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The Problems with Potassium

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  In the research I have done, potassium is quite possibly the mineral I am most intrigued by when it comes to metabolism. Adequate levels in the body are crucial to metabolic health. However, the research is very clear - most US Adults are not consuming enough potassium in their diet - by some reports over 90% of us.  The current AI for potassium is based on updated dietary reference intakes and is currently  3,400 mg for men and 2,600 mg for women. The  FDA Daily Value - the target value used on food labels - is 4700 mg per day. Adequate potassium in our diet is essential for cellular and metabolic health.  A few points: Potassium in our diet is crucial for cellular hydration and therefore optimal cellular function. Adequate levels facilitate glucose uptake by the cells Adequate potassium levels in our diet improve insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate tolerance Potassium in our diet is important for function of pancreas beta cells and efficient insulin release...
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OWN the Basics for Metabolic Health

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  If you are looking to improve your metabolic health, make sure you OWN the basics first. It is so easy to go down the social media rabbit hole and get completely overwhelmed with what we should be doing when maybe we should be concentrating on nailing the basics first. I've been down ALL of the nooks and crannies searching for reasons but I ultimately found my answer right here 🎯 in the 3 most important things we all know we need for good health.  Oxygen 🌱 Water 💧 Nutrition 🥗 We all realize these are vital to life, but are you making sure you don't have problems in this foundation?  A large portion of US adults have shown to be chronically dehydrated (I was).  Many people are also not getting optimal levels of certain nutrients in their diet.  There are piles 📚 of studies linking all three of these elements to issues with metabolic health.  Conversations about hormones such as cortisol are a big topic on social media right now. If you are concerned a...
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I used to wonder why sugar is so harmful to health, especially since it comes from a plant. It’s not something artificially created in a lab—it’s grown in the ground!  The answer is what is removed before it is consumed. As a whole food, raw sugarcane has plenty of fiber. Even extracted sugarcane juice is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Some people even refer to sugarcane juice as a health food.  All of these benefits are removed when the plant is processed into the white crystals we are all so familiar with. Maybe it really is nutritious and the natural form – and meant to be consumed in a much less quantity than we consume it today! 
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Leptin

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Leptin is the hormone that should be saving us from too much energy intake - from overeating.  It's a satiety hormone - basically the 'full' trigger.  Leptin and its correct functioning may be the key to a correctly functioning 'weight management system'.   I believe that it is common sense to think that managing our weight was not meant to be difficult.  We aren't supposed to have to count calories and macros.  No other animal has to do that to maintain their ideal weight.  Sure, there are animals with metabolic challenges but in general, most are able to maintain a consistent weight naturally.  Humans are the ones that put huge amounts of measurement, thought and work into managing our weight and we by far are the most unsuccessful at doing it.  So - what gives? If hormones allow a dog or a cat or a mouse or a bird to control their weight effortlessly, it would make logical sense that our seemingly inability to control our human weight is a hor...
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Four Factors linked to Metabolic Dysfunction

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When searching for information around what can be done to improve metabolic function, the solutions are elusive at best and impossible at worst.  The information shared on the internet is either too generic to be helpful - e.g. "Eat Less, Move More" , too specific - "Eat almonds to reduce belly fat" or contradicting or even damaging. Even books authored by doctors and scientists offer conflicting advice on what actions to take.   It is encouraging that there is a substantial level of attention on this topic. Scientific and medical research is obviously progressing. However, there does not yet seem to be a clear cut answer as to why millions of US adults and children are dealing with Metabolic Syndrome . Hopefully at some point the solution will be much more clear.  In the meantime, there are many common themes in published scientific and medical research that may offer insights.  For instance,  below are 4 factors that have commonly been associated to...
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Measuring Stress - Why it matters with Metabolic Syndrome

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It has been well known for a long time that that there can be a link between cortisol (the stress hormone) and abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity is one of the 5 factors of Metabolic Syndrome . When we think 'stress', it is easy to think of our psychological stressors. These are the ones we tend to be most aware of such as work stress, caregiver stress or financial stress. However, there can be a lot of stress to a body that is caused by things that are not as readily visible. For example, sleep stress, chronic dehydration [2,3] or even obesity itself.   There may be some individuals that are more susceptible to stress than others.  This research  goes in depth about susceptible individuals in stress and obesity .[1]       Fortunately there are a lot of advancements that can tell us more about the current state of our  health. In particular, tests and technologies are continually emerging where we can get some good clues regarding our current stress ...
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My 2 Month Lumen Review

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One bright spot in the quest to solve Metabolic Syndrome is technology. Fortunately, we can get more data on what is really going on with our personal physiology than ever before through various devices and testing.   My friend asked me over the summer if I had tried the Lumen yet. She had one and was liking it.  It didn't take me long to grab one - I am a data geek so I get excited for any technology that provides  new, useful data on how to improve my metabolism. The concept behind the Lumen is intriguing. The Lumen website 'benefits' section claims that the Lumen device will help you to become more metabolically flexible .   An overly simplified description of  metabolic flexibility is to your body's ability to change from carb burning to fat burning (and vice versa) easily in the right scenarios. Metabolic inflexibility is the opposite and is the not desired state. If you are metabolically inflexible your body probabl...
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