In this episode of Be Well, Do Well, I dive into the fascinating relationship between what we eat and how it impacts our energy, mood, and productivity. I share my personal journey with transitioning to a vegetarian lifestyle and the lessons I learned about balancing carbs and protein for sustained energy. Alongside my own experiences, I introduce insights from studies on meal timing, like the benefits of eating a substantial breakfast to align with our body’s natural rhythms.

I also explore the Ayurvedic approach to eating, an ancient Indian practice focused on harmony and personalization in our diets. Ayurveda teaches us to eat in tune with our unique energy types, or "doshas," and prioritize seasonal, digestible, and mindfully chosen foods. For those looking to start, I recommend trying a food journal to track how specific meals make you feel. Stay tuned as we wrap up the wellness triad tomorrow with a focus on movement and its role in our overall health!

In our last episode, I introduced you to the wellness triad of sleeping, eating, and moving.

Specifically, we talked about productivity and sleep and how to get better, higher quality sleep.

Today's topic is all about the delicious topic of food and how it can affect your mood, energy, and overall productivity.

I'm not a foodie, but I really enjoy food from all over the world.

Everything from a simple sandwich to creamy Indian curry, to an artfully prepared roll of sushi.

However, I do struggle knowing what to eat and how it's going to affect my mood and my energy.

There are so many diets that tell you to eat one type of food over another.

And But frankly, I just want to eat what feels right to me.

In today's episode, I'm going to share with you some interesting facts about food that go back to ancient India.

I'm Amin Ahmed, and welcome to Be Well, Do Well.

Just over a decade ago, I tried to become a vegetarian.

I wanted to see if it would help with my dipping energy levels.

I wanted to lose some weight and I definitely wanted to sleep better.

I used to eat a lot of meat and I couldn't even fathom having dinner or any meal without meat ever again.

So I decided that I would try to eat an only vegetarian diet for one month.

Anytime I would go out to a restaurant or have a meal with a family, I would just not eat the meat and I would eat the rest of what was on my plate, thinking that this is what it meant to be a vegetarian.

I was not prepared at all for what happened next.

I felt awful.

I had no energy.

I was tired all the time.

I felt bloated and I just wasn't myself.

The challenge was that I didn't understand how to get the right amount of nutrients from what I was eating, and more importantly, I didn't realize how eating so much carbs would result in such a huge energy crash after my meals.

Usually my meals consisted of meat and carbs, and that's what I would eat.

Now fast forward to the present day where I've been vegetarian for over a decade.

The main difference was that over the years I learned how to eat the right foods, including carbs, at the right time, in the right quantities to maintain my energy level.

I eat sugar, I eat carbs all the time, but I want people to know what I know, which is how and when to eat those things.

we need to learn how to eat these things because they're so delicious in a way that's less bad for our health.

It's not about cutting them out.

I'm not pro diets, I'm pro knowledge, and I want to make sure people are not having sugar and dessert for breakfast.

That was Jessie and Sheuspe.

Her YouTube channel, Glucose Revolution, is full of amazing and insightful information about what you eat and how it affects your glucose levels and in turn, your overall energy level.

Now taking this a bit further, I came across a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition titled Breakfast to Skip or Not to Skip.

The study highlights that consuming a substantial breakfast can significantly impact weight management, metabolism, and appetite regulation in a good way.

It found that eating more calories in the morning, aligns with your body's circadian rhythm, enhancing your insulin sensitivity and stabilizing your overall glucose levels.

Breakfast consumption was also linked to reduced hormones, which helped curb hunger throughout the day.

The study noted that breakfast eaters tend to be more physically active, had lower risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, which underscored the importance of meal timing for long term health.

So you may be wondering then, what's the solution?

How do we eat to maintain our energy, weight, and overall well being?

While there may be a lot of confusing information floating around, the foundations have always been clear.

Drink more water, eat less sugar, and don't overeat.

If you heard my previous episode, you know that I like to offer a framework, and this episode is no different.

Now, as I mentioned, I'm not a big fan of diets.

To me, they feel like temporary band aid solutions that don't usually work in the long term.

However, I do love the idea of changing your mindset and habits around eating.

While I was doing research for this episode, I came across a framework that really appealed to me.

The Ayurvedic way of eating.

And this, as I mentioned in the intro, comes from thousands of years ago from India.

Now I might spend another full episode talking just about this, but here is a quick summary of what Ayurvedic eating is.

It's based on the principle of Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine from India that emphasizes balance and harmony in all aspects of your life.

Ayurveda focuses on a number of things.

Primarily, one is called your doshas, which is your energy levels, if you want to call it, your vital energies.

And each energy that you have is associated with a different type of physical and emotional characteristic.

It emphasizes seasonal and local foods, eating foods that help with digestion, mindful eating, And personalization.

No two people are the same and so what you eat versus what I eat will have a different impact on our energy levels and how we feel.

I know that this sounds like a lot of information, but here's something simple that you can do to help get started on your journey to having more energy through food.

In my previous episode on sleep, we talked about having a sleep journal.

Similarly, using a food journal can also make a big difference.

By noting down what you eat and how you feel, this can help you better understand what your body needs for optimal energy.

I've linked below in the show notes to a YouTube video that talks more about Ayurveda and how it works for your body, and I've also linked to a book that I think you'll really enjoy.

We wrap up the wellness triad tomorrow by talking about how movement and exercise can positively affect our well being and productivity.

I hope to see you then, thanks again, and I'll catch you tomorrow.