Rev Your Metabolism with Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Lifestyle

We need healthy metabolism to maintain hormonal balance, strong immune system, and energy to thrive through the day. Most modern diseases are linked to poor metabolic health. How well your metabolism functions can be affected by your daily habits like nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and mindfulness. Healthy metabolism and blood sugar balance are important for everyone whether or not you struggle with your weight. Metabolic issues, blood sugar imbalances and chronic inflammation can also manifest themselves via skin conditions like acne, hormonal problems like infertility and PCOS, and various auto-immune disease like diabetes or celiac disease. Everything is connected: when one system goes out of balance it has an effect on everything else. Keep in mind, you’re living inside of an incredibly resilient body and when given half the chance, your body will heal itself, and you can start to feel fabulous again!

Next I’ll discuss the importance of healthy gut flora for metabolic health, and how anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle can help.

Gut Bacteria and Metabolism

We already now that 70-80% of our immune system lives in the gut. It’s estimated that there’re 100 trillion bacteria in the gut. Shocking right?! Some bacteria are not only good but essential for our health. Bacteria have various roles in the body, such as producing enzymes to break down food and vitamins and other vital compounds, like the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin. Some gut bacteria regulate our metabolism. Unfortunately, the average person in industrialised countries doesn’t have as diverse and plentiful gut microbiome as our ancestors had or even people in non-Western countries. Low-fibre diets, sedentary lifestyle, OCD-level hygiene habits and over-medication certainly do not help. Common things that can lead to gut flora imbalances include things like antibiotics, birth control, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), processed foods, refined sugar, vegetable oils, lack of plant fibre, chronic stress, and over cleansing/ sanitation.

Studies have shown how obese people have less Bacteroidetes in their gut than lean individuals. Bacteroidetes are favourable for our gut microbiome because they produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA) that are associated with lower levels of inflammation and obesity. Some microbes even have the ability to control host behaviour: they can make you crave sugar! For this reason diverse gut microbiome is helpful. Diversity increases competition between bacteria and less energy is left on microbial “fitness”, which can occur if there are fewer varieties in the gut. Thus, harmful bacteria are less likely to take over in a diverse environment. Moreover, microbes affect our hunger hormones, such as leptin that signals fullness.

Healthy Hormones - Healthy Metabolism

I’ve been hugely enjoying the book, ‘The Obesity Code' by Dr. Jason Fung which I started reading after listening to one podcast show where he was interviewed. In his book Dr. Fung explains in depth why the obesity epidemic cannot solved by the “Calories In, Calories Out” -model. If we deliberately restrict our caloric intake, then our total energy expenditure will decrease as well. This is only one factor explaining why drastic fad diets are likely to lead to a never ending cycle of yo-yo diets. When we eat drastically less our metabolism also slows down (heart rate, temperature, etc.) and losing weight becomes harder. The obesity is not just caused by eating too many calories and exercising too little. Simplifying complex chemical reactions in the human body to simple mathematical formulas is a bit funny anyways. I highly recommend reading his book if you are wondering why so many people struggle with their weight and why some manage to stay lean effortlessly.

In the case of weight gain, the question is how our bodies use the calories: burn or store. Insulin is an essential hormone in the body and it helps the glucose to reach your cells to give your body the fuel that it needs. When we eat, it goes up and when we don’t, it goes down. Insulin is also a fat-storing hormone and a growth hormone. Higher than usual levels of insulin tell the body to store more food energy as body fat. According to Dr. Fung there are two things that need to be taken into account: what we eat and when we eat. Carbohydrate-based diets are not the problem. If it was, I would be overweight by now since the vast majority of my daily energy intake comes from carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Also, traditional societies have eaten carbohydrate-based diets (rice, potatoes, grains) for thousands of years and so do people in The Blue Zones, the five regions of the world where people live exceptionally old, healthy and happy. It’s the type of carbohydrates that matters. Today most people get their carbohydrates in a very purified and processed form: white bread, hidden sugar, sweets, cookies, and juice. Also, when we eat is important. Even though our health authorities tell us to have snacks throughout the day - that is not healthy! Constant snacking keeps your insulin levels constantly elevated. Half a century ago people just didn’t have the time to constantly eat because they were more in physically active jobs compared to today when most of us are sitting and glued to our tech devices most of our waking hours. 

Similarly, chronic stress can cause weight gain when cortisol remains elevated. Cortisol is our primary stress hormone. For instance, during this global crisis I’ve heard many people complaining how they’ve gained significant amounts of weight without much changing their diet and lifestyle. I’d assume that chronic stress caused by constant fear mongering and insane restrictions have at least some sort of role in this… On the other hand, intense short term stress can cause the opposite effect and lead to rapid weight loss without clear explanation - you may have experienced that too. Obviously, we can’t get rid of our stress entirely, but we can learn to relieve it. The power of a good night’s sleep should never be undervalued. Similarly, each morning you should spent at least a few moments just with yourself to centre yourself and reconnect with your intentions.

Another group of hormones that have a significant role in weight management and metabolism are our thyroid hormones. Most thyroid dysfunctions are autoimmune in nature. Hypothyroidism refers to an under-active thyroid whereas hyperthyroidism to an over-active thyroid. Hypothyroidism is a more common phenomenon - especially among women - and it slows down everything in the body, leading to things like slow metabolism, weight gain, brittle hair, fatigue, depression, slow digestion, and sensitivity to the cold. Hyperthyroidism is the opposite - everything speeds up. This can show as anxiety, panic attacks, restlessness, fast heart beat, dizziness, weight loss, and diarrhea. There can be various reasons for thyroid dysfynction, but they are often associated with autoimmune disorders. For a healthy thyroid function, make sure you’re getting enough iodine, selenium and zinc. If you are worried, you should have a full panel thyroid test since many people live their lives undiagnosed. 

The Relationship Between Inflammation and Weight

Not all inflammation is bad and is often essential part of the healing process. It’s the chronic (lasting for an extended period) inflammation that can cause all kinds of health problems over time. Dr. Amy Shah explains in her book ‘I’m So Effin Tired’ how weight gain is associated with more chronic inflammation and how more inflammation can cause more weight gain, more fat cells, and insulin resistance. It’s a vicious cycle! 

There are many factors that can trigger chronic inflammation but one of the main culprits is food. Food is exogenous, meaning it comes from outside the body. Therefore our bodies will flag the foods that seem foreign to it. Things like gluten, alcohol, conventional dairy, refined sugar, processed vegetable oils, corn and processed soy can be triggers. Chronic inflammation can cause gaps or holes in the gut lining, letting larger particles (such as food and toxins) through, and this is called intestinal permeability or leaky gut. Once these particles are leaking in to the bloodstream, they are treated like foreign invaders (like viruses) and are attacked by the immune system.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Support Metabolic Health

To reduce chronic inflammation, you want to have an anti-inflammatory diet, meaning plenty of plant fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals mainly from whole food sources. Fibre is essential to healing your gut and lowering inflammation. Fibre feeds the good bacteria in your gut! Good bacteria create short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which have a vital role in calming the immune system. The best sources are complex carbohydrates from fermentable plant sources. Vegetables also contain plenty phytonutrients - “plant hormones” - that have hormone balancing and anti-inflammatory effects in the body as well as phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals that are not found in supplements. Now you can understand why food is your medicine.

Prebiotic foods are linked to improved leptin sensitivity and metabolic parameters as well as reduced fat mass development and lower level of inflammation. These are non-digestible fibres that feed the probiotics in your gut. Great sources include apples, asparagus, chia seeds, garlic, and onions. Moreover, fibre-rich foods tend to be more filling and add more bulk to your digestive tract, and thus keep things moving.

Like with everything, we should always remember bio-individuality. Not everyone tolerates pre- and probiotic foods in large amounts. Especially people with sensitive digestive systems or those with a GI condition (like SIBO or IBS). Therefore, it’s better to start adding new foods gradually and discuss with your healthcare provider. 

Superfoods to Fight Against Inflammation

I don’t hugely promote so called superfoods because not all of them are worth money and time. Whether they help or not, depends on the quality of the product as well as our individual needs. They should only be an addition to a healthy, balanced diet. The good news is they do not need to be expensive! Here’s a brief list of examples:

Cardamom and Cinnamon 

Both cardamom and cinnamon have anti-inflammatory benefits, and are packed with antioxidants. They can help to reduce inflammation and balance your glucose levels. Try these spices in your smoothies, oat meal, tea or coffee.

Turmeric and Ginger

Try fresh turmeric and ginger roots in your smoothies, soups, and macro/ buddha/ hippie bowls. Tried, powdered turmeric root is an excellent spice in savoury dishes and adds a pretty golden colour. Both these spices have many desirable effects on immune activation. 

Chia Seeds

An excellent source for plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, protein and fibre. They also provide plenty of calcium! You can soak them in water or almond milk for a few hours to get the gel-like consistency and eat with berries and fruits. 

Garlic

Garlic helps to fight agains viruses and colds. I prefer using red onions since I cannot tolerate the smell of garlic, but if you are ok give it a go!

Spirulina 

I love to add this to smoothies and sometimes eat with salads. It’s an excellent source of amino acids and B12 for plant-based eaters.

Probiotic Supplements

High-quality probiotic supplement can be a good idea - especially if you are on medications or don’t typically eat probiotic foods. In many cases various species of Lactobacilli, have been shown to reduce inflammation. 

Don’t count the calories. Count the fruits, greens and veggies you eat. More is better.

Again it was a long list of things. If you feel overwhelmed, “OMG, I cannot do this alone!”,  find an accountability buddy, a friend or a health coach like me who can help you to improve the quality of your life with a realistic strategy. Give yourself a permission to forgive yourself. Beating yourself up about not doing everything perfectly will only create more stress and anxiety. 

Have an awesome day! Lots of love! 

RESOURCES:

Books:

The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung 

I’m So Effin Tired by Dr. Amy Shah