You spend about 17 minutes a day eating.
Yeah, you read that right. 17 minutes.
That's it.
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Greg, I spend way more time than that eating!"
But hear me out. If you're eating three meals a day with a couple of snacks thrown in, the actual time the food spends in your mouth?
About 17 minutes.
🤯
Check out this video where I break it down:
Here's why this matters: those 17 minutes have a massive impact on your physical and mental health.
It's like a daily 17-minute window where you're programming your body's operating system. And most of us? We're inputting some pretty buggy code.
Now, I'm not a doctor, but I can tell you this: what you do in those 17 minutes is the biggest lever you can pull to improve both your physical and mental health.
Think about it.
We often eat for pleasure or self-medication.
We're stressed, so we reach for that bag of chips.
We're celebrating, so we indulge in that extra slice of cake.
And in the moment, it feels great! But that moment? It's just a few seconds of those 17 minutes.
What if you could be a little more intentional for even half of that time?
What if, instead of eating for fleeting pleasure, you ate for sustained energy?
Now, let's talk about carbs.
Here's the thing: carbs aren't inherently bad.
But too many carbs? That's where we run into trouble.
When we eat carbs, our body converts them into glucose. This spikes our blood sugar, causing our pancreas to release insulin. Insulin helps our cells absorb glucose for energy, which sounds great, right?
But here's the kicker: when our liver and muscles are full of this stored glucose (called glycogen), guess what happens to the excess? Yep, it gets converted to fat.
This constant influx of carbs keeps our insulin levels high, preventing our body from tapping into those fat stores for energy. It's like having a fully stocked pantry but insisting on going grocery shopping every day.
That's where carb fasting comes in. It's not a diet; it's more like an eating rhythm.
By reducing our carb intake for just a few days a week, we can flip what I like to call the "fat switch."
Here's how it works: when we lower our carb intake, our insulin levels drop. Our body starts using up those glycogen stores for energy. And once those start to deplete, our liver sends a signal to start burning fat for fuel.
We call this metabolic flexibility - the ability to efficiently switch between using carbs and fats for energy.
Personally, I carb fast on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On these days, I keep my carb intake under 20 grams. And let me tell you, it's made a huge difference in my energy levels and overall health.
Now, I'm not saying you need to jump right into this.
Start small.
Maybe reduce your carb intake for one meal a day, or one day a week. Pay attention to how different foods make you feel. Are you energized or sluggish after eating? Clear-headed or foggy?
Remember, this isn't about perfection. It's about being a bit more intentional with those 17 minutes. Because those 17 minutes? They're programming your health for the other 1,423 minutes of your day.
We dive deep into these concepts and more in our H40 health sprints. If you're interested in transforming your health - both physical and mental - we've got another sprint starting up soon. Click the link below to join us and start feeling better than you ever thought possible.
After all, you've got the power to change your health. And it only takes 17 minutes a day.
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