The sun cycle diet comprises a few simple steps, including getting direct sunlight on your skin every morning (whether from sun or sunlamp) and reverse fasting, which is a type of intermittent fasting in which you skip dinner instead of breakfast. That means that five days a week you are doing a 12- to 13-hour fast—drinking only water or calorie-less liquids—and then two days a week, you are fasting for 15 or 16 hours. Remember to consume only water or low-calorie liquids up to 20 calories while fasting, and when you break your fast, eat a low-sugar meal and avoid processed foods. The next part of the sun cycle diet is to wake up every morning and get two to five minutes of sunlight. Ideally, you would walk outside barefoot and spend a few minutes basking in the sun taking slow deep breaths and setting your intentions for the day. Or maybe you just walk your dog or walk the last two to five minutes to work in the sunlight, or spend a few extra seconds in the sun in the parking lot when you get out of the car. Getting that morning sun before 10 a.m. into your eyes sends signals to your suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus and resets your brain. And the benefits of this extend beyond sleep to better hormone regulation. The seemingly simple concept of living in harmony with your circadian rhythm is free and, in my opinion, should be recommended by all physicians as easy ways to improve inflammation, digestion, hormones, and disease. A cutting-edge nutrition deep dive taught by 20+ top health & wellness experts
