Carlos Tejada
Photo by Lucien Schilling via Flickr
In a typical day, as a community health specialist in Montefiore Hospital’s Office of Community and Population Health, I interact with hundreds of people at churches, community centers, colleges, shelters, etc. One person I met at a recent community education event was Matt, who oversees events on a variety of topics of interest to senior center attendees.
Each month, I host an in-person or virtual presentation at one of our centers in the Bronx or Upper Manhattan on a health topic such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep, senior stress, and nutrition.
A few months ago, I gave a presentation on metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Matt was unfamiliar with metabolic syndrome, but he listened to the talk because one of the risk factors associated with the condition is older age. His doctor had never mentioned metabolic syndrome before.
My presentation covered the health risks of excess body fat, lack of exercise, and a diet high in salt, fat, and sugar and low in fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. Matt definitely took notice. He started learning about calorie intake and took up intermittent fasting, a method that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Common methods of intermittent fasting include:
You don’t take in any calories for 16 hours out of a 24 hour day, and only take in calories during a specific 8 hour period out of that same 24 hour day.
Since starting intermittent fasting, Matt has lost 10 pounds, feels better, and his blood pressure has gone down. Here’s what Matt’s 8-hour eating window looks like:
- He doesn’t eat anything after waking up and only drinks non-calorie beverages (water, soda, black coffee, tea, or beverages with zero-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose, stevia, or monk fruit).
- At midday, Matt will have lunch and might have a calorie drink or a snack or two.
- From 6:00pm to 7:30pm, Matt eats dinner and may have a calorie drink or snack/dessert.
- At 8 p.m., Matt stops eating, but is allowed to drink zero-calorie beverages.
- Matt goes to sleep, wakes up and repeats the pattern. When he eats, he eats foods rich in nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals: fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains and lean meats. Matt is eager to continue on his health journey, and he hears the same from many of the center’s senior participants.
If you are interested in intermittent fasting, please first talk to your health care provider to determine if it is a safe method for you. Contact me to request a wellness workshop in your area. Email: ctejeda@montefiore.org.
To receive treatment for metabolic syndrome, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, call (800) 636-6683 or visit https://www.montefiore.org/general-internal-medicine .
Carlos Tejada is a community health specialist in Montefiore Hospital’s Office of Community and Population Health.
