1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,640 Hello guys, and welcome back to the Healthy Not Complicated 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,520 podcast. Today we are going to be talking 3 00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:10,800 about a somewhat controversial new diet trend, sugar fasting or 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:15,360 the sugar diet. Now this is basically what it 5 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,400 sounds like. It's where people are only 6 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:24,200 consuming sugar, upwards of 300 grammes of specifically simple 7 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:28,320 sugar per day and claiming that they are losing weight and 8 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,800 specifically fat. They're feeling fantastic, 9 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,520 they're having lots of energy. But is there more to the story? 10 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,360 Sugar fasting. I've seen a few people who are 11 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:44,200 kind of in the keto, low carb, carnivore diet, fasting space 12 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:49,280 switch over or start promoting the sugar diet or sugar fasting, 13 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,200 which obviously it's the total opposite. 14 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,680 When you're low carb or keto or even fasting, you're focusing 15 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,320 mainly on fats and using fat for energy fueling with fat, whether 16 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,600 that's your stored body fat or dietary fat. 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,080 And when you're only consuming sugar, you are not relying on 18 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,720 fat at all because all of your energy is coming from sugar. 19 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,400 Basically, the thinking behind sugar fasting is that you are 20 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,960 providing your body a lot of energy very quickly, but it also 21 00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:21,360 boosts your dopamine, so you end up feeling really good. 22 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,640 But can all that sugar be good for you? 23 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:27,040 That's what we're going to get into in today's video. 24 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,360 Hi guys, my name is Kate and I'm a nutritionist who specialises 25 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,160 in insulin resistance, blood sugar control and weight loss. 26 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,480 I've helped hundreds of clients reverse insulin resistance, lose 27 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,240 weight and feel better using natural strategies, diet and 28 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,400 lifestyle. A lot of my clients have been 29 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,720 able to get off their medication for type 2 diabetes, pre 30 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,520 diabetes, that sort of thing. And so when I first heard of 31 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:53,360 sugar fasting, it was from Mark Bell. 32 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:57,640 If you have been in the low carb space for a while, he has been 33 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,480 around for a while. He's a bodybuilder, I believe, 34 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,600 and was a huge advocate for low carb ketogenic diets, the 35 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,560 carnivore diet, for a very long time. 36 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,919 So when all of a sudden he popped up on my Facebook feed 37 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,560 and he was promoting eating candy and basically eating as 38 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:20,400 much sugar as possible, limiting protein, limiting fat and saying 39 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,880 that he was losing weight, that he was leaner than ever and that 40 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,760 he felt fantastic. I was a little bit shocked. 41 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,160 And looking more into this, it seems that he's not the only 42 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,320 one. You guys also might be familiar 43 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,560 with Cole Robinson, who is the creator of the snake diet, which 44 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,160 is basically a protocol, A fasting protocol where you fast 45 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,640 for long periods of time, then do a refeed. 46 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,280 And yeah, intermittent fasting, water fasting, dry fasting. 47 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:53,480 That is basically the opposite of sugar fasting because when 48 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,160 you are fasting and you're not eating anything, that's when 49 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:00,240 your body starts becoming more metabolically flexible and able 50 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:02,560 to tap into your stored body fat better. 51 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:07,800 But with sugar fasting, you are completely cutting that off and 52 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,880 you're basically just giving your body a lot of sugar, which 53 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,920 it either has to use right away or store. 54 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:19,480 The idea of eating a high sugar, high carb diet isn't necessarily 55 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,040 new. I can remember years and years 56 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:23,440 ago. You guys are probably also 57 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,720 familiar with freely the Banana Girl and Durian Ryder, who 58 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,000 promoted and I think still promote a very high carb, high 59 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:38,080 sugar vegan diet specifically. And there's a common thread with 60 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,720 all of the people who are promoting sugar fasting and 61 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,600 talking about how they feel so amazing, how they have so much 62 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,560 energy, how they're losing weight, how they stay lean. 63 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:54,480 The common thread here is that they are all very active and 64 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,480 very metabolically fit people to begin with. 65 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,720 These are people with very high energy demands. 66 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,200 They are working out a lot. Mark Bell, like I said, he's a 67 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,280 weightlifter. And if we're looking at someone 68 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:09,400 like Cole Robinson, I'm pretty sure he does a lot of 69 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:11,360 weightlifting as well and strength training. 70 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,120 Durian Ryder and Freely the banana girl. 71 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,000 Oh my God I can't believe I'm even saying her name in this 72 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,839 video. But they are very active as 73 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,360 well. A lot of long distance cycling. 74 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:30,800 So for someone who has high energy demands, they are able to 75 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:35,200 use this energy quickly. They need more immediate energy, 76 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:39,200 and they're going to be able to get through it and not 77 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:43,440 experience those big swigs in blood sugar like the rest of the 78 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,320 general population would. Because if you eat something 79 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:48,960 that's high in carbs, high in sugar, and then you exercise 80 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,840 right afterwards, your body is able to use that energy right 81 00:04:52,840 --> 00:04:55,680 away to fuel your workout. And that's why things such as 82 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,640 simple carbohydrates are good to have before you're doing 83 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,760 something that requires glucose to fuel it. 84 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:07,680 So any high intensity exercise, the primary fuel source for this 85 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,720 is going to be glucose. So if you eat sugar and then you 86 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,360 workout intensely right away, your body is going to be able to 87 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,560 use that immediately for energy and you will not experience as 88 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,200 big of a spike in blood sugar as you would if you were to eat 89 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,640 that same meal and then sit on the couch. 90 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:29,320 So people who are promoting sugar fasting, they are a small 91 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:34,560 minority of people and their situation is not the same as the 92 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,960 general population. The general population, most of 93 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:42,000 which are insulin resistant to some degree on track for pre 94 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,120 diabetes or type 2 diabetes if they're not already there. 95 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:49,080 The general population is trending more towards being 96 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,160 overweight, metabolically unhealthy, and as soon as you 97 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:56,360 start to develop insulin resistance, which something like 98 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,360 88% of Americans do have some level of it, as soon as you 99 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:04,600 start to develop it, your body isn't able to metabolise and 100 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,600 handle carbohydrates as efficiently, and that includes 101 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:09,240 sugar. So what this means is that when 102 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:12,440 you eat these foods, your body isn't able to convert them to 103 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,480 energy the way that they should. And This is why eventually over 104 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,680 time your fasting blood sugar will start to creep up because 105 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,560 the insulin resistance, the excess insulin that's being 106 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:27,040 pumped out won't be able to keep U with higher sugar higher carb 107 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:32,160 amount that's in your diet. OI can see why temporarily 108 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:37,760 people who are very fit, very active, are feeling good, eating 109 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:42,120 high quantities of sugar just because it does spike your 110 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,560 dopamine and it does provide very quick energy. 111 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,040 But the vast majority of people nowadays do not need a quick 112 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,920 energy source. They need a more stable study 113 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,880 energy source because this is what's going to lead to fewer 114 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,560 cravings throughout the day, more stable energy long term 115 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:00,920 throughout the day, fewer cravings because they won't be 116 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:03,280 experiencing those spikes and crashes their blood sugar. 117 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:07,640 So people who are promoting sugar fasting, I think it's 118 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:12,160 dangerous because yes, this small group of people can get 119 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,240 away with it because they are already metabolically healthy 120 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,720 and they are exercising a lot. But the majority of people are 121 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:23,040 not in that camp. And if you take someone who is 122 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:26,920 insulin resistant, not yet pre diabetic, but their cells are 123 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,720 starting to resist insulin, they're starting to have a bit 124 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:31,560 of trouble with blood sugar control. 125 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,680 They're having cravings, syrup the day they're putting on 126 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,200 weight, specifically around their midsection. 127 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,280 People with insulin resistance will also develop skin tags 128 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,040 around their neck and in their armpits. 129 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,200 If you are someone who is insulin resistant in the early 130 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:49,920 stages and you have this massive amount of sugar in a day, like I 131 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:54,960 said, upwards of 300 grammes of specifically simple sugar is 132 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:56,400 what a lot of people are promoting. 133 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:59,120 That's 300 grammes of sugar that is going to enter your 134 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,520 bloodstream. To put that into perspective, 135 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:04,920 our body tries to maintain a blood sugar level of about four 136 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,520 grammes. That is the sweet spot. 137 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:12,720 So yes, maybe they're not having 300 grammes all at once, but 300 138 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:17,560 grammes over the course of the day, that is a lot for the body 139 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:19,840 to deal with. And especially if the body is 140 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,560 already having trouble metabolising carbohydrates and 141 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:25,600 sugar. If carbohydrates stores in the 142 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,200 body are already full, which they likely are in someone who's 143 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,320 insulin resistant and not really tapping into that reserve of 144 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:37,039 energy because the body can store a limited amount of 145 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:43,760 carbohydrates, glucose, glycogen to be exact, in our muscles and 146 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:47,680 also in our liver. So someone with more muscle mass 147 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:52,120 is also able to store more energy from carbohydrates, which 148 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:55,200 also goes along with the people who are promoting this being 149 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,720 more fit and why they're able to handle this better. 150 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:03,480 But someone with less muscle mass and someone who isn't that 151 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,880 active isn't really using these stored carbs. 152 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,640 So when you add more to that situation, that's when the cells 153 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,560 in the body start to resist insulin, which is bringing the 154 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:15,800 extra sugar from the bloodstream to the cells. 155 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:19,640 And when this happens, then that's when insulin resistance 156 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,600 starts to occur because the cells are like not we're already 157 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,000 full, we have enough energy, we can't take in anymore. 158 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:29,080 And then the body sees that blood sugar is still above 159 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,800 again, that 4 grammes and it goes, something's not right, I'm 160 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:36,520 gonna release more insulin. So more insulin is pumped out. 161 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,240 And then what ends up happening in the early stages of insulin 162 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,280 resistance is your blood sugar will look normal. 163 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,520 So you might not be diagnosed with pre diabetes or have any 164 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,280 idea that anything is wrong at this point in time, but your 165 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:52,080 insulin will be high. And that's because it's just 166 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:57,040 taking more insulin to force the excess glucose into your cells. 167 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:02,040 And it's the high levels of insulin that lead to a lot of 168 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:04,920 the side effects that come from insulin resistance and 169 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,080 eventually pre diabetes. Because insulin is a growth 170 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:09,720 hormone. And when insulin levels are 171 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,600 high, you're going to be more likely to store fat, especially 172 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,840 around your midsection, especially around your liver and 173 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:19,720 your organs. Insulin resistance is a huge 174 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:23,360 driver for fatty liver. This is also why it causes skin 175 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,000 tags to grow because again, it's a growth hormone. 176 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:28,400 So there's people who are very active, they might be getting 177 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:30,760 through their stored carbs and they might need to replenish 178 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,200 them in order to be able to fuel their workouts. 179 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,040 But vast majority of people, even if you're a casual 180 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,040 exerciser, even if you go to a workout class every single day, 181 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:44,960 I can almost guarantee you are not depleting your glycogen 182 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:48,920 stores and you don't need this quick energy to fuel your 183 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:51,160 workouts. There's also the risk of 184 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:54,560 inflammation going up when you're consuming so much sugar 185 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,960 because it is inflammatory. And I've just spoken about 186 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,520 insulin resistance so far. But if your insulin resistance 187 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:05,440 has progressed to pre diabetes or type 2 diabetes, then you 188 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,840 will already know that you are having more trouble keeping your 189 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:12,000 fasting blood sugar down. You will already know that your 190 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,200 blood sugar stays higher than it should for longer than it should 191 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:19,440 after you eat. So I can only imagine what we 192 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:25,640 would see if someone who is type 2 diabetic were to eat these 193 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:29,560 massive amounts of sugar, were to go on a sugar fast. 194 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:33,320 It is insane to me. And let me tell you, I looked 195 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:36,600 through quite a few testimonials, if you will, about 196 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,600 sugar fasting and about the sugar diet. 197 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:42,200 And like I said, all of them were very fit people. 198 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,760 And I think it's really harmful to be putting the message out 199 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:50,840 there that sugar is the answer when we have so much evidence 200 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:55,360 that suggests otherwise. The other issue is when you are 201 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:59,760 doing a sugar fast, you are not getting any other micronutrients 202 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:03,200 really, especially if you are relying on processed simple 203 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:05,880 sugars as some of these people are promoting. 204 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,120 Yes, the likes of like Durian Ryder, they're eating mainly 205 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:10,720 fruit. So there will be some 206 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:12,880 micronutrients and electrolytes in that. 207 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:17,480 But some of these newer guys, no, they're promoting pure 208 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,840 candy. And The thing is, is that the 209 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:25,400 body actually does not require any sugar, or any carbohydrates 210 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:29,440 for that matter, to survive and function optimally. 211 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,560 There are essential proteins, which are amino acids, and there 212 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:37,200 are essential fats, which are fatty acids, but there is no 213 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,480 essential carbohydrate. And that is because our bodies 214 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:45,960 can make sugar internally out of other substances, so we don't 215 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,600 actually have to consume it. Whereas with some of these amino 216 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,200 acids and with some of the fatty acids, our bodies can't make 217 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:57,160 them or can't make them in big enough amounts, so we have to 218 00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:01,200 get them through a diet. So that is why people feel so 219 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,080 good on low carb keto diets because they're eating mainly 220 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,520 fat and protein. They're getting those 221 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,200 micronutrients that they need, they're getting those essential 222 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:15,320 like amino acids and they're limiting sugar and carbs, which 223 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:20,360 like I said, sugar, it does have its place specifically for 224 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:25,000 people who are very active and have very high intense energy 225 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,840 needs. And that's the pro of simple 226 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,480 sugars. They're broken down quickly, 227 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,320 they're digested quickly and they can fuel you quickly. 228 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,240 But most people do not need that. 229 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:40,640 They need more steady energy without those big crashes and 230 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,200 falls in blood sugar. And yes, there is going to be a 231 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,440 dopamine hit, but that's also going to come with a crash and 232 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:50,080 you can definitely become a little bit addicted to it. 233 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,640 And in which case you keep needing more and more and more. 234 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,800 And that is a dangerous cycle to get into. 235 00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:59,440 Even with things that aren't related to food or aren't 236 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,200 related to sugar, you can get dopamine hits and you can get 237 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:05,360 addicted to it, but it's even worse when you're getting it 238 00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:10,680 from something like sugar that has other negative consequences 239 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:12,640 on the body. Feeling good in the short term 240 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,640 doesn't equal being healthy, and if you're relying on sugar for 241 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:21,080 this emotional reward, you are going down a dangerous path. 242 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,400 Now there's debate over whether sugar addiction is real, but as 243 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:28,800 someone who used to eat a lot of carbs and a lot of sugar and 244 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:33,280 would feel pretty crap if I didn't eat these foods, I don't 245 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:36,960 know, it felt pretty real to me. And I hear this all the time 246 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:41,160 with people who find it's easier to just cut carbs completely 247 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:45,000 down in their diet, cut sugar completely out, rather than have 248 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,560 a little bit or rather than eat in moderation. 249 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,640 Which again, is why low carb diets, intermittent fasting, 250 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:55,080 ketogenic diets are so effective because people find that they 251 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,000 can kind of break their relationship with sugar. 252 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:00,160 They don't need to be eating it all the time. 253 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:04,280 And that does also tie in with blood sugar issues and the spike 254 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,280 that sugar causes and the subsequent crash. 255 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:10,320 But it is emotional as well. And the reason that I think this 256 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,720 trend has sort of blown up is that everyone is looking, well, 257 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,640 in the online space at least, everyone is always looking to 258 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,440 take things one step further. They're always wanting to try 259 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:21,880 the next thing. And we see this with the 260 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:26,240 pipeline where people start out at paleo and then they go low 261 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:29,640 carb, then they go keto, then they go carnivore. 262 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:34,800 It just gets more and more extreme and I do kind of see the 263 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,600 appeal. It is fun to be on this space 264 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:41,520 online and kind of always chasing the next thing, but if 265 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,200 you actually want to live a healthy lifestyle, this isn't 266 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,320 sustainable. And that's where I in the past 267 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:50,200 have went down this pipeline. I do think that low carbon 268 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,240 ketogenic diets, even the carnivore diet can be very, 269 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:57,680 very, very effective. But I do also now recognise that 270 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,040 not everybody has to be that strict. 271 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,120 And I hate to use the word balance. 272 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:06,560 I'm not going to use it, but you can have a more relaxed approach 273 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:11,720 and instead of focusing on specific macros or specific 274 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:16,920 calories or percentages, instead if you focus on certain 275 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:21,280 principles, if you focus on never eating carbs in isolation, 276 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:26,480 focusing all your meals around protein, not fearing fat, having 277 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:30,000 an early dinner, drinking apple cider vinegar, that sort of 278 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,480 thing. Incorporating some sort of 279 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,480 intermittent fasting, even if that just means skipping snacks 280 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,240 throughout the day. If you can do these little 281 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,400 things, you are going to get big results. 282 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,080 And it doesn't have to be some big strict diet. 283 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,960 You don't need to go out and every time you're eating out 284 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,400 with people go, oh, I can't eat that, I'm doing keto. 285 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,600 You can kind of use this framework and use these habits 286 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:57,240 to live your life and to make the best choices you can as 287 00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,440 often as you can. And that's what's going to add 288 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:03,240 up over time. So doing these strict sugar 289 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:09,680 fasts or even a strict carnivore diet, yes, it's going to, well, 290 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:14,319 maybe not sugar fasting, but carnivore and whatnot. 291 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:18,560 You might feel good short term, but are you going to be able to 292 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:22,480 maintain the results? Or are you treating it as a diet 293 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:24,359 and something that's going to be temporary? 294 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:26,880 Because if you go straight back to how you were eating 295 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,760 beforehand, if you've lost all your weight, if you've reversed 296 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:32,200 your insulin resistance, but then you go back to the standard 297 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,200 American diet, your insulin resistance is going to come back 298 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,440 Because it is that diet and the lifestyle choices you are 299 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:40,960 making, they got you to that point in the 1st place. 300 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:44,240 And that's actually what my last podcast episode was about. 301 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:49,520 I was talking about if you can go back to a normal diet after 302 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:53,480 you reverse insulin resistance. And I'll link that video up 303 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,000 above or put it in the description box if you're on 304 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,520 Spotify. But short answer is when your 305 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:04,080 insulin resistance reverses, you have regained your tolerance and 306 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:08,240 your ability to metabolise carbohydrates to some degree, so 307 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,520 you will be able to eat more of them and not suffer the same 308 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,040 side effects you would have when you were insulin resistant. 309 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:19,400 However, like I said, if you go entirely back to a standard 310 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,560 American diet, then it's just going to come back. 311 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,400 And that's where if you've developed these habits and focus 312 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,480 on the principles rather than specific foods, there's not 313 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,440 really an end to the diet. And you going back to your 314 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:34,360 normal life. You kind of have just 315 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:39,000 incorporated the changes into your life and it should be easy 316 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:40,920 to maintain. Now with all that being said, I 317 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:45,240 do think fasting is extremely effective for reversing insulin 318 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:47,120 resistance and for overall health. 319 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:52,560 I don't think everybody needs to do OMAD one meal a day or even 320 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:57,160 like 18 hours of fasting a day. I think between 12 and 16 hours 321 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,120 of intermittent fasting per day and then eating 12 to 8 hour 322 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:02,760 window is the sweet spot for most people where they're still 323 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:06,640 able to develop that metabolic flexibility and train their body 324 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:10,280 to utilise fat as an energy source more efficiently, but 325 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:12,920 still be able to use carbohydrates and they are 326 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,280 available. I think that is the sweet spot 327 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:20,080 for most people. But extended fasting has so many 328 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:25,560 more benefits and I'm talking about fasting for 244872 plus 329 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:28,520 hours. Most of the benefits kind of tap 330 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:33,960 out at about 72 hours unless you are very very overweight, obese, 331 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,080 then you have a lot of stored energy so you will be able to 332 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,760 fast for longer and still feel good and get those additional 333 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:45,560 fat burning benefits. But if you can do anywhere from 334 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:52,600 24 to 72 hours, 1 fast once a month, once 1/4, even once a 335 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,880 year, you are going to see amazing benefits in terms of 336 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,800 longevity. Because what happens is when you 337 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,360 do an extended fast, something called autophagy ramps up and 338 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:06,720 it's basically where your body cleans out any damaged cells 339 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,560 that you have. I am a huge advocate for water 340 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,320 fasting and doing an extended fast and. 341 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:16,160 This is entirely different than a sugar fast. 342 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:19,120 So when you're doing this type of fast, you want to make sure 343 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:23,320 you are drinking enough water and adding electrolytes to your 344 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,600 water. Yes, dry fasting is a thing 345 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,720 where people do not consume any liquids. 346 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,800 A lot of people won't even touch water because they don't want 347 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:32,800 their bodies to absorb it through their skins. 348 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:34,560 They won't even shower during this time. 349 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,960 But there honestly isn't enough evidence to support the benefits 350 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:40,120 of dry fasting. It hasn't been researched 351 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:44,840 heavily, whereas water fasting has and is truly supported by 352 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,240 the literature. But like I said, you need to be 353 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,000 doing it the right way. So when you're water fasting, 354 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,960 you only want to be consuming water Electrolytes, specifically 355 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,720 an electrolyte that doesn't have any sugar and that won't break a 356 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,600 fast. You can also have black coffee 357 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:03,800 and tea and anything else that has no calories. 358 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:05,480 Any other drink that has no calories. 359 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:08,760 Now there is a bit of a grey area here. 360 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:12,720 Things like diet soda, yes, technically don't have calories, 361 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,640 but there's debate over whether they break a fast or not because 362 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:20,040 they're still sweet. So the sweet taste can trigger 363 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:22,800 the release of insulin. Your body thinks there's sugar 364 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:26,800 coming in so it releases insulin and the benefits of fasting. 365 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:29,360 Autophagy really kicks in when insulin is low. 366 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,320 So if you're drinking diet soda while fasting, you are 367 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:36,240 potentially increasing your insulin and taking away from the 368 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,320 benefits. But if I can give you 1 tip, if 369 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,720 you are trying to do an extended fast or maybe you've tried to do 370 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,640 even 24 hours in the past and found it very difficult, it 371 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,520 would be to make sure you are using a quality electrolyte 372 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,320 supplement. Because when we fast, when our 373 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,680 insulin is low, we retain less water. 374 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:55,520 And when we retain less water, we also retain fewer 375 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:57,400 electrolytes. So it's really, really important 376 00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:59,840 to replenish them. If we don't replenish them, this 377 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:04,080 is when we can suffer from headaches, fatigue, dizziness, 378 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:07,360 and these are things that a lot of people do experience when 379 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:10,400 they try to do an extended fast and it's because they're just 380 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,040 drinking plain water. And that's why I highly 381 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,360 recommend Soda's Everyday Hydration salts. 382 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,720 They have no sugar, no artificial sweetener, and no 383 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,000 additives, so they will not break your fast. 384 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,400 Plus, they are high in sodium, which a lot of electrolyte 385 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,080 supplements on the market aren't. 386 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:30,400 There's this fear around sodium and salt and increasing blood 387 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,880 pressure and worsening health. But when you were eating a whole 388 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,880 food diet, when you've cut processed food out of your diet, 389 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,280 you have cut out a lot of the sodium you would typically be 390 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,200 getting. And sodium is actually an 391 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,960 essential electrolyte. We just get so much of it in 392 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,480 through our diet when we're eating a lot of processed food. 393 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,200 But if we have switched to a more whole food diet and 394 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,000 specifically a diet that's lower in carbs because again, lower 395 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,880 insulin, retain fewer electrolytes, and especially for 396 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:01,280 intermittent fasting, we need to replenish sodium. 397 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:03,680 So sodium shouldn't be feared. If you've had another 398 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:06,400 electrolyte supplement in the past during an intermittent fast 399 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:08,560 and you've been like, OK, I don't really notice the 400 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:10,160 difference. Try SODI. 401 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:13,360 They're an Australian company, but they do ship worldwide and 402 00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:17,440 you can save 15% off your first order when you use code HCK 15 403 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,840 at checkout. Head to healthcoachk.com/sodi 404 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:25,600 electrolytes. That's SODII electrolytes to 405 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:28,880 check them out and learn more. So in summary, yeah, sugar 406 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:34,000 fasting does seem trendy. It can be fun to try different 407 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,840 things out, especially if you're really into the health and 408 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:39,160 Wellness space, especially if you've tried a lot of these 409 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:44,120 diets before and you're always trying to feel better and 410 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:47,720 improve your health even more. But honestly, this isn't the way 411 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,600 to go for the vast majority of people who like I said, are 412 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,640 overweight, have some level of insulin resistance, are already 413 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:55,160 at the point where they're pre diabetic. 414 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,560 Sugar fasting is going to make things way way worse. 415 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,520 You are not going to feel as good as some of these people you 416 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:04,840 see online are feeling. Now I want to hear from you guys 417 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,960 because I know I've gotten a few comments over the last few weeks 418 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:10,680 asking for my opinion on sugar fasting. 419 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,400 But I'm sure a lot of you have never heard of this before, but 420 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,800 I want to hear from you. Had you heard of this trend? 421 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,440 Was it something that had actually piqued your interest 422 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:23,480 and that you were maybe considering no shame? 423 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:24,960 Let me know in the comments down below. 424 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,200 And if you have tried it, I would also love to hear from 425 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:29,480 you. So let me know. 426 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,240 Thank you guys so much for tuning into the podcast. 427 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,440 If you're watching on YouTube, make sure to give this video a 428 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:36,920 thumbs up. Share it with a friend who's 429 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,840 curious about sugar fasting if you know someone. 430 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:42,760 And if you're watching on Spotify, I would love if you 431 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:44,920 could rate and review the podcast there. 432 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:47,360 Thanks guys for watching and I will see you in the next one. 433 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:47,880 Bye.