Fasting and French Bread
(This was my fav toy, my Mama and Papa say they think it’s because it reminded be of a giant boob).
This post is mostly on why I am no longer being teased about my bizarre eating habits.
I started out as a very picky eater. (Sorry Mom and Pops). If it wasn't a boob I’d rather starve. Then if it wasn’t lasagna I’d rather starve. Then chicken nuggets, and let’s not forget my melted butter phase.
Luckily the older I get the less picky I have become about ‘what’ I will eat, but the ‘when’ I will eat has stayed pretty consistent.
I only eat one meal a day.
I don’t eat for 20 hours out of the day. I have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but dinner is my only meal. I will eat brunch most weekends, and of course on Holidays I try to follow the eating schedule of those around me. And don’t get me started on my trip to France where I had bread cheese and wine morning to night, and loved every minute of it.
But for the majority of my 32 years I have preferred to only have one meal a day. One. Massive. Delicious. Meal.
Why?
Here are my personal reasons I’ve had since high school that have absolutely nothing to do with science or research.
I love food, but I don’t like being distracted by it. I like not having food take up brain space in my day until I have gotten all my work done, worked out and showered, and am ready to relax. Food is my reward for being a functional human being LOL.
I love the feeling of being full, but I don’t like how I instantly get sluggish and sleepy after I eat. I like using the energy that being slightly hungry gives, to be productive during my mornings and afternoons.
I like being fit, but I don’t like having to monitor calorie intake. I do eat pretty healthy, but it’s really nice and satisfying to be able to just eat as much as I want during my mealtime and not worry about the calories.
I can’t count how many times I have been teased or even scolded by people about only eating one meal a day. My entire life I’ve just smiled and listened to the lectures of why they thought it was unhealthy, and then completely disregarded the info and continued right along with what works for me.
I’ve been accused of ‘never eating’, and ‘starving myself’ which is just very untrue. I eat A LOT of food, I just prefer to have all of my food in one sitting rather than spread throughout my day. I assure you the calorie count is well within a healthy daily amount for my height and weight and how active I am.
So imagine how happy I was when all of these studies on Intermittent Fasting started coming out.
AWESOME. Suddenly some of my friends are trying it, and my husband who used to tease me all the time is pretty much on my exact same eating schedule. I’ll never forget when he shouted from the other room as he was researching IF, that I may be onto something and he was going to try it. He loves it now, and not only does it make our meal planning so much easier, but it also saves us some money.
In fact he is the reason I now know the research behind intermittent fasting, and yay for me because there are some awesome proven benefits!
Intermittent fasting is considered a ‘positive stressor’, just like exercise. There have been studies that show fasting can have anti-aging effects on the brain, which in turn helps fight inflammation, depression and can cause positive mood enhancement.
Autophagy: This is a fancy ass word for when your cells break down and devour themselves then recycle the components, turning them into amino acids. Fasting speeds up autophagy, and those amino acids are turned into energy for your brain and body.
Weight Management: Intermittent fasting can help with weight loss or maintaining your weight, in a couple ways. For some people it can take a lot of will and brain power to make yourself not overeat during all three of your daily meals. By fasting through one or two of them you take out that inner battle. Your stomach also shrinks during periods of not eating, and therefore you feel ‘full’ and satisfied sooner than you would.
And many more cool superhero powers like preventing diseases and extending your lifespan!
It was so cool to read the actual science behind my own random reasons. I also discovered that the first thing you eat after breaking your fast is very important. I had never thought about that before, but now I try to have a small snack right before dinner like a spoonful of peanut butter, or an avocado, or yogurt. That way I’m being more careful not to mess with my insulin levels.
I also learned that having a snack after my meal is not ideal because it is so late in the day, but I decided to disregard that. I tend to sleep better with a ‘lil snacky-snack in me, and I just like, want to have snacks while I watch Netflix, okay?
Aaaand now I feel like I should probably say a billion disclaimers about how fasting is NOT for everyone, and can be DANGEROUS if not done right, and shouldn’t be attempted without consulting your DOCTOR first to make sure it is a healthy choice for you, because everyone is different. There. Done. Moving on.
BUT, if you are looking for a change, and Intermittent Fasting sounds like something that would work for you, then I highly recommend at least giving it a try and seeing how you feel. I know for me it has been especially helpful during this season of staying at home for a few reasons:
Having to find things to keep myself busy during the mornings and afternoons that don't involve cooking and eating, has allowed me to really dive into some cool projects I have been putting off (ahem, you are experiencing one of them right now).
It has helped the hubby and I keep the Quarantine 15 at bay! LOL.
Dinner has become a highlight in our day, and I have so much fun planning, cooking, documenting, and best of all enjoying it with Mark.
So, in conclusion I’m really glad that I gave no mind to people calling me nuts all these years, because fasting just works for me, and turns out isn’t crazy at all. I hope I can apply that lesson to other areas of my life and get better and better at trusting myself. I also really hope some study doesn’t come out tomorrow proving all this wrong… but honestly I’d probably still just do my thang. As I hope you all are doing as well.
And now for the best part, and one of the reasons I intermittent fast:
HOME MADE FRENCH BREAD!!! Of course with my own lil twist and a lot less fuss because, I’m lazy. Real french bakers would definitely have my head for this, but I’m impatient and haven't eaten all day and want my bread NOW.
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (not luke warm, not hot, just warm)
1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon sunflower oil (or canola)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, but personally I’m obsessed with cinnamon especially in baking, just do a lil sprinkle at first to see if you like it)
2 1/4 cups flour
Preheat your oven to 375. Lightly grease your baking dish of choice. Combine water and yeast, give a quick stir, then immediately add sugar, oil, cinnamon, and lastly salt. Whisk gently until ingredients are dissolved then add in flour.
You MUST use your hands at this point. Take off any rings/bling and get all up in there. I like to add two cups of flour straight in and then slowly add the remaining ¼ cup as I kneed it (punny huh?). Put simply you want enough flour so that the dough isn't sticking to your hands, but not too much so the dough isn't sticking to itself. Massage or kneed the dough for 5 - 10 minutes until it is stretchy and happy feeling.
Okay now we need to talk about yeast. If you used active dry yeast: leave the dough in the bowl and cover with a plate or towel. Let it rise until it has doubled in size and then shape into the bread form you want on the greased baking dish. Cover and let rise again to desired amount. This can take a long time.
If like me you haven't been able to find yeast packets for about a month now because everyone and their moms are baking, and the only yeast you could find in the stores is bread maker machine yeast, then do the following: After you are done kneading the dough, shape it into your desired form and put in your baking dish. Cover with bowl or plate or towel and let rise until it has doubled in size. It will be pretty quick, like 25 - 30 minutes.
Basically no matter what yeast you use, you want it to sit covered up until the dough has doubled in size, however long that may take.
Then, using a sharp knife gently put a few slits into the top of the dough (this is to prevent ugly heat break points in the bread while it is cooking).
Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, I’d check it at 20. Basically bake until golden brown, and when you tap, it sounds kind of hollow. Remove and let cool and then, Bon Appetit!