What is
Pro Metabolic Nutrition?
Heal your thyroid function, lower stress hormones, and get back the energy you want.
Let’s start with understanding what Metabolism is…
Metabolism has become a buzz word in the health and fitness industry usually with the emphasis on the “calories in, calories out” model. This however isn’t an accurate depiction of how our bodies work in the context of life.
Cellular energy is what drives the functions of our cells, tissues, organs and structures. Without cellular energy we wouldn’t be able to learn, feel, think, move, heal, grow, reproduce, or regenerate. So essentially, without cellular energy there is no life.
Ray peat put it best with his quote, “Energy and structure are interdependent on every level.”
What is metabolism?
The metabolism is the total sum of all our chemical processes. It is our ability to convert fuel aka oxygen, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into energy.
So when we focus on “healing our metabolism” it is with the intention of creating an energy surplus compared to our current energy demand.
Energy Supply vs Energy demand
Energy Supply - Your energy supply is directly connected to how well your metabolism converts food into energy
The things that contribute to this process are things like nutrients (vitamins and minerals), caffeine, sugar, thyroid, oxygen, CO2 etc
Energy Demand - Your energy demand is the energy it costs to run your body, and live your life. Everything has a cost.
Energy Supply vs Energy demand
When your energy supply is greater than your energy demand, you are able to regenerate, heal, think well, see well, move well, etc and the opposite is true when the demand is greater than the supply. This is where we experience STRESS. Over time if this continues the results will be degeneration, aging, not healing well, getting sick frequently, depression, anxiety, sleep issues pain etc. THESE ARE LOW ENERGY STATES.
In the words of Ray Peat, “Stress is a mismatch between the environment and an organisms resources.”
How to start to avoid low Energy states
Read Labels, Avoid Excipients
Toxic Additives and Excipients like citric acid, carrageenan, gums (xangthan, guar, etc), soy lecithin, sulfites, Titanium Dioxide etc. can disrupt energy metabolism, and trigger inflammatory responses in the body that increase stress hormones and lower metabolic function.
Cut Out Pufa
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids lower the metabolic rate, and cause an inflammatory cascade in the body damaging tissues, nerves, cells, and cellular function.
PUFAs include:
nuts
seeds
nut and seed oils and butters
fish oil
vegetable oils
soybean oils
and more
Cut out foods high in
anti-nutrients
Antinutrients are nutrients that inhibit absorption of other nutrients or block the bodies ability to utilize those nutrients. Some antinutrients include oxalates, phytates, lectins, trypsin-inhibitors, pectin and goitrogens
"The toxins of plants include phenols, tannins, lectins/agglutinins, and trypsin-inhibitors, besides innumerable more specific metabolic inhibitors, including “anti-vitamins.” Unsaturated fats themselves are important defenses, since they inhibit trypsin and other proteolytic enzymes, preventing the assimilation of the proteins that are present in seeds and leaves, and disrupting all biological processes that depend on protein breakdown, such as the formation of thyroid hormone and the removal of blood clots."
- Ray Peat PhD
Most people don't realize this, but plants have natural defense mechanisms in them to keep bugs, birds and animals from eating them. The leaves, stems and seeds have the highest concentration of these defense mechanisms to ensure the plants survival and the reproduction of the plant.
However, plants do create fruits that smell and taste sweet to encourage animals to eat them, and these fruits have little to no toxins. This also helps animals spread the seeds of the plant over the surface of the earth as they eat and then ultimately eliminate the seeds.