> [!summary] Progressive Summary # Structured Notes ## Circadian alignment and quality sleep - Eat within a 6 to 12 hour window - Stack most of your calories in the morning and afternoon - Have the last meal no later than 7 to 8 pm - Do not consume readily digestible carbs at dinner - Be consistent with mealtimes - Limit alcohol to no more than one drink - Keep caffeine consumption to the morning or early afternoon ## Intestinal integrity and microbiome diversity - Consume at least 30 grams of fiber per day, ideally from prebiotic-rich sources - Consume a form of fermented food at least once per day - Add resistant starches to your diet - Incorporate more prebiotic vegetables into meals # Rough Notes ## Circadian rhythm Melatonin is called the sleep hormone, and is arguably the most important hormone for mitochondrial health, because it has antioxidant properties that protect mitochondria from oxidants and free radicals. A disrupted circadian rhythm can disrupt melatonin up to 70 percent. Most antioxidants can neutralize only one free radical at a time, but melatonin can neutralize multiple free radicals at once. Glymphatic drainage is the process by which toxic waste in our brain is cleared at night. ### Time Restricted Feeding In order to bring our brain and body clocks back into sync, it's helpful to do all of our eating within a 10-hour window. For example, 8 am to 6 pm. ### Caffeine Our brain produces a molecule called adenosine which builds up over time and causes us to feel sleepy. Caffeine binds to the adenosine receptors and only when it wears off can adenosine do its job. Caffeine's half life can be from 3 to 8 hours, depending on the person. Taking caffeine for several days is enough to begin building up tolerance to it. ### Strategies Stick to each of the following strategies for at least 2 weeks. Keep a journal and rate quality of sleep and energy in the morning from 1 to 10. The most effective strategies are listed first. Confine food and caloric beverage to a time-restricted window - Consume all calories within 12 to 14 hours - Consume all calories within 10 to 12 hours - Consume all calories within 6 to 10 hours Stop eating close to bedtime - Stop eating before 10 pm - Stop eating before 9 pm - Stop eating before 8 pm - Stop eating before 7 pm Consume most of your calories at breakfast and lunch - Consume roughly 30 percent of calories before 3 pm - Consume roughly 50 percent of calories before 3 pm - Consume roughly 70 percent of calories before 3 pm Be consistent with mealtimes - Eat 1 meal at the same time each day - Eat 2 meals at the same time each day - Eat all meals at the same time each day Limit intake of rapidly digestible carbohydrates at dinner - Do not consume at dinner 2 to 3 days per week - Do no consume at dinner 4 to 5 days per week - Do not consume at dinner more than once per week Limit intake of alcohol - No more than one drink per night 2 to 3 days per week - No more than one drink per night 4 to 5 days per week - No more than one drink per night 6 plus days per week Reduce caffeine in the afternoon and evening - Stop drinking caffeine past 4 pm - Stop drinking caffeine past 2 pm - Stop drinking caffeine past 12 pm ## Gut microbiome ### Fibrous vegetables - artichokes - arugula - asparagus - beet greens - bok choy - broccoli - cabbage - cauliflower - celery - chard - chives - collard greens - dandelion greens - eggplant - garlic - green beans - kale - leek - mushrooms - mustard greens - okra - onions - pea sprouts - peppers - spinach - summer squash - tomatoes - turnip greens - watercress - zucchini ### Prebiotic fiber Average American consumes only 16 grams of fiber on a typical day. This is a big drop from our Paleolithic ancestors, who consumed 45 grams. Best sources of prebiotic fiber - artichokes - jerusalem artichokes - salsify - onions Great - Cardoon - Leeks - peppers - carrots good - endive - spaghetti squash - pumpkin - zucchini - brussels sprouts - cauliflower ### Resistant starches Type 1 resistant starches supply a lot of fiber because they are trapped in a fibrous cell wall and our digestive enzymes can't get to them. - Uncooked oats have 7 percent resistant starch content, but cooking drops it down to 1 percent. To get the full benefit of oats, eat it in raw form as muesli. Type 2 resistant starch is bound together very tightly by amylose, which loses structure when it is cooked - a few tablespoons of potato starch or banana starch added to smoothies or yoghurts can produce health benefits Type 3 resistant starch is starch that has been cooked and cooled in the fridge, producing retrograde starch. The cooled starch rearranges into a type that our enzymes can't reach. - a cooked and cooled potato is 4 to 5 percent resistant by weight. A medium baked russet potato that is cooled overnight will give nearly 10 grams of prebiotic fiber. Type 4 resistant starch is synthetic Type 5 resistant starch is starch cooked in the presence of fatty acids, especially saturated fatty acids, and then allowed to cool. - Half a cup of rice with a teaspoon of coconut oil and then chilled for 12 hours increases resistant starch 10 times. ### Fermented foods Fermented foods help populate our gut with beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus and bifidobacterium - yoghurt - cheese - kimchi - sauerkraut - tempeh - miso - kefir - kombucha ### Strategies Try each strategy for at least 2 weeks. Use stepping stones to gradually reach target. Eat a diet based on fibrous vegetables - Consume fibrous vegetables with 1 meal per day - Consume fibrous vegetables with 2 meals per day - Consume fibrous vegetables with every meal Incorporate prebiotic vegetables into diet - Eat "great" or "good" sources with 1 meal per day - Eat "great" or "good" sources with 2 meals per day - Eat "great" or "good" sources with every meal - Above, plus add an "absolute best" at 1 or more meals Incorporate resistant starch into diet - consume raw, minimally processed whole grains at 1 or more meals - consume green banana or potato starch at 1 or more meals - consume cooked and cooled starches at 1 or more meals - consume cooked and cooled rice that was cooked with coconut oil Repopulate gut with natural probiotics - consume fermented foods with 1 meal per day - consume fermented foods with 2 meals per day - consume fermented foods with every meal # Quotes