Morgana Lakatos-Hayward is a health coach and business owner of This Isn't a Diet where the primary focus is to help women lose weight without dieting and balance their hormones, blood sugar and gut health. She is the host of Listen to This When You're Done Dieting on Spotify, with her new book, Read This When You're Done Dieting on the way.
There are so many diets out there today, how can you choose the right one? The answer is simple: you don’t. Dieting trends take you away from building long-term healthy eating habits and contribute to hormonal imbalances, disordered eating, body dysmorphia, wasted money, and a worsened relationship with food. What if I told you could hack your way to food freedom while achieving your goals?
Micro fasting
There is a myth going around that eating smaller meals more consistently throughout your day is the healthiest way to eat. I call BS. It is in fact better to eat good quality and nutrient-dense meals three times per day (without snacking).
Here’s why: after eating, your body is in a postprandial state. This state is where your body undergoes the rigorous process of digesting your food, accompanied by low-grade inflammation. Your food is being broken up into smaller nutrients and swept every 90 minutes further down the digestive tract. According to Meessen, Warmbrunn, Nieuwdorp, and Soeters, the average person spends 16 hours in this inflamed state. When there is food incoming, the body cannot properly rest, digest and come out of this inflammation.
Whole foods over processed foods
In case you didn’t hear, processed foods are out this season. These foods are called “dead foods” as they hold no energetic properties and do not provide adequate nourishment for the body. Not to mention that they are full of sugar, salt, fat, chemicals and toxins.
Whole foods provide the body with essential vitamins, antioxidants and minerals which keep the body functioning optimally. They raise the body’s vibrational frequency, are full of fiber to keep you full and help ward off a myriad of chronic conditions and diseases. Be sure to wash them properly with baking soda and apple cider vinegar to remove herbicides and pesticides.
Get 2-3 different whole food colors per plate
Your gut microbiome lends itself to many uses. It is directly linked to your brain and influences how you think and feel, determines how easily you can lose weight, has a role in hormone balancing, as well as your digestive health, to name a few. Every color of whole foods provides different benefits to the gut microbiome, explaining why eating a varied diet is key to getting all nutrients in:
Red whole foods have powerful antioxidant properties and help the cardiovascular system
Orange whole foods are rich in beta-carotene which is key to a woman’s reproductive health
Yellow foods are rich in pre and probiotics that directly benefit gut health
Green whole foods offer chlorophyll, folate, magnesium, nitrates and vitamin K
Blue and purple whole foods are responsible for nutrients which impact brain health
Eat healthy foods in the right order
This hack will regulate your blood sugar levels, lead to easier weight loss and help balance your hormones. Win-win. This is because when carbohydrates are eaten last, they are absorbed slower into the blood stream allowing for them to be used before being stored as fat, as well as avoiding high glucose spikes. Creating a good base in your stomach before having any type of sugar is key. Try eating your fiber first, proteins and fats second and ending your meal with carbs.
Know when to drink
Try to drink liquids 30 minutes before and after your meals and limit drinking during your meal. This hack will help you digest your food easier as liquids dilute the pH level of the acid in your stomach, making it more difficult to break up food.
Eat all macros
Many diets emphasize restriction and elimination of certain macronutrient groups. However, every macronutrient lends itself to nourishing your body in different ways and are essential to creating a healthy long-term eating plan. There is a lot of talk about eliminating carbohydrates or low-carbohydrate diets, but it is important to emphasize slow-burning carbs like sweet potatoes rather than quick burning starches such as white bread.
Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime
Your sleep is vital to allowing your body to properly de-stress, rest, repair and digest. Eating too close to your bedtime can disrupt your sleep and keep you from reaching deep sleep where these processes take place. A great eating window is between 7 am to 7 pm. The downtime you give your digestive system before sleep is vital.
Read more from Morgana Lakatos-Hayward
Morgana Lakatos-Hayward, Health Coach, Podcaster, Author
Morgana is a former world champion Latin dancer turned health coach. From making under $25k per year to now owning a thriving health coaching practice called: "This Isn't a Diet", a podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts "Listen to This When You're Done Dieting", and a book on the way entitled "Read This When You're Done Dieting", she has turned her financial situation around to become financially independent and open 6 different income streams. She is currently working on developing two more income streams and claims that her financial shift started with a simple mindset change.
References:
Lal, Aggie. Biohack like a Woman: How to Get Fit Effortlessly, Feel Beautiful, Have More Energy, and Unleash Your Superpowers with Biohacking. Biohacking Bestie, 2024.
Meessen, Emma C E, et al. “Human Postprandial Nutrient Metabolism and Low-Grade Inflammation: A Narrative Review.” Nutrients, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 Dec. 2019.
