The Daily Five with Dr. Ronald A. Primas

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, running in the background to carry out essential functions and processes. One of the most important and well-known circadian rhythms is the sleep-wake cycle.

Different systems of the body follow circadian rhythms that are synchronized with a master clock in the brain. This master clock is directly influenced by environmental cues, especially light, which is why circadian rhythms are tied to the cycle of day and night.

When properly aligned, a circadian rhythm can promote consistent and restorative sleep. But when this circadian rhythm is thrown off, it can create significant sleeping problems, including insomnia. Research is also revealing that circadian rhythms play an integral role in diverse aspects of physical and mental health.

Time-restricted eating is a form of daily fasting wherein the time of the day during which a person eats is limited, or compressed. People who practice time-restricted eating typically eat during an 8- to 12-hour daytime window and fast during the remaining 12 to 16 hours. Unlike intermittent fasting, which involves caloric restriction, time-restricted eating permits a person to eat as much as they want during the eating window.

Most of the wearable devices on the market today only offer basic sleep analysis and heart rate tracking. Biostrap provides deep insights into your sleep, recovery and overall health to help you make more informed decisions each day.
A lot of information is encoded in your pulse waveform. Using a Red and Infrared LED sensors, Biostrap takes a high-definition snapshot of your biometric data such as Resting Heart Rate, Heart Rate Variability, Oxygen Saturation and Respiratory Rate. Biostrap’s advanced sleep tracking tells you how long you slept, how long it took you to fall asleep, whether you woke up during the night and how much time you spent in different stages of sleep.

Fast mimicking is a type of modified fasting. Instead of abstaining from food completely like a traditional fast, you consume small amounts of food — but you do it in a way that gives you the benefits of fasting.
A fast-mimicking diet typically lasts about five days — you’ll keep your carb, protein, and calorie intake low and your fat intake high. Calories are kept at around 40% of normal intake. This keeps you nourished with nutrients and electrolytes. It also puts less stress on your body than normal fasting while still giving you the same benefits.
Long-term calorie restriction and long-term fasting can harmful, but fast mimicking is safer and more effective. First, look at how much it differs from traditional fasting.
Just like with intermittent fasting, there are many myths about these modified fasts: Your muscles will waste away, you’ll kill your metabolism, and it’s downright unhealthy.
The above might be true for someone who is actually starving, restricting calories for weeks, months, or years at a time, or doing no-food water fasting.
These can lead to metabolic damage and are especially bad for people with underlying health conditions. But as mentioned, fast mimicking gives you all the benefits without these side effects.
A fast mimicking diet can give you similar benefits to regular fasting. Some people call it the longevity diet because it helps increase your overall well-being.

Here are some tips to help you get started on a plant-based diet.

• • Eat lots of vegetables. Fill half your plate with vegetables at lunch and dinner. Make sure you include plenty of colors in choosing your vegetables. Enjoy vegetables as a snack with hummus, salsa, or guacamole.
  • Change the way you think about meat. Have smaller amounts. Use it as a garnish instead of a centerpiece.
  • Choose good fats. Fats in olive oil, olives, nuts and nut butters, seeds, and avocados are particularly healthy choices.
  • Cook a vegetarian meal at least one night a week. Build these meals around beans, whole grains, and vegetables.
  • Go for greens. Try a variety of green leafy vegetables such as kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach, and other greens each day. Steam, grill, braise, or stir-fry to preserve their flavor and nutrients.
  • Build a meal around a salad. Fill a bowl with salad greens such as romaine, spinach, Bibb, or red leafy greens. Add an assortment of other vegetables along with fresh herbs, beans or peas.

And. Be mindful, live in the moment and do some stress reduction technique like qigong