If this describes where you are, I'm going to explain to you today how to go about changing your moderate digestion. The most important place to start is by understanding what tendencies need to change!
Step 1: Identify the slow metabolism trigger:
Not eating enough food
To make an analogy, think of your body like a
house. If you’re not making enough money to pay your electricity bill,
what do you do? Well, you turn down the heat in your house to
compensate, you may not turn the lights on as often, and/or you may fail
to perform regular maintenance. The body operates in a similar way.
When there are not enough calories coming in, the body saves energy by
reducing body temperature (slowing the metabolism), turning down
digestive juices (making digestion weaker), reducing the pulse, and
slowing thyroid function (resulting in less energy). This is a built-in
survival response by the body, to help you go longer on less food. And
this is not a bad thing. It's actually a very good thing because it's
going to help keep you alive in an emergency or famine.
Not eating enough carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are really the most important macronutrient when it comes
to the metabolism (and by macronutrient I mean protein, carbohydrates
and fat). All macronutrients are extremely important, and none should
ever be limited in any fashion intentionally. Adequate carbohydrates in
the diet are very important because the conversion of T4 (inactive
thyroid hormone) to T3 (active thyroid hormone) is dependent on enough
glucose (sugar) and stored glycogen (sugar) in the liver. So you need
regular carbohydrates to set the stage for that to happen.
Mineral imbalances (this one is HUGE)
Mineral imbalances disrupt the conditions desired by your body. Calcium
and potassium are two minerals that when not balanced can influence
your thyroid's ability to do it's job. High calcium levels slow down
your body, especially when paired with low potassium levels. When you're
aware of what minerals are out of balance in your body, you can make
supplemental adjustments to bring the ratio into better balance,
supporting healthy thyroid function naturally. Find out what your
calcium and potassium levels are using hair analysis or get started
here.
Fatty acid imbalance (don't ignore this one)!
Getting the
right kinds and the right ratio (specifically your omega-6:omega-3
ratio) of fats in your diet is huge, especially when it comes to your
metabolism and weight issues. Studies show that during evolution this
ratio of fatty acid intake was closer to 1:1, and the Western diet today
hovers closer to 20:1 creating huge implications on human health,
especially regarding weight gain and obesity risk. “A balanced
omega-6/omega-3 ratio 1–2/1 is one of the most important dietary factors
in the prevention of obesity, along with physical activity.”
Hormonal imbalance
Low progesterone levels or estrogen dominance can slow the metabolism
by interfering with the body's ability to convert thyroid hormone (from
T4 to T3). This can happen for a variety of reasons, usually stemming
from nutrient deficiencies, hidden gut infections triggering increased
production of the beta-glucuronidase enzyme that causes estrogen headed
out of the body as 'trash' to get recyled and brought back into
circulation instead. You can check in on your beta-glucuronidase levels
with gut testing.
Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance is when
your cells become less responsive to insulin and don't take in glucose
(sugar) from your blood as easily. This causes your pancreas to pump out
more insulin. When the body is not doing a great job managing blood
sugar, a tendency towards weight gain is not unusual. Insulin resistance
can have a number of underlying triggers, especially cellular
inflammation, gut issues, poor diet and genetic predisposition.
Liver toxicity
This is often caused by not enough high quality (animal) protein that
is common in those with a history of veganism or low protein vegetarian
diet. Nutrient excess of vitamin A, copper, or iron can also give the
liver 'too much work to do' impairing its ability to do work that
supports metabolic functions. Because 'dilution is the solution to
pollution' extra body fat provides a safe place to store excess toxicity
to protect the body.
Other causes….
If you're eating enough
calories, carbohydrates, nutrients, and you are still having issues,
there are a few other things you may want to think about. Consider if
any of the following could apply to you and support your slow
metabolism:
- Poor digestion: weak digestion down-regulates or reduces the appetite often due to bloating, constipation and often causes you to not be able to take in as many calories. This weak digestion is often caused by pathogenic and bacteria overgrowth that can be addressed once identified.
- Stress: the stress hormone cortisol blocks thyroid hormone conversion, which will protectively slow the metabolism over time.
- Over-exercising: too much exercise, especially when the diet is poor is a sure way to send your body running for safety by slowing the metabolism.
Stage 2: SUPPORT THE SLOW METABOLISM TRIGGER WITH FOOD
When you've found the cause(s) that are adding to your moderate digestion, it's a great opportunity to roll out certain improvements. The more you've had moderate digestion, the more causes you are probably going to end up with, and the longer it will take to turn it around.
- In the event that the reason isn't eating enough nourishment as well as supplements, it's an ideal opportunity to eat all the more genuine sustenance and quit checking calories.
- On the off chance that the reason is eating too few sugars, it's an ideal opportunity to work some supplement thick starches into your eating routine bit by bit.
- On the off chance that the reason is dietary lack, it's an ideal opportunity to fill in the supplement "openings" in your eating regimen.
- On the off chance that the reason is a malnourished liver, it's a great opportunity to sustain the liver with the correct nourishment.
- In the event that the reason is poor absorption, it's a great opportunity to find out what sustenances are the least demanding to process and work with your body to up-direct your assimilation after some time.
- In the event that the reason is hormonal irregularity, it's an ideal opportunity to guarantee that you are supporting hormone generation by giving your body enough of the crude materials it needs to make hormones!
- On the off chance that the reason is poison, it's a great opportunity to jettison the poisons from your nourishment and detox your way of life!
- On the off chance that the reason is overworking out, it's an ideal opportunity to ensure that you are supporting vitality balance on an everyday basis (maintaining a strategic distance from a calorie shortage).
Stage 3: BE CONSISTENT AND PATIENT
Be tolerant of your body. You don't get moderate digestion medium-term, and recuperation won't occur in a multi-day, week, month, half-year or even a year at times! Comprehend that your body is doing as well as can be expected to rebalance and to discover homeostasis by and by.
