How did I Improve my Metabolism?
If you were here last week, I talked all about how I ruined my metabolism. When I look back at all those things, I realize now that the biggest mistake I made was following “health advice” blindly, not thinking about what it really did to my body.
To just give you a quick refresher: When I say ‘metabolism,’ I’m referring to the wide variety of functions in the body that convert nutrients into energy at the cellular level. The word metabolism is sort of a vague term. But improving how your body converts nutrients to energy can have a huge impact on multiple levels.
Personally, I’ve found that I have a MUCH easier time maintaining my weight, sustaining my energy throughout the day, and balancing my hormones with an improved metabolism.
5 Ways I Improved my Metabolism
1. SALT, SALT, SALT
The health world has vilified salt for quite a while. The fear behind it is of gaining excess water weight with the consumption of too much salt. People also worry about salt raising their blood pressure. So why do I go against the thread and eat salt?
Well, for starters, studies have shown that increased levels of sodium actually have a hypertonic effect on the cells. This means the cells don’t carry excess water, in fact, they rid themselves of it. The Japanese, who have one of the highest life expectancy rates, consume an average of 4650 milligrams of sodium per day, and they also happen to have one of the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease. (source) Americans, on the other hand, consume an average of 3700 milligrams of sodium per day, and have actually been consuming this amount consistently for the past 50 years. (source)
In my experience, I was craving salt. Odds are, if you have a sustained craving for something (not just a last minute craving), your body needs it. Salt is great at clearing cortisol from the blood, and for this reason, salt helps us deal with stress better and reduce levels of inflammation. So, how much salt do I eat a day? I can’t give you an exact amount because I don’t measure it, but I am sure to listen to my body and put enough salt on my food until it feels “right” for me.
I take care to purchase unprocessed salt, like this one. I even buy these salt granules and pop one in my mouth when I have a craving or feel particularly stressed or tired. Works like a charm. I make sure to avoid table salt, which is full of anti-caking additives, heavily processed and devoid of trace minerals. I also avoid Dead Sea salt, which has a high amount of bromide. Bromide can bind with T4 thyroid receptors in the blood and create low-thyroid symptoms.
You can read more articles on salt here:
2. BALANCING MY WATER INTAKE
This really goes along with salt. Because water is hypotonic, it has the ability to hydrate us, but it also has the ability to over-hydrate our bodies. A surefire way to do this is to drink water because it is “healthy” and not because you’re thirsty. The saying that says “once you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated” is completely false. In fact, the body’s thirst mechanism is specifically designed to ask for water exactly when you need it.
People often forget that many different drinks and foods contain a high amount of water already. Kombucha, kefir, yogurt, fruits & vegetables, coffee, tea, broth, juice, and milk all contain more water than you think. It’s important to realize that if you are eating a real food diet, you’re probably getting a good amount of water through your food. This doesn’t mean you should never ever drink water. It just means that you should drink it when you’re thirsty. Yes, it’s that simple.
I learned in the book Eat for Heat by Matt Stone that our body goes through different needs throughout the day. In the morning, we typically are less thirsty for water, and want more salty foods. Then as the day progresses, we crave more water. I noticed this is the case for me as well. In the mornings, I want a full breakfast (including salt). In the evenings, I typically drink more water as I’m “cooling” down for the night (when we sleep, our body temperature naturally lowers).
When my metabolism was sluggish, it was harder for me to determine what my cravings for water or salt actually were. I think this is due to years of me doing what’s “healthy” instead of what’s right for my body. Now I feel balanced with my water and salt intake throughout the day.
“How many fluids should you take in daily? That is an unanswerable question with all of the variables that affect our fluid needs at any given time. If you meet anyone who can answer that question for you, run away quickly.” – Matt Stone, Diet Recovery
You can read more articles on water intake here:
- 8 Reasons NOT to drink 8 glasses of water a day.
- Are you drinking too much water?
- Hydration 101: How much water should you be drinking?
- The Water Myth
3. EATING ENOUGH CALORIES/LISTENING TO MY CRAVINGS
Did you know that the ability to skip meals without discomfort is a symptoms of a low metabolism? It’s true. Those with a fast metabolism tend to be hungry at meal time ,and there’s no waiting for these folks! Children are a good example. They typically have a fast metabolism and well, everybody know that if their child is hungry, then tantrums are about to ensue.
When you don’t eat enough calories, it slows down your metabolism in two ways. First, your body goes into starvation mode, so it will slow down your functions including your calorie-burning capacity in order to “survive.” Second, your body will eventually become ravenous. Just before bed, your body will want to go on a binge so your body can hang on to the food through the night in preparation for another day of “starving.”
If you body is good at converting your nutrients into energy, then you’ll be hungry around the same time everyday. If you can wait until noon to eat breakfast, that isn’t something to be proud of. I used to be the same way. I would eat a very small breakfast, then eat lunch at 2 or 3pm, and by dinner I wasn’t even hungry. But by 9pm, I was ravenous. Oddly enough, this was the time when I weighed the most. Now, I eat a lot more than you’d think and I eat a lot of food!
I absolutely do not count calories or exercise portion control. I eat real food, and I eat as much of it as I want.
“Cutting carbs, fats, or calories (dieting) is like trying to hold your breath. The longer you do it, the more your body resists it until you finally gasp for air – taking in more than ever to overcome the short-term deficit you induced.” – Matt Stone, Diet Recovery
4. INCREASING MY SATURATED FAT INTAKE
Up until about 100 years ago, saturated fat was a welcome addition to the human diet. Before any of you claim that people back then died in their 40s, read my article on how long your ancestors lived while eating bacon, lard, and whole milk. It’ll change the way you think about your ancestors.
So, why have we been told that saturated fat is bad for us? It started with a theory by a scientist named Ancel Keys. He conducted a study of 22 countries and determined that a diet high in saturated fat was linked to heart disease. The problem is, Ancel made his conclusions based on only 6 of the 22 studies. When we really look at ALL 22 countries, we find that those who consumed the highest amount of saturated fat actually had the lowest rates of heart disease. Ancel Keys later admitted that “saturated fat had no effect on blood cholesterol levels.” (source)
Now, we have come to realize that the main detriment to our society has been the invention of processed trans fats. Hydrogenated fats like margarine and Crisco are more harmful than the traditional saturated fat ever was.
The human body needs fat to support a healthy functioning brain. This is why breast milk is 54% saturated fat. We NEED it! Saturated fats from plant & animal sources help the body in various functions. Your liver, heart, lungs, bones, immune system, and hormones all need saturated fats to function correctly. Traditional societies knew this and took care to include saturated fat in their diets. Not many traditional societies exist today, but the ones that do such as the Maasai tribe in Kenya/Tanzania, Inuit Eskimos in the Arctic, the Rendille tribe in northeast Kenya, and the Tokealu people in the New Zealand Atoll islands all eat a diet of 60-70% saturated fat and all have a very low incidence of heart disease. (source)
I prefer to eat saturated fat in the form of butter, lard, tallow, and coconut oil. I also include raw milk and cheese in my diet, as well as eat whole meat that includes the fat on the cuts. Coconut oil is especially helpful for a low metabolism because it has a special fatty acid called lauric acid, which can help raise cell membrane function and increase your metabolic rate.
5. IMPROVING MY SLEEPING HABITS
Did you know that our bodies can withstand years of poor nutrition, but if we go more than 11 days without sleep, we will DIE? It’s true. People who have tried to set a world record for longer than 11 days have actually died! Sleep deprivation is so damaging to the body that it is used in war as a form of torture! Isn’t it amazing that we spend so much time analyzing our diets, yet we forget about the quality and quantity of our sleep?
I am guilty of this. I like to stay up late, but what staying up late does is alert our stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline to kick in. In the short-term, this is fine. But over a long period, the human body doesn’t do well with high levels of stress hormones in the blood.
Fortunately, for me, I wasn’t suffering from insomnia. I had just developed some bad habits. After I incorporated some healthy sleeping habits, (8-9 hours a night and using a healthy and supportive mattress), I found that my metabolism recovered.
If you suffer from insomnia, I highly recommend this sleep book.
So, how’s your metabolism? Have you noticed that certain changes have helped improve your metabolic function?
DaNelle, what about pink Himalayan or Celtic sea salt?
I actually avoid those because there have been reports of them contaminated with heavy metals.
I’m confused by your response. You avoid Himalayan salt due to reports of it being contaminated. Yet the link for your comment of buying ‘these salt granules’ links to Himalayan salt.
Hi Andresa-
I believe DaNelle stated she avoids Dead Sea Salt because of the high bromide content. This is not the same thing as Himalayan Salt, which she does recommend. I hope that clears things up. Thanks for reading and posting! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Someone asked about glycemic index of foods. Is that important to watch?
Hi Ali,
From what I’ve gathered, the low glycemic foods route can actually harm your metabolism. The liver needs a steady form of glucose and as long as you’re combining it with a protein, your blood sugar won’t be affected in the way you’re worried about. I often have fruit & dairy as my go-to snack.
Thanks! I know many fruits have good fiber… and that helps keep sugar from spiking. To be honest…. I crave milk chocolate. And I know that’s not very nutritious nor is the sugar content so good. I am going to try giving myself some sea salt now and then to see if that helps curb cravings. Glutamine is supposed to be helpful as well. Thanks so much for your article. Great info.!! I’m going to implement your suggestions. 🙂
Ah… These symptoms of poor metabolism sound like what I’m going through, and it really scares me. I’m still kind of in the process of recovering from a year-and-a-half love affair with orthorexia/anorexia where I had severely restricted grains, dairy, fats, and nuts/seeds, and replaced meals with apple cider vinegar drinks and tea. I have now regained weight; my family tells me that I look much better and healthier, and I’m happier that I’m not passing out and having mental/physical breakdowns anymore. But I am also distressed over the fact that my ‘skinny’ clothes are a little tighter now, and that my thighs touch. (My mother assures me this is healthy and where I need to be, saying that when she was young and at her healthiest/skinniest weight, her thighs still touched, so she reminds me that it’s simply genetics and body type. As a side note, I never thought I’d fall victim to the ‘thigh gap’ obsession — I always thought that was the dumbest thing to focus on, but now for some reason I worry over it.)
In the past few months, I’ve gone back to eating a real foods diet, and I’ve found my body going through a string of cravings in what I assume is its desperation to heal. I decided to go with my cravings, because it’s all real, traditional, homemade foods. But I still haven’t completely recovered. I haven’t had a ‘monthly cycle’ since November of 2014 (just one symptom out of a few). The worst part is that I want to lose weight again — something I’m not sure I really need or just want (I still exercise as crazy often as I can) — and the only way I know how to do it is to go back to all of my old habits of fasting and eliminating food groups. But I don’t want to fall into this yo-yo lifestyle… Especially since I already deal with so much guilt and self-loathing at that ‘bedtime binge’ you talk about where my body desperately wants to stock up on nutrition before I sleep, and then the next morning I’m not even hungry. And I know that if I relapse and starve myself again, I’ll make the vicious circle worse. If I could at least keep my nighttime cravings under control, that would be a welcome start for me. Do you have any advice for curbing the bedtime eating?
Hi Sara,
Your comment really resonates with me. My health journey is similar in that I lost weight in the beginning through a lot of restriction, and now as I’ve loosened up, I fear the weight gain. But, I’ve really tried to focus on what my body CAN do and namely, getting my metabolism as healthy as possible.
I’d definitely recommend not fasting to lose weight because that will only slow your metabolism more. The best thing you can do is give your body time while nourishing it. Also, if you could work on stress & personal development/self-talk, this will change EVERYTHING, even how you view your body. You may even find yourself happier at your current weight! Good luck!
I started taking a medicine that killed my metabolism, and even after stopping taking it it’s still not back to the way it was before. I’m gonna try all this stuff, but I need to know, is eating spaghetti good or bad for getting your metabolism back?
Hi Jaime, increasing your metabolic rate is definitely complex, and I’ve found that focusing on my love for real, home-cooked food is key, as well as stress-reducing activities and a good 8-10 hours of sleep each night. When it comes to spaghetti, just go for the best ingredients as possible and you’ll be fine!
in regards to the water intake.. i feel a good way to judge the need for, or not, is by rubbing my lips together through the day and feel the moisture/or dryness.. if it is a stimulating environment and difficult to hear the body, dry lips are an easy sign to know drink up 🙂
Great tip!
I just discovered Matt Stone’s book you mentioned and realized I have been doing all the wrong things! I was drinking fruit/vege smoothies, drinking lots of water, lowering salt and fat intake…and ended up heavier than ever. Didn’t know what I was doing wrong. Since I implemented some of his (and your) tips, I feel much better and I think I am thinning down a little. I refuse to get on the scale because that upsets me too much! Thanks for all the great info you share. I look forward to your blog posts!
Hi DaNelle, do you have coconut oil everyday? how much do you recommend as daily intake for it to help you boost your metabolism? I can´t wait to get your book on how you lost weight 🙂
I take about 1 TBS. per day:)
An excellent source of iodine is J.Crow’s Lugol’s Solution which contains potassium iodide and elemental iodine in the 2 parts to 1 ratio the body needs.
I know I am late to this post, but I cannot agree with DaNelle more on the water issue. There are most definitely negative effects to drinking too much water. I know this because it happened to me. I have been consuming 8+ glasses of water a day for many years. Well, now that is catching up to me – I had blood work done recently and my anion gap was significantly high and sodium levels were low. My doctor told me that I needed to be careful about drinking too much water and that to only drink when I was thirsty. He stressed how important it was because “water logging” yourself hurts your kidneys and causes a plethora of side effects. Like everything else, moderation is key!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
You would surely enjoy Ray Peat’s articles…and I wouldn’t be surprised if you already read them
Hi DaNelle, very informative article! I’m confused about the water thing though. I get that maybe you don’t need as much water as you think but are there actually any negative side effects of having too much? Are you saying that too much water slows down your metabolism? Thanks in advance for the clarification!
Yeah, basically what it’s doing is overdiluting your cells and kind of reducing your electrolytes. Our bodies are always striving for balance, so by listening to your body, you can be sure you’re drinking enough:)
The thing about salt is while it is not “bad” for you there is absolutely no reason to add more to your diet. Sodium is in just about everything out there as it preserves food therefore a standard person exceed the RDA by the time breakfast is over. Yes it is an essential mineral and certainly not “evil” it does indeed raise blood pressure and avoiding salt will help those with blood pressure issues. Just stick with a natural salt such as Himalayan sea salt. As far as iodine goes it is also in vegetables, yogurt, cow’s milk, and eggs. It certainly does not have to come from your table salt. Also it is called a micro nutrient because you need a very small amount.
Kevin, people who are on a whole / real food diet would actually do well to add salt to their diet since real foods don’t typically come with added salt. It’s the processed foods that have salt up to the eyeballs in them. 🙂
Iodine is not a micro nutrient, as a matter of fact every cell in your body needs iodine, every organ that makes a hormone uses iodine as a main component, Since iodine, fluorine, bromine, chlorine are in the same family in the periodical chart of elements any uptake of these causes the thyroid to try to use them and renders it unable to make thyroid hormones. Large doses of Iodine is essential for the immune system to destroy cancer cells. See research and books by Dr. David Brownstein M.D. ( Noted authority on the Thyroid etc.)
Do you worry about iodine? I have read a ton about how important that is for healthy thyroid functioning. I don’t think it is present in sea salt. Do you supplement with it? What supplements – if any – do you take?
What about sleep situations you cannot control? Are there ways around de-stressing from this lack of sleep which is chronic for over a decade and somewhat out of my hands? Other ways to decrease cortisol? Would naps be effective? Sleep from say 9 am to noon? (I am caring for two special needs kids at night)
Do you also exercise? Would that further stress the body and increase cortisol or be helpful with stress relief?
To break the I-don’t-eat-till-at-least-noon-but-sometimes-2:00 pm for the first time each day habit – do I just force myself to eat when I don’t feel hungry and know that eventually I will?
Thanks!!!!! 🙂
Hi Gwen, I supplement with iodine separately, because I don’t like to obtain it from table salt:)
You also can eat bread.
I’m curious about your source for saying that people going without sleep have died. I’ve heard differently so I’d love to know where you’re finding that.
This is a fact and you can find it just about anywhere. It will depend on the person, certainly, but you can NOT survive beyond eleven straight days without sleep. It is a physical impossibility.
Do you take into consideration low and high glycemic food? Also, I know I under eat. I really need a week’s worth of menus. Do you do that? Or know a place that does?
Did you eat the same amount of food when you were loosing weight as you do now maintaining it?
Yes, definitely the same amount:)
I think I do most of these except I do need to work on the sleeping. It is hard with young kids and my job and blog. I am hoping sleep will be easy once the kids are older and don’t wake me up super early every morning.
DaNelle, what about Kosher salt? Is it better than table salt? I’ve been using it for a while now. Just curious. Thanks.
DaNelle, I never received an answer about Kosher salt. Is it better than table salt or the same except in bigger grains? Thanks.
Kosher doesn’t have additives, but it’s not full of minerals unless it’s gray, brown, or pink in color:)
Sleeping is my down fall, love staying up late but have to get up early. Any tips on breaking this habit ?