Written by Alternative Balance member: Dr. Melody N. Eskandari DC., Functional Medicine Health Coach, C-IAYT 500 Yoga Therapist
www.Melodythehealthcoach.com
In the busy modern life, our health often takes the backseat until a diagnosis of a disease occurs. One of the most essential areas that controls our wellbeing is metabolic health .
According to the CDC 1 out of every 3 adults have pre-diabetes. This is a wake up call.
Many of us have been thought that illnesses are happening with no reason, out of the blue or it is due to genetics.
Today we have a new understanding. Our lifestyle choices can turn on disease promoting genes or turn them off. The very environment we craft for our cells is called epigenetic. This environment is our lifestyle factors such as nutrition, sleep, movement, stress management and supplementation which are the cornerstone of metabolic health.
Metabolic health has the most vital role in biochemical processes in the body. It is the measure that describes how our body is metabolizing nutrients such as
proteins, sugar and fats in order to produce energy. After all, energy is life itself. We consume food to produce energy to go on with our daily tasks.
Metabolic health is directly influenced by diet and lifestyle interventions. One biomarker to measure metabolic health is the blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and how insulin is functioning in the body.
After consuming food our body breaks down sugar, once sugar enters the bloodstream, prompts pancreas to secrete insulin. Insulin is responsible for opening the gates at the cellular level for sugar to enter inside the cell and used for the process of energy production.
Now when our diet is saturated with simple refined sugar, overtime results in metabolic dysregulation leading to metabolic disease. Metabolic disease wreaks havoc on our well-being, leading to many ailments such as heart disease, obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, impaired sleep, non alcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer and neurodegenerative disease.
Insulin resistance is when the cells are not responding to the spike of insulin leaving the blood sugar chronically elevated in the blood stream instead of being
used as a fuel to produce energy. Cells are starving for energy while high sugar is circulating in the bloodstream. What is the consequence? The onset of fatigue and low energy as the first sign of a red flag.
Moreover, high insulin drives the fat accumulation in the liver instead of being used to produce energy when needed, paving the path to obesity and a variety
of health issues impacting everything from our heart health to our sleep patterns.
Is there is an easy way to measure our metabolic health at home?
Measure your body temperature and pulse rate after waking up and 40 minutes post meals daily.
According to Dr Ray Peat, a distinguished biologist, in a metabolically healthy person upon rising in the morning the best body temperature is between 97-98
degree F and pulse rate between 70-90 beats per minute throughout the day. Post meal normal body temperature rises up to 98.6 degree F because consuming food creates energy and energy produces heat. In the evening the body temperature slightly declines and the cycle repeats the next day.
The good news is there are lifestyle modifications and actionable steps that support metabolic health.
Actionable steps on the journey to metabolic vitality:
-Movement: Moderate intensity work out increases the uptake of glucose by muscles instead of circulating in the blood or turning into fat.
-Weight management: study revealed losing 7% of your excess body weight can reduce the onset of type 2 diabetes by 58%. (Prev. Med. 2017)
-High fiber diet: vegetables with higher fiber content take longer for the digestive tract to digest hence mitigating the blood sugar spikes.
-Processed foods: avoiding pro-inflammatory processed foods which sabotage metabolic health. Read the food labels and if you can’t read them do not buy it.
-Prioritize sleep: cultivate a bedtime routine. Gradually move the bed time to 10 pm and refrain from food intake 3 hours before bedtime. These two simple changes help the quality and quantity of your sleep.
-Reducing toxic exposure: Substitute conventional personal and household products for healthier natural alternatives.
-Stress management: Harness the power of mindfulness and breath work through accessible tools like meditation apps and online yoga classes, curated to quell stress and foster serenity. Include nature bathing as part of your life as much as possible.
In conclusion, metabolic wellbeing is a tangible journey within reach. We can empower ourselves with knowledge and through actionable steps to rewrite new narrative for our health, allowing the inherent innate intelligence heals us with its unlimited healing potential within the body. So, let us step into this journey with
small gradual changes that lead to a healthier life in the long run. Every small changes toward metabolic regulation is one step closer toward orchestrating a symphony of health and vitality.
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