IF INSIDER — Inaugural Edition, February 25, 2020
Inaugural Edition — February 25, 2020IF Insider
Inaugural Edition — February 25, 2020IF Insider
In this week’s IF Insider: Intermittent fasting is now part of mainstream U.S. medicine, using plant-based seafood to save the world’s oceans, “magic” mushrooms and cancer treatment, what we are reading and how to join our 10 Day Fast Factor Intermittent Fasting Challenge beginning on Monday, March 2nd.
What is the IF Insider?
This email is your bi-monthly briefing on the most compelling developments in intermittent fasting as well as innovation in practices that can be stacked with IF, such as plant-based eating, sleep hacks, natural nootropics, brain training and more, all curated by our team of entrepreneurs and ‘future-think’ scouts.
Our Mission is to introduce the power of Intermittent Fasting to entrepreneurs worldwide so they can exponentially improve their lives and businesses and the lives of the people they impact every day.
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Intermittent fasting gets catapulted into the medical mainstream and is featured on CNN, NBC, CBS and more.
What’s this? On December 26, 2019, the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most influential peer-reviewed journals in American medicine, published a review article titled Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease. The article was extremely favorable, touting evidence from multiple studies to support IF’s positive effects, not only on weight loss, but as a sustainable mechanism to improve brain health, including decreasing your chances of developing dementia and possibly will increase longevity.
The paper highlights a poorly understood mechanism known as metabolic switching, meaning that the body learns to rapidly and efficiently switch from burning carbohydrate-based fuel when eating to burning fat stores when fasting. This switching improves the regulation of blood sugar, suppresses inflammation and increases stress resistance. As the paper’s authors point out, most Americans never experience this switch or the metabolic benefits it confers, because they eat three meals each day in addition to multiple snacks, never giving their digestive systems a rest. If you would like to get your own copy of the New England Journal article, you can go here to sign up for free.
Why it matters: ‘Eat less, move more’ has been the mantra of mainstream medical advice for decades, even though millions still struggle to get and keep weight off. With the publication of this article, intermittent fasting, which has been called everything from extreme to a full-blown eating disorder, has itself been catapulted into the medical mainstream, and the author suggests information on IF may even soon find its way into medical school curricula. Meanwhile, everyday people are not waiting for their physicians to catch up and are embracing intermittent fasting in droves. One of the most popular fasting apps, Zero, available for both iPhone and Android, keeps track of how many people are currently using the app to fast at a particular time. The number, which is changeable of course, routinely averages around half a million users, and that’s just for this particular app.
This is not your mom’s tuna sandwich! Vegan seafood company raises $32 million dollars to scale up production and distribution.
What’s this? Chad and Derek Sarno, the powerhouse brothers and professional chefs behind Good Catch Seafood, are on a mission. They want people to continue to enjoy the delectable flavors and textures of seafood, just without the fish! They use a proprietary blend of six legumes (including chickpeas, fava beans, navy beans, peas, lentils, and soy) to recreate the flakiness and mouthfeel of seafood, plus algal oil for flavor and healthy omega-3 DHA.
Chris Kerr, CEO and Co-Founder of Gathered Foods, which owns Good Catch, notes “Consumer demand of trailblazing plant-based alternatives is nearly insatiable, and this trend is led by taste and availability. This next phase for Good Catch is laser-focused on meeting consumer desires with culinary applications across all channels.” Kerr points out that “This round of investment emphasizes the food industry’s recognition of our strategy, our reception by consumers, and anticipation for more innovation to come.”
Good Catch Fish Free Tuna comes in three flavors: Naked in Water, Mediterranean and Oil & Herbs. Plus the company is planning on introducing plant-based frozen entrées and appetizers including Plant-Based Crab Cakes New England Style, Plant-Based Sliders and Plant-Based Burgers very soon. Good Catch products can be purchased at Whole Foods, Thrive Market and Fresh Direct.
Why it matters: You might be surprised to learn that fish are the largest class of farmed animals and also make up the majority of animals eaten around the world. And if you haven’t heard, our oceans are in crisis mode. In fact, some scientists predict a total collapse of the world’s fisheries by 2048, as we are now nearing depletion, exploitation or overfishing of nearly 90% of global marine fisheries. The success of companies like Good Catch will be instrumental in the regeneration of the world’s oceans. Innovation in this market is key and there’s nothing fishy about that!
“Magic” Mushrooms May Have Found A Legitimate Place In Cancer Treatment
What’s this? In 2016, researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine carried out a remarkable experimental study. They treated a group of 29 cancer patients with a one time, single dose of psilocybin, the psychedelic chemical compound found in so-called “magic” mushrooms, along with several psychotherapy sessions. The results were nothing short of remarkable, with the study participants experiencing immediate relief of anxiety, depression and cancer-related hopelessness in addition to feelings of improvement in spiritual well-being and increased quality of life.
The team followed up with the participants six months later and found that 60 to 80 percent continued to show significant improvement. Six months of improvement is not bad but what about the long term effects of this treatment?
In January 2020, the team published the results of a five year follow up on these same patients. More than 70 percent of those who participated in the original study told researchers the psilocybin assisted therapy had brought about positive changes and “they rated it as among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives.”
Why it matters: Anxiety and depression are common among cancer patients, as these people have to cope not only with the physical toll chemotherapy and radiation takes on their bodies, but with worry over financial concerns, the possible return of their disease and stress on familial relationships. When someone is diagnosed, the immediate focus is on the treatment of the cancer itself and only secondarily, if at all, on the mental health of the patient.
Lead researcher of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine study team Stephen Ross noted that scientists have had good evidence dating back as far as the 1950’s to suggest that psilocybin therapy would improve the lives of patients with life-threatening cancer. But in the late 1960s, as the United States ramped up its war on drugs, psilocybin and other psychedelics were made illegal and the FDA shut the doors on all scientific research, forcing any experimentation underground.
Today, psilocybin, along with other psychedelic compounds are the renewed objects of scientific research. Finally, after decades of suppression, Johns Hopkins has opened its Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research which will not only continue its groundbreaking research into the use of psychedelic compounds to relieve the suffering of cancer patients but will also explore their uses in addiction, treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, anorexia nervosa, Alzheimer’s disease, and other disorders. This news is truly magical!
What We Are Reading
Each issue, both Denise Wakeman and I will bring you a short blurb on what we are currently reading, including books, articles and research papers of value.
Denise — Cory Muscara’s Stop Missing Your Life. I enjoy Muscara’s meditations on the Simple Habit app and his pragmatic and compassionate approach to living a mindful life. Muscara’s focus is on how to be more present in your everyday interactions and meditation is just one tool that can help you achieve that.
He writes, “In our journey toward presence, mindfulness is the thing that allows us to deepen our connection to the present moment without getting overwhelmed by it.”
Ellen — Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work by Jamie Wheal and Steven Kotler is an Alice In Wonderland head-over-heels tumble down the rabbit hole of the latest round in an ancient quest…the story of upstart rebels willing to bet it all on the chance to find a clear pathway to altered states of consciousness. Not in some 60’s era drugged-out haze, but in finding ways to combine science, technology, and the ancient arts.
The purpose? To accelerate performance at the highest levels. In the words of the authors, “We are witnessing a groundswell, a growing movement to storm heaven and steal fire. It’s a revolution in human possibility. And this is a book about that revolution.”
Join Our 10 Day Fast Factor Intermittent Fasting Challenge
Intermittent fasting is easy…once you have the right information and you get over the first couple of weeks, plus (and here’s the key!) you have a like-minded community of other people going along on the same journey to encourage and support you.
That’s precisely why we have put together our Fast Factor 10 Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge beginning on Monday, March 2nd.
Every day, Monday through Friday, for each of the two weeks total of the Challenge, you’ll get an email prompt with information, tips, and action items for that day.
Then Monday through Friday of the Challenge, we will be LIVE in the private Facebook group we’ve set up just for our Challenge participants…To answer your questions, give support, help you make tweaks to your fasting routine and give you a place to go where you know you can get answers and accountability. We are dedicated to your success!
Joining this 10 Day Challenge will be one of the best decisions you have ever made for your health and your life…because it’s going to set you up for an easy transition into daily intermittent fasting…
With its multiple benefits, including weight loss, brain health, decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and more.
At just $2.70 per day, this is less than a fancy latte at the coffee shop that shall not be named! Come on over and join us right now by clicking here!
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Published by Dr. Ellen Britt & Denise Wakeman, Fast Factor Community