TRE (time restricted eating) has become very popular in the last 6-7 years and let me tell you, it is not a trend. This holistic tool is a gift to anyone that is willing to make it part of their lifestyle.
I started TRE many years ago when I was researching how to help my mom with Alzheimer’s and how to prevent Alzheimer’s for myself. Amongst many holistic tools recommended by leading doctors and scientists in the Functional Medicine world- TRE was one of the most powerful FREE tools I could implement. It was a little difficult to get started because I, like most people, was a “sugar burner”. I needed to eat every two to three hours in order to feel satiated and feel well.
Since I have reduced my refined carbohydrate intake and eat mostly whole foods, good sources of fat and protein and practice TRE daily, I am now metabolically flexible which means I can switch from burning glucose to ketones much quicker. This enables me to go without food for much longer, it increases overall health span and increases autophagy- which is our bodies natural way of cleaning out senescent cells and recycling used parts. Yoshinori Oshumi won the Nobel prize in 2016 for discovering the mechanism of autophagy.
In my book Two little F Words- Feasting and Fasting Your Way To Optimal Health it explains in detail how to start implementing TRE into your lifestyle. For this post I will keep it very simple and give you the bullet points as to why TRE is so good for your overall health and what body systems and biomarkers can be affected in a positive way.
TRE is actually a type of hormetic stress, this is a good kind of stress because it is for short periods of time and it helps build resilience. But, with that said, if you are already under lots of stress, have adrenal fatigue or a chronic infection, you may want to consider starting with a gentle time period until you balance any of those issues. Just doing 12/12 is great.
TRE (Time Restricted Eating) helps with the following: Please note that I have not read any specific papers on endometriosis and TRE but from my experience with stage 4 endo it has helped reduce my overall inflammation immensely.
Supports immune health (longer fasts are different)
Balances circadian rhythm
Reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s
Helps in weight loss
Improves blood sugar balance
Improves insulin sensitivity
Improves type 2 diabetes
Improves overall inflammation
Reduces inflammation from endometriosis
Improves energy
Lowers oxidative stress
Supports cardiovascular health
Reduces triglyceride count
Balances cholesterol
Promotes autophagy- autophagy helps clean out the accumulation of senescent cells and improves our overall health. Think of autophagy as our natural in house garbage removal and recycling depot.
Please remember that when you do FEAST, eat nutrient dense foods that satiate you and keep you feeling energetic. Woman need to fast a little differently than men do, Dr.Mindy Pelz is a great resource for women and fasting. This article on How to use Fasting to Support Progesterone is a MUST know for any woman wanting to add fasting to their lifestyle. We must fast according to our cycle ladies and sometimes we shouldn’t fast too long throughout the day.
I am always changing my fasting times up, I can go months fasting 16/8 then switch to 12/12 then 14/10. It really depends on many things such as what you are going through at that time, what part of your menstrual cycle are you in, how much stress are you under, what season it is, your sleep habits and so on. We are cyclic beings, we like diversity and this is how we evolved.
Links and research
The Immunity Fix
Daily Fasting improves health i mice study
Cardiovascular Health and TRE
10 Hour TRE improves metabolic Disease