Jane Smolnik, ND, C.I.H.
Aug 7, 20182 min
If you struggle with food allergies, are having trouble digesting foods, are experiencing skin issues like eczema and/or acne, or find yourself constantly fatigued, it’s probably time to biohack yourself with an elimination diet.
An elimination diet sounds scary, but it’s just a short-term eating plan to figure out if the foods you’re eating are playing a role in whatever issues you’re experiencing. Here’s how it works: for 3 to 4 weeks, you’ll remove foods that are known allergens, giving any inflammation time to go down and giving you a clean slate. Gluten, soy, dairy, peanuts, and corn are all foods to cut out during this time.
Then, you will slowly reintroduce the banned foods, paying attention to how you feel and how your body responds physically. If you suspect a food you’ve added back into your diet is an irritant, you’ll remove it again and see if symptoms clear up. The goal is to pinpoint whether you are less tolerant of some foods than others.
By simply changing when you’re eating, you can biohack your body. Intermittent fasting is gaining popularity as a method of losing weight and normalizing insulin sensitivity, which can help prevent chronic diseases like diabetes. It also regulates ghrelin levels, more commonly known as the hunger hormone, which tells your brain when you’re hungry, and leptin, which signals to the brain that you’re full and should stop eating.
If you’re not getting enough ZZZZ’s every night and suffering from sleep deprivation, you’re putting yourself at risk for a host of health problems, including a higher risk for chronic disease, a weakened immune system, depression, trouble concentrating, irritability, and increased appetite and out—of—whack hormones.
Meditation is the ultimate brain hack. The benefits of meditation are huge: from reducing pain and increasing sleep quality to lowering inflammation and boosting productivity. If you’re suffering from stress or anxiety, meditation can also be a really effective way of naturally dealing with symptoms.
These are only 4 ways to start your biohacking adventure. If you are looking to dive more into biohacking your body then please click the link below and see how you can start biohack yourself today.