In my previous post, I spoke about cleaning up our light hygiene for optimal health. Today we’re talking about food, as another powerful signal to our circadian rhythm.
A healthy circadian rhythm can be achieved by getting an optimal amount of restful sleep and sun exposure to keep the mental, behavioural, and physical changes that happen daily in proper working order. Another way to ensure a circadian-friendly life is to add circadian-friendly foods. And the best part? All the foods are tasty and satisfying.
A circadian-friendly diet is one that focuses on local, seasonal single-ingredient foods. Animal foods are incredibly optimal for circadian health, especially animal fats. Adding butter and beef tallow to foods not only makes them taste amazing, but it helps you feel full for longer so you can avoid snacking.
Contrary to what Big Food and government health regulations tell us, animal fats are not only good for us, but are also essential to our health. In fact, it is the ubiquitous seed oils such as canola or sunflower that are not fit for human consumption and lead to all kinds of adverse health issues, from sunburn to heart disease.
Replacing vegetable seed oils with healthy fats is easy to do at home, but keep in mind that restaurants use seed oils almost exclusively. This factor alone is a huge incentive for me to eat out very rarely and cook all my meals from scratch.
Seasonal fruits and veggies are also included as circadian-friendly foods. Seasonal is the operative word here. This is something that does not cross our minds on our grocery runs, and we think nothing of the watermelon on the shelf in June or strawberries from Spain in July.
This is bad for the planet and for us, as we end up eating food that is devoid of nutrition and that communicates inappropriate circadian signals to our bodies.
We need to become more in tune with our food supply chain and learn about seasonal growth where we live. I know people who work in food logistics and the stories of how fruits and veggies are transported and warehoused should make us think twice about eating non-local and out-of-season foods.
Eating locally and seasonally is also budget-friendly and planet-friendly. Keep your meals simple and elevate flavours using animal fats and herbs.
Take a look around in your pantry and fridge. See if you can identify out-of-season and imported produce. No, don’t throw it out, but be more mindful next time you go shopping.