Ghrelin and Leptin, Our Dietary Aids!

Experimenting on myself seemed like the right thing to do. After years of reading that clean eating is, in and of itself, the only mechanism that the body relies upon to tell us to stop eating, I decided to test the hypothesis. Would the hormones leptin, the feel-full hormone kick in after ghrelin, the hunger one, had reminded me to eat because I was hungry? Time would tell. Or should I say, food would.

I have always loved fruits and vegetables, salads, soups and some meat. Desserts were there, too. Now they had to be of the utmost 'clean' variety, after all, dessert are not a part of the food pyramid. Today, my metabolism is slower with a malfunctioning thyroid, the culprit. Knowing the sources of the ingredients in my food is of paramount importance. When I make dinner, everything is 'made from scratch' It has to be. Ghrelin and leptin depend upon my healthy choices to play their critical roles in health and weight management. Healthy fats form a healthy part of my diet, too. For they help with the delivery/absorption of A, D, K, & E. My organic trio of carrots, celery and onions are at the basis of many dinner time meals. (I think I am in love with onions.) My sluggish thyroid gland makes me ever-so-vigilant of the things I eat. This gland is my director. (I do not drink soda pop.) I do not eat anything with high fructose corn syrup or its derivatives or additives in general. Our daily choices could be the difference between health and disease.

As the selection of food grows in the marketplace, nutrient content has not necessarily kept pace. When I was a little girl soda pop was for parties, not intended as a daily menu staple as it is today. There was no HFCS either. How we 'treat' the food we eat will ultimately determine if it takes its revenge upon us later. I never craved food till the instruments of torture - additives and HFCS - arrived on the food scene to begin their assault on my body. Is The Momsey's rhetoric over the top? I don't think so. These 'modified' foods have unnerved our equilibrium, made eating a constant interruption, for many of us. In the heat of the moment - hunger - we grab what we can and call it lunch or dinner. Hopefully, it is a healthy choice. When we eat out, anything goes if we have not prepared for it. I remind wait staff of my 'no added salt' rule. Head office says otherwise, I have learned. No thanks. It's my food, my body, my rules, not yours.

Plain and simple rules my life. It must also rule the kitchen and the reason that room was created in the first place: for the daily maintenance of human health. This is the room of the tasty, delicious and clean. The body responds as it should when food is made simply. Even potato chips (low salt, 3 ingredients) or caramel pop corn, with real ingredients, can be eaten without undue 'harm'. A small bowl or a handful and that is it for me. Listening to body cues makes all the difference. It all makes sense now.

To be truly healthy and happy, the body must always be in charge. Home cooking must be our goal, though at times, it is not possible. Our health is at stake. The ghrelin and leptin hormones work when we cook, simply and with integrity. Some food companies, in the interests of their bottom line include the additives, preservatives and 'complex' sugars in their food line-up to change our 'bottom' lines! We eat more, then buy more. Our eating experience has been altered dramatically because of this premeditation to increase the taste and shelf life of the foods we eat. The hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin, do not know what to do. They are confused. (Aren't we all?) And so we eat, we crave and over-indulge in the wrong foods.  Produce, however, cannot be moved! It serves only one purpose: to satisfy real hunger in a small serving of nutrient dense foliage, seeds, fruit and blossoms. Easy does it. We are then at peace with leptin and ghrelin, our allies in energy management.

Our health problems are epidemic. Commercials attest to this. Ads promoting assorted drugs/vaccines to fix us were never seen on the screen when I was young. But food was simple back then. Our middle son, the family's health 'inspector', says that the body can heal itself. We simply need to be 'listening' to it. Ghrelin and leptin, these 'insiders' that dwell deep in our gut can guide us to health. It is possible to reset our metabolic rate by eating the food our bodies were meant to eat, simply and cleanly. Eating raw and steamed 'clean' vegetables, regularly, is a good first step. (Some nutrients are accessible only through this minimal 'processing' step). Look at all product labels. The 'almost' truth is there in print. Always be skeptical of claims. Eat locally grown food, whenever possible. Try something new from the produce aisle. Eat hormone/antibiotic free meats and only occasionally. These protein sources are now beginning to appear slowly in grocery stores. Experiment with different small appliances. I love my Phillips Air-Fryer but not for its original intention. Healthy fats are not the enemy. I have resurrected my pressure cooker. What a dream! (More later on these small appliance gems of Momsey's kitchen.)

One of my favourite childhood meals is homemade noodles, served with 'creamed' cottage cheese and accompanied by a large salad of green lettuce, green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, dressed with lemon juice and a dollop of sour cream, all mixed together. (I use organic flour to make the noodles.) Once cooked, the fresh, hand-cut noodles are doused with an absolutely thick layer of delicious sauteed onions (organic always), with the cheese slathered on top. Oh My. It is a magical meal for me, a family favourite that has stood the test of time. (My family loves it as much as I do.) ... 

I listen for my body coach - ghrelin - to tell me it's time to eat. Leptin, his assistant, then tells me when to stop. Listening to the wisdom of the body's own 'calorie counters' - ghrelin and leptin - is to return to a simpler and healthier way of eating. Diets just serve to confuse us. Eating real food is what counts.