Food Hacking

I think like most people, I've been a food hacker the majority of my adult life. For the most part it was in the interest of performing better on the field of play. 10 or so years ago I settled on the fact that my body does best with some sort of beef, fowl or fish along with fruits and veggies. I knew what worked but I was a bit sketchier on what didn't. This month I've worked ever so hard at figuring out what doesn't work. The final installment was this week where I tested myself using the Sweet Beat app on my phone.

I use the app daily to measure my heart rate variability (HRV). Your hear rate is a finite number but your heart does not beat in equal sequential steps. There is variability in your heart rate. The higher the variability the better healthier, more rested you are. The lower the variability the more stressed or tired you are. I use it every morning and at least twice this month it's kept me from going out the door in my running shoes or on my bike. I know when the variability is low the body needs rest.

This week I used the Food Sensitivity part of the App. Here you take your pulse before you eat, eat, then take your pulse ever 30 minutes for 90 minutes. You are looking for little to no change in your pulse after you eat. If you have a significant increase you have a problem with what you just ate. The last 6 days I've tested every meal I've eaten.

What works

• Natural food, meat, fowl, fish, fruits veggies and rice. 
• Bullet Proof Coffee
• Fruit and veggie smoothies with high quality low carb protein powder. 
• Organic Cage free eggs. 
• Betty's Tacos - Yipee because Betty's is awesome
• Scotch in small amounts. 
• Almond Butter

What doesn't work

• Nutzo  I tried it 3 different ways thinking it was the other ingredients. The Nutzo or more important the Peanuts in the Nutzo cause my Heart Rate to spike 30% every time. I've eaten Peanuts and Peanut Butter my entire life only to find out my body is sensitive to it. 
• Wine - Shuts my head down. 
• Yogurt - I only eat full fat yogurt but by itself it spikes my heart rate. 

There is a great host of things I didn't test. I didn't test Pizza or French Fries and I didn't test Coke. I know all of those will spike my heart rate. I can feel it. I can also taste and they still taste great. So will I stop forever, no but will I eat them daily or weekly, no. 

Before I said this was about performance. But this is not about performance this is about feeling good all the time, and working hard to stay out of the health care system. I will test again in a few months with the goal of finding foods that don't work for me. It's a fun experiment. 

It's a good life...