When I read a book I have the habit of highlighting certain passages I find interesting or useful. After I finish the book I’ll type up those passages and put them into a note on my phone. I’ll keep them to comb through every so often so that I remember what that certain book was about. That’s what these are. So if I ever end up lending you a book, these are the sections that I’ve highlighted in that book. Enjoy!
Your body can’t work the way it’s supposed to if any of your hormones is out of tune. Once one loses the beat, they all follow. That’s why, when your hormones are off note, you can’t just focus on one hormone at a time—you have to work to get them all in tune and playing in the right key again.
this is not a book about being thin to be healthy. It’s about being healthy to be thin.
Too many stressful deadlines spike belly-fat-creating cortisol. Synthetic estrogens in the environment assault the body from every corner, and fake out your testosterone. Too many missed nights of sleep make fat-burning growth hormones dip low. Skipped lunches make the hunger hormone ghrelin jump. Addictions to sugared sodas stop satiety (fullness) hormones like leptin from working.
French fries are one of the three most common vegetables consumed by infants 9 to 11 months of age.
Children who play sports are 80 percent less likely to be overweight than kids who never played any.
The entire journey to health is about power. The definition of power, in my opinion, is learning how to make your dream a reality.
A bad day for your ego is a great day for your soul.
Some spur people to fidget in their seats, burning hundreds of excess calories a day.
Each of these stress hormones is released in different ratios based on the challenge you face. If you’re looking at a challenge that you think you can handle, your adrenals release more norepinephrine. (And after you win, you release more testosterone as you savor the victory.) If you face a challenge that seems more difficult, something you’re not sure you can master, you release more epinephrine, the “anxiety hormone.” But when you’re overwhelmed, totally discouraged, and convinced you’re screwed, you release more cortisol. That distinction has led some researchers to call cortisol “the hormone of defeat.”
Once you eat, your body releases a cascade of rewarding brain chemicals that can set up an addictive relationship with food. You feel stressed, you eat. Your body releases natural opioids, you feel better. If you don’t consciously avoid this pattern, you can become physically and psychologically dependent on that release to manage stress
Limit your caffeine to 200 milligrams a day, avoid simple carbs, processed foods, and refined grains, and get plenty of high-quality protein.
Growth hormone is released in adults in an average of five pulses throughout each day. The largest of these pulses happens during our deepest, stage 4 sleep, about one hour after we first drop off.
You now know that your metabolism is made up of different hormones. When these hormones are functioning normally, everything’s just fine
The more processed the food is, the greater the chance is that some unscrupulous biochemist is tinkering around with your neurochemistry to make you want to eat more
Whenever I talk about eating organic food, some people always wonder what the fuss is about. “C’mon—is the extra money really worth it, Jillian? Times are tough.” What price do you put on your health?
Eating before you are hungry will make your metabolism start to hum along like a finely tooled machine.
A processed food is any food that’s been canned, frozen, dehydrated, or had chemicals added in to make it last longer, texturize it, soften it, allow it to sit on the shelf forever.
To battle garlic breath (which can last up to eighteen hours—gross), chew a sprig of parsley or mint after your meal.
Make sure your post-workout snack contains a good balance of fat and protein. Low-protein diet A study of older men found that a low-protein diet elevated sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels. Since SHBG binds to other hormones and makes them unavailable for use, elevated SHBG decreases available testosterone.
Discard any soft or bruised berries and store the rest in a bowl lined with a paper towel in the refrigerator. Try to eat them within forty-eight hours of purchase. When berries are in season at the local farmers market, buy an entire flat, take them home, and gently wash them and let them dry. Place the berries on a cookie sheet and freeze them, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, where they can keep for up to two years.
Turns out whole eggs are a nearly perfect food, with almost every essential vitamin and mineral our bodies need to function. (Pair an egg with an orange and you’ll get the one thing that’s missing—vitamin C)
Nuts and seeds hit all the right snacking notes (BEST CHOICES: almonds and walnuts), yet behind the scenes, they’re helping to protect you from heart disease, diabetes, and inflammation.
Try to eat raw nuts whenever possible—roasting the nuts can cause their precious fats to be damaged. Once you get used to them, you’ll likely find them more satisfying and rich than roasted ones.
Oatmeal is the perfect breakfast—one study found that it keeps your blood sugar stable longer than many other foods. Transition away from instant varieties toward steel-cut oats, if only on the weekend.
Eat Every 4 Hours, Eat Until You’re Full—But Not Stuffed, and Combine Foods Correctly.
About one hour after you fall asleep—at about midnight for most people—your body releases its largest pulse of growth hormone for the day. Insulin inhibits growth hormone production, so the last thing you want to do is eat any carbs that will drive up your insulin and interfere with this precious fat-burning growth hormone supply.
Buy eggs packaged in cardboard containers.
Choose dish soaps without chlorine or phosphates. Good brands include Seventh Generation, Ecover, and Mrs. Meyer’s.
Don’t open your dishwasher door during the wash cycle. That “whoosh” of steam releases toxic volatized chlorine from the combination of detergent and tap water.
NASA scientists found that one potted plant every one hundred square feet can remove many harmful contaminants from the air in your home. Best varieties include bamboo palm, English ivy, gerbera daisy, and green spider.
When I lie awake at night with thoughts swimming around in my head, I get up and write them all down. I identify what is bothering me and I create a game plan to fix it.
@joekotlan on X