365 Changes

Category: Companions

  • The Monk

    The monk eats simply: few ingredients, modest portions, full attention. Across traditions — Buddhist, Christian, Hindu — monastic eating shares common features: simplicity, intentionality, presence, moderation, and boundaries. Research by Kabat-Zinn on mindful eating shows attention and boundaries naturally limit consumption while increasing satisfaction. This companion covers the monastic approach, what the monk doesn’t do, meal structure, the inner experience, applying it to your next meal, and what changes when you eat like a monk. (4 min read)

  • The Information Overload

    Most nutrition advice, stripped of ideology and marketing, converges on a few principles: eat mostly whole foods, don’t eat constantly, eat enough protein, reduce ultra-processed foods, and stop when satisfied. The debates about keto versus low-fat, vegan versus carnivore — these are second-order details. If you nail the basics, most approaches work reasonably well. Michael Pollan compressed the whole thing into seven words — eat food, not too much, mostly plants — which is worth having and worth being exact about: it is a stated rule from a journalist’s argument, not a trial finding. This companion covers the conflicting noise,…

  • The Dried Fruit Bag

    Dried fruit is concentrated sugar. Removing water concentrates everything into a smaller package — a quarter-cup of raisins has the sugar of a full cup of grapes, but raisins can be eaten by the handful. Research by Flood-Obbagy and Rolls found fresh fruit provides satiety while dried fruit does not. Dried mango, dates, cranberries often contain 15-25+ grams of sugar per small serving. Some have added sugar on top. This companion covers the concentration effect, the numbers for common dried fruits, added sugar, the health halo, conducting the audit, fresh versus dried, and the trail mix trap. (4 min read)

  • The Cheese Plate

    A cheese plate is three different foods with different profiles: cheese (protein and fat, relatively satiating), crackers (refined carbs, not satiating), and dried fruit with honey (concentrated sugar). Research by Raynor shows variety prevents satiety. The strategic approach: eat the cheese if you want it, minimize or skip the crackers, and treat dried fruit and honey as the desserts they are. The plate is arranged to look like one elegant appetizer, but it’s actually cheese plus starch plus candy. This companion covers deconstructing the plate, the typical pattern, the strategic approach, specific elements, and social navigation. (4 min read)

  • The Five Stages

    The fed-to-fasted transition is usually presented in five stages: fed (0-4 hours), early fasting on liver glycogen (6-24 hours), gluconeogenesis (24-48 hours), ketosis (one to three days), and protein conservation (five days and beyond). That framing is Jason Fung’s presentation of mainstream physiology rather than a measurement — the phases are real and the tidiness is editorial, with the boundaries overlapping and blurring. Understanding them removes mystery from fasting; treating the hours as thresholds you cross on a schedule puts it back. This companion covers each stage in detail, what’s happening hormonally, how it feels, why this matters, and practical…

  • The Athlete

    An athlete asks: What does my body need to perform well today? Not “what do I want?” but “what will make me function optimally?” This shifts eating from emotional to functional. The athlete eats to fuel activity, recover from exertion, and maintain physical capacity. Whatever you do, your body enables it — and deserves fuel that supports that performance. This companion explores the athlete mindset, what your athlete needs today (protein, hydration, energy, recovery), the performance questions, the difference from “dieting,” what athletes avoid, your “sport,” and the daily check-in. (4 min read)

  • The Juice Check

    Most fruit juices contain 20-36 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving — comparable to or exceeding soda. Orange juice, apple juice, grape juice — they’re essentially liquid sugar with some vitamins. Research by Flood-Obbagy and Rolls found that eating whole fruit reduced subsequent calorie intake, while drinking juice did not. The “fruit” association creates a health halo that masks the reality: juice spikes blood sugar, provides minimal satiety, and delivers calories without fiber. This companion covers the numbers, why juice differs from fruit, the liquid calorie problem, the health halo, what’s in your fridge, and the children question. (4 min…

  • The Appetizer Round

    Appetizers are typically the most calorie-dense, least satisfying course (fried foods, cheese-heavy dishes, bread-based items) eaten before hunger is addressed. Eating with company is associated with eating more on a sliding scale: about 58% higher at a table of four than eating alone, in diary records rather than an experiment. An extra portion tends not to be paid back at the meal that follows. A typical appetizer round might add 400-700 calories per person on ordinary menu estimates, before the meal starts. Your options: skip them entirely, suggest protein-forward alternatives, have a small taste, or substitute a side salad. This…

  • Blood Sugar Stability

    Your body maintains blood sugar during fasting through multiple mechanisms: the liver releases stored glucose (glycogenolysis), produces new glucose from non-carbohydrate sources (gluconeogenesis), and hormones like glucagon and cortisol regulate the process. Research by Cahill documented how humans remain functional through extended fasts because the body has evolved reliable systems to maintain glucose without eating. Blood sugar doesn’t crash: it’s carefully maintained. This companion covers the fear versus reality, the three mechanisms (glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis, ketone adaptation), hormonal regulation, what “low blood sugar” actually means, and the irony of frequent eating. (5 min read)

  • The Perfectionism Trap

    Perfectionism in eating is a trap: it demands too much, creates stress, and sets up inevitable failure that triggers abandonment. Perfect tracking is its own daily burden, and one you have to carry without ever slipping. You don’t need perfect eating — you need sustainable eating. Find the 20% of changes that produce 80% of results (stop snacking, reduce processed food, don’t eat late, prioritize protein, stop when satisfied) and let the rest go. This companion covers the perfectionism pattern, why it fails, the 80/20 of eating, what to let go, redefining success, and the simplification question. (4 min read)