Exercise, diet & physical wellbeing as per the Torah, scripture and tradition...

…was not something I had thought of till very recently. Half information videos claiming our 3 meals a day habit being purely a Rockerfella conspiracy, was what triggered the curiosity. And the rabbit hole goes deep!

I’m going to try and cover a layman’s understanding (mine) of what was said and how it applies to us. No idea why I’m writing this, but there’s some actionable stuff that might be useful. @yochaiwiki was of great help with citations, explanations and being a sounding board.

The video that started it claimed:

1. Our 3 meals a day habit is because of Rockefeller propaganda: False… The British did it much before he came on the scene. Google it.
2. We don’t need to eat 3 meals a day: True, but this has nothing to do with big pharma and Rockefeller.
3. Our ancestors were lucky to have gotten 3 meals a week: Depends on many variables, but this wasn’t the prescribed or desired human state — at least as per recorded scripture and tradition.

So what does tradition and scripture really say?

1. 2 meals a day were the norm — There’s a record of the Israelites finishing 61 meals in 30 days between Egypt and Sinai (Rashi on Exodus 16:1) before running out of provisions — that’s ~2 meals a day! And this was the norm — with a 3rd meal for the Shabbat; special. Cheat day, Yay! This tracks with intermittent fasting — and a predominantly agrarian economy where people had time for 2 meals.

2. Eat only when you’re hungry and never stuff your face. The Mishneh Torah on Human Disposition has this bit on eating only up to being 3/4th full. Modern research shows that this is the way to go. Look up Hara Hachi Bu… there’s a gut>brain lag and over eating has many disadvantages.

3. Eat only after warming your body up: The Mishneh Torah says that one shouldn’t eat till they’ve walked a bit (or done some exercise) to raise body temp. Apparently it primes insulin sensitivity, maximises fat burning and even improves glucose control. ‘Pre-meal walks’ was news to me! I’ve only ever heard about post-meal walks.

4. 8 hours of sleep, on your side; at least 4 hours after your meal. And wake up before sunrise. Yes. Very specific. As you can see sleep and eating are related. This tracks with modern research on sleep hygiene and circadian medicine: Side-sleeping aids lymphatic drainage and reduces acid reflux, late meals disrupt circadian rhythm and sleep quality, and consistent wake times (especially with dawn light) anchor the body clock. Mr. Andrew Huberman (@hubermanlab) has lots of interesting information on the topic of early morning sunlight and circadian rhythms.

5. Bathing routine: Hot > Cold progression. This is contrast therapy and way before the gym bro and his cold plunge fad. Rambam goes into very specific detail about doing this once a week:

“He should not enter [the bath soon after mealtime; nor when he is hungry, but when his food has begun to be digested. He should bathe the entire body in hot — but not scalding water — and his head, only, in scalding water. Then, he should bathe his body in tepid water, followed by bathings in successively cooler water, until he has bathed in cold water.”

— Mishneh Torah, Human Dispositions 4:16

6. You need Daily Zone 2 activities (highest heart rate without actually losing your breath — Google the talk test). No really, Rambam is actually talking about Zone 2 protocols in the 12th century! In his words:

“As long as one exercises, exerts himself greatly, does not eat to the point of satiation and has loose bowels, he will not suffer sickness and he will grow in strength — even if he eats harmful foods.”

— Mishneh Torah, Human Disposition 4:13

This is such a chad thing to have said. Are you exerting yourself greatly?

7. Food sequencing during the meal is the healthy way to eat: The summary: Laxative fruits first → wait → then lighter proteins → then heavier. You can look this up in the Mishneh Torah, Human Disposition 4:6 — I found this to be a bit boring because I eat food based on how it tastes. The bad tasting stuff first, so I can savour the tasty stuff. But the medical benefits are real and basically the blueprint for what modern science says about how we should eat anyway — fiber first > then successively heavier types of food.

There’s also a lot of info on hydration, seasonal adjustment of food, constitution-specific food and even a morning gut protocol! Tradition and scripture have no qualms about getting into specific details about bowel movements and stool consistency… Fun reading!

But the big take away was that there’s genuinely so much about relevant everyday stuff in the Bible and tradition that makes it super interesting to read.