When it comes to fasting during this phase, it’s important to keep your fasts under 15 hours.

Oxytocin has a direct effect on the hypothalamus of your brain. When oxytocin is on the scene, it tells your brain that you are safe and loved and the crisis is over. The brain responds by ceasing the production of cortisol.

But cortisol spikes don’t just happen because your boss overloads you with work, or you have an argument with your spouse. Often cortisol spikes can happen when you hop on a diet that is restrictive and hard to fit into your lifestyle. Cortisol can also rise when you are overexercising, trying to force your body into a state of health.

MUSCLE-BUILDING FOODS LEUCINE-, ISOLEUCINE-, AND VALINE-RICH FOODS Chicken Beef Pork Fish Milk Cheese Eggs Pumpkin seeds Navy beans Tofu

antibiotics kill 90 percent of the bacteria in your gut.

A healthy, diverse microbiome leads to better blood sugar management.

Oxytocin When you make oxytocin, your cortisol levels will drop, balancing out your insulin levels and leading to better sex hormone production.

Just like you can become insulin resistant from too much insulin flooding your cells, you can become dopamine resistant from using food all day long to feel good.

Consume no more than 75 grams of clean protein per day. Greater than 60 percent of your food should be coming from good fat.