Here are 16 things I’ve learnt about diet and metabolism over the past 5 years.
Throughout the 2010s, the mental model I had was that “nutrition research is complicated.” I’ve since realized that this idea is a side-effect of the fact that most nutrition studies were funded by processed food companies. There’s a lot of rigorous independent research on nutrition and its effect on our metabolic health. And I’m grateful to folks like Tim Spector, Peter Attia, Andrew Huberman, and Casey Means for getting the word out on this.
Let’s start with hydration. There are straightforward guidelines on water – most adults need between 2.7 (women) to 3.7 liters (men) of water per day. This translates to 100-125 oz. I didn’t realize how dehydrated I was for many years.
I carry an 18 oz bottle with me everywhere and I’ve been making small changes to ensure I drink 6 of these every day. I feel better when I do.
Ultra-processed foods are BAD. It isn’t about the quantity of calories but also the quality. Ultra-processed foods are low quality calories,nmade mostly from substances extracted from foods, such as fats, starches, added sugars, and hydrogenated fats. Bring calories from these foods in any normal day as close to zero as possible.
I wasn’t a big consumer of ultra-processed foods. But I’ve been working to reduce intake of some varieties of these – especially cereals and baked goods.
Our gut bacteria are key to our ability to digest the food we eat. The more the variety of good gut bacteria, the better. Fermented food – yogurt, kimchi, etc. – are great sources of good gut bacteria. Eating ~30 vegetables and fruits goes a long way here. And living a generally active lifestyle helps. For example, kids who played more with soil ended up with good gut bacteria that boosted their metabolism and immunity.
I have been covered on yogurt since childhood. :-) I could do better on other fermented foods. I’ve been doing more salads to increase the variety of vegetables I eat and have been more intentional about eating at least 4-5 fruits every day.
Antibiotics destroy our gut bacteria. Beware regularly using antibiotics to cure illness. Avoid them where possible.
Nuts and seeds are also great adds to our diet. For nuts, we can’t go wrong with almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and cashews (hello Costco Mixed nuts pack). Recommended seeds include Chia, ground Flaxseed, Hemp, and pumpkin seeds.
I’ve made it a habit of late to eat a handful of nuts every evening. And I add 3 spoons of Chia + Flaxseed + Hemp to my morning protein shake every weekday.
Lessen (or even remove) grain – especially refined grains. This means less white bread and white rice. If you must eat rice for example, there’s no question brown or red rice is better.
This one has been hard for me. I’ve never been a big bread eater but I’ve always been a big rice eater. The biggest shift I’ve made in the past months is to roughly halve the quantity of rice I eat. I still relish it and don’t plan to cut it out of my diet but I have realized that I didn’t need the quantities I was used to.
Moderate caffeine, remove tobacco, and avoid alcohol.
When we buy vegetables and meat, organic/pasture raised/grass fed are better where possible. Organic food has less toxins from chemicals and typically retains more nutrients. Same story with meat/fish – if it isn’t pasture raised/grass fed, it is likely raised by antibiotics.
I’ve reduced red meat significantly over the past decade (given climate impact). We switched to pasture raised eggs a few years ago. All in all, we could do better with ensuring we’re buying more organic.
Supplements are a topic where my understanding is partial. From all my reading, I’ve come to the conclusion that adding protein and 5 gms of Creatine – which is one of the most studied supplements – sound like no brainers (as long as the protein powder isn’t filled with too many additives/is too sugary). We are living much older than our ancestors and we lose muscle mass rapidly as we age. Protein aside, some folks swear by vitamin supplements, and some oppose it. This is an area I expect to learn more over time.
I cover my supplements in my morning protein shake. This shake is intended to cover a collection of the above notes – it is protein powder + spinach + seeds + frozen mixed berries.
Time restriction via fasting is a natural way to give our body a break. That said, Peter Attia makes the case that too much of this can result essential protein intake. So, your mileage with it may vary. A simple thing we can all do is to eat at least 2 hours before bed so we naturally get a long fast in the night. This way, our metabolic system isn’t taxed when we get to bed.
I do a horrible job here. I am working on changes to my routine to consistently eat 2 hours before bed.
A 15 minute walk after a meal goes a long way in helping our system digest food. These walks are called “digestive walks” or “fart walks.” Those names made me chuckle.
We’ve started doing 15 minute walks after dinner in the past week. It feels great. It is a keeper.
Building on that, exercise works wonders on our metabolism. The more we get our heart rates up, stay active throughout the day, and carry weights, the better. More muscles and more heart rate variability = better metabolism and better glucose control.
So does maintaining good circadian rhythms with good sleep and getting natural light in the mornings. All of these help improve our mental health (everything is connected!). Disconnecting from our phones as we approach bedtime and getting away from habits like doomscrolling that negatively affect our mental health are among the best things we do.
The best book I’ve read on the topic of our metabolism is “Good Energy” by Dr. Casey Means. She makes a compelling argument that the root of all our chronic illnesses is bad metabolism – due to a mix of a unhealthy diet and lifestyle. Reading it three weeks ago was a gamechanger. I’ve been recommending her book to everyone I know.
Finally, our bodies work better when we take a moment to appreciate the many gifts we’ve been given. Even a simple thing like savoring our food while we eat it and not, say, checking email while we do it positively impacts our metabolism.
Gratitude and perspective got a long way in helping us make progress. While there are always changes to be made, the one thing I attempt to keep in mind is to never lose the joy. I think what we’re trying to do is to maximize joy while balancing healthy outcomes. The more the joy is healthy, the better.
But we’re not perfect. And much of doing this right is making small changes consistently over time.
