STRING THEORY EATING INSTRUCTIONS: ONE SET OF SIMPLE RULES

String Theory Eating Instructions are my rules to help people eat healthier and lose weight. The rules focus on two main goals, eating three meals a day with no snacking, and eating more fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes. It comes in a small String Theory Eating Instructions kit, that includes the instructions and a string. Plus, all the money goes to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

New research is focused on the benefits of eating three meals a day, and not snacking. Research has noted the metabolic benefits of two to three meals a day, with a fast or fewer calories later in the day. I find focusing on three a meal a day, with breakfast being the largest and dinner the smallest, to be the most realistic way to change your eating patterns. People who regularly eat breakfast have significantly less chance of being obese, especially around the middle. Even if you adjust for all the other factors that can impact weight, such as age, gender, and educational and activity levels, the odds of having a ‘spare tire’ around your middle is significantly greater in those people who skip breakfast, compared to those who always have breakfast. Skipping breakfast is also associated with increased odds of atherosclerosis, independent of conventional cardiovascular risk factors. The belief that breakfast is the most important meal of day has been proposed by a variety of cultures, and is supported by current research studies. Skipping breakfast has been associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) and gaining weight over time. This may be due to either an increase in total calorie intake, or a reduction in calories burned over the remainder of the day due to less physical activity. People who get up earlier and ‘get going’ may simply burn more calories over the course of the day.

Besides eating most of your calories in the beginning of the day it’s important to be mindful of the food you are eating. The best way to be a mindful eater is to have a full meal, sitting down at a table with real dishes, and focus on the total experience. Start the New Year out with eating a big breakfast, which may include getting up earlier, and taking notice of your hunger.

“Rethink your relationship with food. You only have a few times a day you are hungry, don’t use it to eat cereal over the sink.” — Betsy Redmond, PhD, MMSc, RDN

The second primary goal of String Theory Eating Instructions is eating more fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes. Of all the research on diet and health, those populations who eat more fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes have consistently been found to be healthier long-term, and is associated with less morbidity. The corollary is also true, that those who eat more meat and milk, with a diet higher in saturated fats and concentrated animal protein, have higher morbidity. I am not even throwing in sweets, desserts and junk food, that’s not worth including in a discussion on healthy eating. Plant focused diets offer healthier better protein sources, they are full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fibers such as prebiotics and probiotics. Antioxidants are important because one of the main features of a poor diet is inflammation which antioxidants help fight. Prebiotics and probiotics help to feed gut bacteria which are a key component of your immune system, and metabolic processing.

Lastly, why do I include a sting? Because even when I felt committed to a healthy diet and lifestyles I sometimes just resorted to old habits, and would find myself eating something I didn’t plan on eating. I wanted a way to continually remind myself that I was focusing on health, and it was important to me. Health is a long journey and you may want to make changes step by step over time. I try to live each day with the rules in mind and have added exercising in the morning. The goal is to move forward with little or large steps.