Chrononutrition Diet - Pirncipes, Advantages And Disadvantages

2023 Author: Lynn Laird | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 21:10

1200 calorie diet, carnivorous, ketogenic diet, Thonon, Pegan, etc … the novelties on the dietetic market are multiplying every day! Effective or not, the majority of diets are based on simply making the numbers displayed on the scale go down and not on principles of health. In 1986, a French nutritionist doctor decided to go further by combining the body's food needs with a healthy and balanced diet. How? 'Or' What ? By developing the chrononutrition diet! More than a method to lose weight, the diet signed by Dr. Alain Delabos is indeed based on the reasoned consumption of good foods and good proportions depending on the time of day when these foods will be absorbed more efficiently. In other words, it's not so much what we consume that matters,but rather at what time we consume it! Day, menu, benefits and drawbacks on the body … find out everything you need to know about the food clock from Dr. Delabos before you start.

Chrononutrition diet: Dr. Delabos' food clock thanks to which the pounds fly

What exactly is the chrononutrition diet and what is its history? After his break-up from cigarettes, Dr Delabos was confronted for the first time in his life with a weight problem. Consequently, he decides to embark on several plans and diets to lose the extra pounds. Frustrated, tired and on the verge of depression, the famous nutritionist doctor, advised by his wife, decides to use his experience in geriatrics to stop gaining weight. He therefore begins to observe that the more he shifts the order of his meals by eating less during the day, the more he is hungry in the evening. Likewise, he notices that by consuming the same amount of food daily, the longer he delays, the more weight he gains.

After a while, he realizes that it's not just food that plays an important role in his diet, but time as well. He then began to study chronobiology, the dietary patterns of our ancestors as well as those of wild animals. He is developing his knowledge in the field of nutrition. And it was in 1987 that he laid the foundations of chrononutrition that he applied to himself, to his wife and then to his patients.

In 1994, the French doctor found Pr. Rapin, who scientifically validated his approach. Today, Dr. Delabos is 60 years old and, despite his age, he is still full of energy and continues to improve his approach disseminated through his books and by his chronotherapists. He has established a brilliant and well-established method of adopting a healthy, balanced diet without frustration and without starving. According to him, the natural needs of each one are registered in the organism. The latter constantly secretes in an organized and calculated way different enzymes and hormones, generally intended to assimilate a particular type of food. Therefore, eating fruit for breakfast will not be very suitable or natural, as will eating spaghetti carbonara at dinner time. Why ? Well,simply because the body does not need these nutrients at this time of the day. And what does he do when he doesn't need it? It stores them, of course!

Principles and advantages of the chronobiological diet

Based on enzymatic secretions, the chrononutrition diet aims to favor a particular food at a specific time during the day and to ban others. The only exceptions are dairy products. Yoghurts and cow's milk should be avoided because of their lactose content, which the body cannot digest. Otherwise, no other food is prohibited. Ultimately, this diet will allow you to eat your fill and almost everything! And as mentioned, chrononutrition first aims to eliminate extra pounds, due to the storage of nutrients poorly or not assimilated. By adopting this method, one should easily achieve and maintain the desired weight. No need to calculate calories anymore!

However, weight loss is not the only reason one has to succumb to the chrono diet. In addition to simple weight loss, it has the power to rebalance the figure. According to Dr. Delabos, the shape of the body necessarily reflects our diet. In other words, too many vegetables make too many hips and thighs, too much meat touches the chest and shoulders, too much starch makes the belly fat. So, by consuming what is needed and when needed, we say goodbye to the beads and hello to well-placed curves! The famous French nutritionist affirms that his method effectively fight against the problems of diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension.

Which foods for which meals and at what time of the day?

As a general rule, breakfast should be quite fatty and plentiful. Why ? Because we start the day and the body needs cell reconstruction. We can therefore eat bread, butter, cheese, eggs or cold meats + a hot or cold drink. In the middle of the day, the meal should be nutritious consisting of meat, fish or starches (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes). As a snack, we favor fresh or dried fruits, unsalted seeds, chocolate. Before going to bed, we try not to overload the body and we favor light meals: mixed salads, fish and seafood, white meat without sauce.

If you are not hungry, you can easily skip dinner, as long as you stay well hydrated during the day. We therefore try to drink water and tea at will. Coffee is also permitted. As for cow's milk and alcohol, they are banned from the chrononutrition program. Likewise, there aren't really any chrononutrition recipes. It's all about eating the right foods at the right time. No need to empty your cupboards to fill them with unusual products just because the label says "organic". If, on the other hand, we are hungry, there are two possible reasons: we have not taken the right amount of food or we have expended too much energy that we must compensate. If you are hungry in the morning, increase the portion of cheese; if it is noon, we do the same with meat; and if it's evening, we eat fish or seafood. Note: the snack remains in the same quantity.

Are there any side effects? The most asked questions about the chrononutriotion program

By adopting any diet, your body may react differently: favorable or unfavorable. In the case of the chrononutrition diet, some observe stubborn constipation, while others, on the other hand, find that they have got rid of this problem. Bowel blockage situations are common for people who usually ate a lot of vegetables. Specialists therefore recommend absorbing enough water to ensure good intestinal transit. For those having problems with the cholesterol level, they must imperatively consult a chronotherapist who will establish a program specially adapted for them without chocolate, egg yolk or fatty liver.

What to do in case of a food allergy? Those allergic to seafood can simply exclude them from their daily menu. On the other hand, people with gluten intolerance should be extra careful by checking product labels regularly. We remind you that oats, wheat, barley and rye are very high in gluten. In people with lactose intolerance, cheese is not always contraindicated. However, no yogurts, white cheeses or small Swiss. In short, no lactose. Cow's milk is then replaced by sheep's or goat's cheese, if possible.

As for the question "can we take food supplements during our chrononutrition program?" ", The answer is yes " ! They are indeed very useful to start faster, especially in the case of people who do not eat too much meat at midday or for those who do not eat at all! They are also very effective in depressive states and states of fatigue.

Chrononutrition: diet or healthy lifestyle?

Dr. Delabos' method is not quite a diet, but rather a food and nutritional program that adapts to the individual's personal needs and pace of life. And so much the better, because we all know that the majority of diets are useless and doomed to failure.