Safe, Simple Strategies for Supporting your Metabolism

Written by: Cassie Vanderwall

It’s that time of year when most reflect on the last year and look forward to all that the upcoming year will bring. Many people resolve to quit smoking, exercise more often, eat more vegetables, drink more water, lose weight, and the list goes on and on. The most common of the resolutions is to achieve a healthier weight. Many people look to lose the 10lbs that they gained over the holidays and more. There are a variety of products, pills and approaches to weight loss, but many may be just another fad and provide nothing more than false advertising.

People looking to enhance their weight loss efforts may seek out methods to boost the mysterious “metabolism” with popular pills or even common foods. But, is there truth behind the claims? It’s time to bust the myths and find out how to support a healthy metabolism.

It is important to first explore what the metabolism is and what affects its function, in order to better understand how to support it. Metabolism comes from the Greek word metabolismos, which is basically how the body uses energy it consumes. Metabolism includes two separate processes:
• Anabolism: Building process
• Catabolism: Breakdown process

The metabolic rate, or the rate in which energy is used to build the body or breakdown the body, is affected both positively and negatively by a variety of factors, including:
• Age
• Gender
• Muscle mass
• Hydration
• Meal pattern
• Activity level
• Sleeping pattern

It is evident that a person’s metabolism slows as they age due to losses in water and lean body mass (muscle). Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy weight it is vital to practice simple, sound strategies to support a healthy metabolism.

• Stay Hydrated.

Choose water as your number one beverage and drink up! Practicing good hydration to support your metabolism by replenishing the body, which is 57-75% water, with fresh stores. This cycling process- out with the old and in with the new- will alleviate stress on the kidneys and liver, which help to filter waste from the body and leave the body refreshed and rejuvenated. Strive for the golden rule of eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day. If at the beginning you feel like your new hobby is running to the washroom, no worries your body will adjust over time.

•  Eat often, but not too often.

Small, frequent meals and snacks can help to feed the muscle and boost the metabolic rate for a short period of time. By eating every 3-4 hours, you avoid “starvation mode” and remind the body that food is plentiful. Fasting and skipping meals can slow the metabolic rate causing the body to store calories as fat and may also cause many to overeat late

Healthful meals are composed of at least three food groups (lean protein, whole grains, fruit, vegetable, low-fat dairy, or healthy fats) and healthful snacks include two foods (fruit, vegetable or grain with a source of protein or fat). This intentional composition can provide stable sources of energy to feed muscles throughout the day and night.r. It is important to not eat too frequently, which can cause the blood sugar (glucose) and insulin levels to remain high throughout the day. By waiting 3-5 hours that body is able to utilize energy consumed and prepare for the next eating episode. A healthful meal or snack can help many to bridge this gap without cravings and swings in mood or energy levels.

• Maintain Muscle.

In general, for every 5-10lbs of muscle, the body will burn an extra 100 Calories per day. Regular exercise and physical activity can help to build and maintain muscle. Muscle mass is the primary engine for the body’s metabolism. Muscle building activities focused on the body’s larger, or major, muscle groups can be an efficient way to support the metabolism and increase strength. Identify safe activities that use the back (latissimus dorsi), chest (pectoralis), core (abdominals), and legs (gluteus, hamstrings, quadriceps, gastrocnemius).  An individual can reap the benefits by incorporating anaerobic, resistance exercises at least two days.
Aerobic activities (walking, jogging, biking, swimming, dancing, etc) are also a great way to give a sluggish metabolism a boost. A good initial goal is to achieve 150 minutes of aerobic exercise every week. In addition to consistent exercise, regular physical activity can increase the metabolic rate. A good goal is to try to get up and move at least one time per hour.

• Catch some Zzz’s.

Inadequate sleep can lead to unhealthy changes in the way that the body uses energy. Researchers found that sleep-deprived people had higher levels of blood sugar and insulin and also had difficulties managing their appetite. Adequate sleep allows the body to rest and repair itself from head-to-toe every night. This includes the body’s hormones, which help to regulate how the body uses energy.

Try to forget about the latest fad foods for boosting the metabolism rate. The best practices to achieve and maintain a healthier weight are to choose water, eat well, move more, and to allow yourself time for rest.

Since every body is different, health behavior changes are very individualized. Seek out sound sources for nutrition and exercise advice, including registered dietitians, certified personal trainers, exercise physiologist and your personal physician.

“Rethink your Drink”

 Written by: Cassie Vanderwall

A pillar of health is good hydration. Water is essential for life and is used to keep joints healthy, maintain the body’s temperature and blood pressure, and remove waste products. Therefore, a lack of water can lead to dehydration, a deficiency in fluid, which can have dire consequences. Dehydration can be caused by loss of water through sweating, warm temperatures, increased urination or bowel movements, breathing, fever and physical activity.

Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:

• Dark urine that looks like apple juice,
• Dry mouth, eyes, nose, or skin,
• Sleepiness, and
• Thirst.

Try not to wait for these symptoms because often times they are hard to recognize. Drink up early and often!

In the era of “drinkcessorization” it is vital to look past the bright colors and sweet flavors of the beverage options today. Sugar-sweetened beverages, or SSB’s as we call them in the “biz” are called out as a culprit for the obesity epidemic inAmerica. In fact, many professional organizations including the American Cancer Society has encouraged the surgeon general to study the implications of these beverages. I agree that it warrants a closer look since American’s intake of SSB’s have doubled since the 1970’s.

So, why are we “hating on” these types of drinks?

5 reasons:

1. They do not provide satiety or fullness upon consumption
2. They do not cause a compensatory reduction in calorie intake at or between meals
3. They provide a heavy dose of sugar with about 36g sugar or 9 tsp per 12oz can soda-pop
4. The primary sweetener, high fructose corn syrup, has been known to increase inflammation, insulin resistance and impaired Beta cell function (check out my blog on Fructose: Poison or Pleasure).
5. SSB’s increase our sweet threshold and desire for sweets.

Since hydration is necessary, it is best to choose drinks that are low in fat, sugar, caffeine and calories.

Use the chart below to see how 1 cup of your favorite drinks measure up.

Drink	Calories	Fat (grams)	Sugar (grams)	Sugar (tsp)	Nutrition Facts
Water	0	0	0	0	#1 Thirst Quencher
Milk, Skim	80	0	12	0	Good source of Protein, Calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin B12. Aim for 3 servings of calcium-rich foods everyday!
Milk, 1%	100	2.5	12	0
Milk, 1% Chocolate	160	2.5	25	3
Milk, 2%	120	5	12	0
Milk, Whole	150	8	12	0
Rice Milk, Plain	115	2	12	0
Soy Milk, Plain	100	4	6	0
Soy Milk, Chocolate	150	4	19	5
Sweet Tea	75	0	18	4 ½
Sports Drink	60	0	13	3
Orange Juice	120	0	21	5	The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends to limit juice to 1/2 Cup per day.
Apple Juice	110	0	24	6
Grape Juice	150	0	36	9
Fruit-Flavored Drink	120	0	28	7
Cola	90	0	22	5 ½	No Nutritional Value
Diet Soda Pop	0	0	0	0

Remember the numbers listed above are for only 1 cup of these beverages. At most fast food places the small beverage is 16oz. This would bump up the teaspoons per serving to 10 to 18 for juices, 9 for sweetened iced teas and 11 for regular colas.

In my recent interview on NBC-15 Madison, I encouraged viewers to “rethink their drinks” by:

• Make water #1 thirst quencher by keeping it ready and available.
• Add flavor to water by infusing-fruit (see recipe below). There are even pitchers now to help you add flavor without extra sugar.
• Hydrate with an assortment of other sugar-free beverages, including herbal tea, sodium-free seltzer waters, fat-free milk or another low sugar dairy alternative.
• Eat your water by striving for 5 to 9 servings of fruits and veggies everyday.
• Retrain our thoughts about juice and freeze it as popsicles for dessert!

Recipe: “Spa Water”

½ Cucumber, peeled, sliced
1 knuckle Ginger, peeled, sliced
½ cup mint leaves or 2 mint tea bags steeped
1 lemon, juiced
1 gallon filtered water

Mindful Eating: Hunger versus Satiety

Written by: Cassie Vanderwall

Beginning with our first foods, we learn about a variety of flavors and those which we prefer over others. Also, in our younger years we are experts in understanding hunger and fullness.  It is very difficult to feed a baby who is not hungry. Unfortunately, it can be too easy to feed an adult who is not hungry. So, what happens? When and where do we lose our ability to listen to our body’s signals to nourish or cease from eating more.

I would argue that it lies in our relationship with food; Food is… fill in the blank.

Food can be a…

• Hobby,
• Profession,
• Lost family member
• Form of Entertainment,
• Reason to get together,
• Recipe passed on for generations,
• Culture,
• Right,
• Celebration,
• Source of great fear and anxiety,
• Variety of organic compounds,
• Drug,
• Best friend,
• And the list goes on, and on.

First and foremost, food is a fuel source.  Despite this truth, I observe that people of all ages have a love affair with food. For many it is a necessary evil, for others they live to eat, and for still more they eat to live.

My profession, as a dietitian, revolves around food, health, people, and how all of these mingle amidst one another. I believe that in order to achieve well-being, better health and still enjoy food, we must reconnect our minds to our bellies.  One way to do this is to be mindful of natural hunger and satiety, or fullness, cues using a scale such as that provided below:

1-     Feeling starved with severe hunger pangs that are present for 30 minutes or more. One may also experience a headache, irritability and fatigue.

2-     Very hungry with hunger pangs on and off for 15 minutes. A person may also have a heightened sense of taste and smell with constant thoughts about food.

3-     True hunger with stomach growling, a few hunger pangs, and increased awareness of thoughts about food.

4-     Somewhat hungry where an individual has a few thoughts about food and perhaps may begin planning to eat within the next 30 minutes.

5-     Neutral, neither hungry nor full.

6-     Aware of the food in the stomach but not ready to stop eating.

7-     Satisfied with a meal or snack and could most likely go for 2 or more hours without feeling true hunger.

8-     Full where a person can feel the food in the stomach but without any internal pressure. Person believes they could go about 4 hours without feeling true hunger.

9-     Very full and the individual maybe uncomfortable with the internal pressure of the food pressing outward. The person may become sleepy and have an increased desire to lie down.

10- Stuffed where the pressure from inside the stomach is very painful. The person is very sleepy and does not want to move.

Most healthy eaters are able to stay within a range from 4 to 8. This scale can help to dictate what type of eating pattern is best for the individual; is it 3 square meals, 6 small meals, or 3 meals and 2 snacks?  It is also important to note that there are a variety of physical indicators that help to manage appetite. Many of these are review in: You might as well face it your addicted to…food?

But, I still believe that good nutrition is very individualized and often begins with a healthy relationship with food.

Food and Feelings- Breaking Free

When many become hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or face any other uncomfortable emotion they begin the search. Most begin at what is within arm’s reach- food. It is not uncommon in today’s day and age to meet many emotional eaters. Emotional eating can be defined as the practice of eating large amounts of food in response to feelings, or emotions, instead of hunger. Experts believe that up to 50% of the American population uses food to suppress, or distract, themselves from emotions, and for some this may manifest itself as a binge-eating disorder.

There is no doubt that food can be addicting, and it should come as no surprise that many of the foods that individuals turn to cause changes in the brain that keep us coming back for more. Certain foods have chemical compounds that target the Hedonic system, or the brain’s reward circuit, which is responsible for attentional bias. Attentional bias is the amount of attention paid to highly rewarding stimuli at the expense of other stimuli. Food has the potential to increase dopamine in the brain by 150 to 300%.

Emotional eating can not only sabotage weight management efforts, but also create a poor way of dealing with life’s stressors. Therefore, it is important to intervene with strategies on how to break free through the following practices:

• Journaling– Explore situation and feelings by writing down the experience.
• Find a friend– Identify a safe person to contact when the temptation to eat emotionally arises.
• Mindfully meditate– Use visualizations of peaceful surroundings and experiences, or empowering mantras to settle the anxiety.
• Breathe deeply– Practice breathing exercises to blow away the worry and stress.
• Relax the body– Partake in a non-food activity to relax the body and distract the mind, such as taking a bath, performing yoga, reading a book, exercising, or taking a nap.

 There are many more skills that can be added to this list.  It is vital to encourage individuals to identify what works best for them.

 At an emotional time of need, food is typically not what a person needs, so it is important to create room to explore and identify what the need is and how to truly soothe and satisfy the soul.

Written by Cassie Vanderwall, MS RD LDN CPT