body? (Answer - We need to get away from that thinking which is tempting but not associated with longevity.) 2) Should we be most interested in short term or long-term health benefits? (Answer - It's healthiest to focus on longevity - not the quick fix fad diet.) 3) If you could lose a few pounds with a popular diet but get diabetes or die sooner, would you still choose that diet? (Answer seems obvious but we talk in the upcoming days how popular diets are leading you down the second pathway.) 4) What is optimal health? (Answer - Longevity with long healthspan - Living for a long time with reduced risk of chronic disease and thus pain free with a clear mind. That’s optimal health.) In the Global BMI Mortality Collaboration Study which looked at 239 prospective studies involving 10 million people on four continents found that all-cause mortality was minimal for a BMI of 20 – 25 and increased significantly below or above that range. This range is where we want to aim for to have the greatest longevity. To do - weigh yourself, take a selfie picture, measure your current BMI and go eat some fruit to make your microbiota happy.
Day 2: Exercise Importance
Exercise is an important component to any health program and it is considered one of the three major legs or pillars to the i60 Challenge. However, many people place more emphasis on exercise than on diet which is not in agreement with the greatest body of literature. This is why we focus so much on nutrition and what goes into your digestive track primarily but this emphasis doesn’t negate the need to exercise. As mentioned yesterday though, our goal is not to look like a powerlifter or Greek god because it takes massive amounts of time and focus which distracts from where you need to be. Remember, for longevity, you just need to have a BMI of 20 – 25 which isn’t the ‘Hollywood’ body but you’ll live healthy for a long time. I’ve participated in sports all my life and been the medical advisor to professional sports teams. I understand many facts about exercise but want to have it in its proper perspective. Therefore, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends for people 18 -65yo moderate intensity exercise, like brisk walking, 5 days per week. (Or, if you prefer high intensity for 20 minutes). But, many people can’t handle that and that’s ok. I report it so you can keep it in mind as your ideal goal and slowly build up to it. If all you can do is 10 minutes, then start there and slowly increase it. You can walk anywhere that’s safe. Hallways at work, malls or whatever. Any work you do is good – even 10 minutes. There is research to show that people who garden live longer than those who don’t. Feel good about any exercise you do. It’s progress and you should be proud of it.
***Disclaimer - Be sure to check with a doctor before participating in any significant exercise to make sure it's safe for you to do so.****
Day 3: How are you doing?
Many of you have noticed some changes like bowel habit changes or softening. If it’s not severe, that’s actually what we should expect because ignite is a soluble fiber which is starving bad bacteria and feeding good bacteria. With a different diet, your gut bacteria or microbiota are changing from bad to healthy and that’s a good thing. Rarely are the bowel habit changes troublesome. If so, you should consider reducing ignite to once per day for a while or if very severe, seeing your doctor because something else might be going on coincidentally. Also, how is your energy? Noticed any less discomfort in your joints yet? Many people start noticing these improvements rather quickly so be looking for them. Let's not focus on weight but rather wellness. We're in this for the long haul together to optimal health. When we do everything patiently, the weight loss will happen if that's what you need. Let's keep our eyes on the right goals.
Day 4: What is the updated Makkarios version of the Mediterranean Diet? Why modify the original?
First, it is associated with more people living to a hundred years old (Centenarians) than any other diet (Okinawan diet also has a lot of centenarians because the two diets are very similar with regional differences). Second, it is associated with least obesity and chronic disease of any diet. It is considered the gold standard scientifically for gut health and promoting diversification of microbiota. (This is why I think it’s healthiest for you to reduce or stop probiotic supplementation either through pills or yogurt because they may force an unnatural multiplication of strains not naturally occurring but are easy to produce for supplements.) There are hundreds of excellent published studies supporting its benefits involving millions of people. Higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet reduces dementia and Alzheimer’s, 50% decreased death rate for every 4 unit increase in score (to be defined later). A one unit increase in the Mediterranean Score decreased mortality 17%. The nutrients of the diet stimulate healthy genes at the level of the DNA and epigenetic components overriding the DNA while inhibiting harmful genes and epigenetic effects. No diet in the world has these kinds of statistics. Unless your doctor advises you personally otherwise, please don’t let anyone take you away from the Mediterranean Diet ever no matter how cool, beautiful, athletic or famous they are.
Day 5: Why Mediterranean?
Farming and food manufacturing has changed a lot over the last one hundred years and we need to adjust for this to get back to the original diet which also greatly benefits healthy microbiota. Wheat is now the world’s major staple and it is grown similarly globally and food is processed similarly. Genetically modified foods with large amounts of herbicide chemicals are utilized globally. The food ingredients from these sources of plants have been put into 80%+ of the foods we eat. Therefore, to make the digestive tract organisms happy, we have to avoid these components. It’s not a coincidence that the World Health Organization (WHO) says that there is a global obesity epidemic because we are all largely growing and processing foods the same way globally now.
Day 6: What is the Mediterranean Diet?
It is the traditional diet of those who live near the Mediterranean especially Greece. The diet is high in monounsaturated fats (mainly from Extra Virgin Olive Oil), high in complex carbohydrates (mainly from grains, legumes and fruit), nuts, fish and high in fiber (mainly from vegetables, nuts and fruits).Usually, 4 -5 servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain cereals (defined later) every day. Spices commonly used are rosemary, oregano, cinnamon, fennel, tarragon, ginger, thyme, parsley, peppermint, saffron, sage, garlic and onion are used daily. The fat percentage of the diet is 40% with the ratio of monounsaturated fat to saturated fat being 2:1. Feta cheese made 70% from sheep’s milk and 30% from goat’s milk is regularly added. White meat and egg are consumed 2 -4 times per week. Dark or red meats, processed meats are rarely used. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet - Scientific studies have assigned a score to every category of food in the Mediterranean Diet, namely, vegetables, fruits, nut/seeds, fish, cereals, legumes, etc. and a score of 0-7 or 0-9 was given based upon the study. Each increase in step reduced the death rate 17% and an increase of four food categories decreased chronic disease and death rate 50%!! Another way to look at this same data - If someone recommends that you not eat fruit, legumes, cereals, vegetables and to instead consume a lot of dark meat, they are recommending behaviors that increases your risk of chronic disease and death between 17 and 50%! Their science is not good for you.
Day 7: Congratulations! We’re at the end of the first week.
It probably wasn’t perfect or great. No problem. Any steps you made in the right direction are progress. You’re good and I applaud you. The toughest part is getting started for sure. Have you noticed any changes? Many people by now can feel less achiness and more energy. If you haven’t yet, no problem. It will come. Your tendency is to weigh yourself but I would recommend that you not or if you do to not expect much of a change. The reason is that real change takes some time. With a new diet and ignite, the gut microorganisms are changing over, good hormones like adiponectin are increasing while bad ones are decreasing. Inflammatory responses are becoming healthier and your body is changing be patient. Once your body makes these changes, progress moves forward faster. By the way, ignore all the grocery store magazines that promise tons of weight loss in one week. Most all of them are lying to you. You’re good and we aren’t just after weight loss but longevity and a diet you can keep the rest of your life.