The Mono-Meal Advantage

 

                                                                             It Is Not What You Think

 

     In the past, the mono-meal was a one food meal; simply eating just carrots, or just chicken, or just apples. That is not what I am referring to here: Mono-meal is eating one meal per day, preferably in the morning. The advantages to this way of eating is incredibly numerous; the disadvantages, none. Let us examine the numerous ways this way of eating may positively affect your life.

     To many, it may seem impossible to implement this lifestyle, and it took me many years of my life to give it a chance. I was 12 years old when my mother invited a gentleman from her work-place to join my family for dinner. He brought me two things; a 1964 silver dollar, and the lifestyle that would change my life many years later. The silver dollar was the first coin of a 46 year coin collecting venture, and the mono-diet way of eating was the secret to a thin, healthy adulthood. At 59 years old, I am free of weight and health issues and I would like to share this incredibly beneficial lifestyle with you. 

                                                         

Mechanism of the Mono-Meal Lifestyle

 

       The time of day the mono-meal is consumed is the key to the success of this plan. Timing is absolutely essential as the brain must be nourished for the entire day. If the brain is happy, the body is happy. Supplying the brain with it's essential nutrients in the morning sets the precedence for the entire day, with the bulk of the vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates it needs to function at it's peak. This eliminates hunger, hypoglycemia and gives you your best cognitive advantage. The brain needs to be fed the most nutrients in the morning; preferably not noon, and definitely not the evening. It requires 60% of vital nutrients in the blood at all times. So it is obvious that ingesting the bulk of your nutrition in your early waking hours would be the most beneficial.

     The American diet is all wrong! Not just the foods that many Americans consume, but the order for which the meals are eaten. At waking in the AM, we have fasted for 6, 7, 8 or more hours; especially true for those folks that do not eat after 8:00 PM. The first thing one should do upon awakening is drink a full glass of water as the body, for most of us, has had no water through the night time hours and is dehydrated. Now as far as nutrition, the food consumed through the previous day has been assimilated through the night and metabolized. But it is over, and now the brain has nothing to run on until an adequate meal has been consumed. So knowing that, how can one possibly imagine that a banana and a yogurt, or a smoothie for breakfast and a salad or fast food for lunch can carry the brain through the entire day until, finally at dinner time, adequate nutrition is consumed? That is a complete oxymoron! Feed the brain in the morning that big nutritious meal that you normally save for right before bed. This gives the body the bulk of the day to burn it off instead of sleeping on all those calories. Also, moving around stimulates proper digestion. Many people suffer from night time acid reflux; well, no wonder!

     The Mono-Meal does not mean that no food should be consumed the rest of the day, absolutely not. Simply reverse your day. Have your dinner for breakfast, your yogurt and banana for lunch, and your salad for dinner. When cooking for your family, if they are not coinciding with your mono-meal plan, cook their dinner as usual, eat a salad with them while they eat their dinner, cover your plate and heat it up for breakfast. It is just a matter of wrapping your brain around it and letting go of tradition: Who made that rule anyway??

     It is absolutely amazing how much better one feels by feeding the brain all that nutrition in the morning. For myself, I have my breakfast at 7:00 AM: T-Bone steak cooked on the grill, baked potato, and salad, or Salmon Capri, or turkey sausage with gluten free pasta in an olive oil/spinach/ basil sauce. I eat until I can not eat anymore, then I can not even think about food until at least 2:00 PM. At that time, I may have a few nuts, or a yogurt. Dinner for me is eaten at 8:30 PM; it is a cup of turkey broth which offers a tremendous amount of L-Tryptophan endorsing restful sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                          Sea Bass & Asparagus over Rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     

  Ribeye Steak Over Spinach with Grape Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

                            

                                                                

                                                                             The Bodies Rhythms

 

     The body holds it's own schedule just as we do. We wake up to the alarm, get up, shower, eat, and go to work; or something similar. We do the same thing everyday as having to think about a new schedule everyday would be far too taxing. The same holds true for the human body.

     In the “Alternative” world, we call this body rhythms. The two rhythms that I will discuss is the Chinese “Body Clock, (http://pathways4health.org/2010/03/04/the-chinese-body-clock-energy-patterns-through-24-hours/), and the bodies Three Natural Cycles, (http://berean29.adventistchurchconnect.org/article/40/the-ministries-of-our-church/berean-health-temperance/the-three-human-body-cycles).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

     The Chinese Body Clock is the 24 hour cycle of Metabolism, Rebuilding, and Elimination. You can see that every two hours, a different part of the body is targeted by the brain. Between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM are the hours that the stomach is highlighted by the brain. This should be the time that the majority of the food is consumed for the day.

      The Three Natural Cycles is the 24 hour ingestion to elimination process. The hours of 4:00 AM – 12:00 PM is the Elimination Cycle. I start with this cycle as this is the time of day that most of us are up and about. We should wake up and eliminate; simple as that. If it takes a cup of coffee to initiate this response, that is OK too, as long as the elimination is in the AM. Elimination later in the day is a symptom of poor digestion.

     The hours of 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM is the time of the Appropriation Cycle, which is described as the taking in of food. Now, I feel that the explanation of this cycle is slightly skewed, as the food should be through the stomach and duodenum by this time to allow for assimilation and metabolism during the nightime hours so the body can use these nutrients for rebuilding. The food molecules need to be broken down into proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, then cleaved into amino acids, fatty acids, glycerol, and saccharides, to be taken up by the microvilli and used by the body. Then it starts all over again with the Elimination Cycle. Again, everybody knows how important it is to eliminate.

     So far, it is obvious that the Mono-Meal lifestyle can benefit digestion and metabolism, and regulating glycemic and weight levels. Now, think about how much time it saves throughout the day not having to take time out of your busy schedule to eat meals, and returning home after a hard days work and having to cook supper. Also think about the amount of money saved in snacks just trying to hold you over until you consume enough nutrition to satisfy the brain. It is a win, win situation.

 

 

                                                                 So What to Eat

 

     The foods we take in to nourish our bodies is as important as the time of day we eat it. It is not just calories, carbohydrates, or fats; it is lectins, too. Lectins are agglutinating proteins that bind to cells and either benefit them, do nothing, or damage our cells over time. Ingesting the foods that are correct for our blood types will allow our immune systems to fight off the bacteria, fungi, and viruses that invade our bodies, instead of fighting off the lectins from foods that are not correct for us. That is why Lions and Tigers are in Africa, or Koala Bears are in Australia, or Panda Bears are in China; because the food available to them is correct for their blood types. The list of foods that are correct for your blood type can be found in Dr. Peter D'Adamo's book, Eat Right for Your Blood Type (1996).

 

 

                                                                   References

 

D'Adamo, Peter, ( 1996). Eat Right for Your Blood Type. Pg. 23-26.

 

Pathways 4 Health (N/D) The Chinese “Body Clock”, Retrieved May 1, 2015 from:

http://pathways4heal th.org/2010/03/04/the-chinese-body-clock-energy-patterns-through-24-hours/

 

Bearen Seventh Day Evangalist Church, (N/D) The Three Human Body Cycles, Retrieved May 1, 2015 from:

http://berean29.adventistchurchconnect.org/article/40/the-ministries-of-our-church/berean-health-temperance/the-three-human-body-cycles