Below are 10 pragmatic strategies (choose one and build from there!) to improve metabolic health in sustainable ways. These science-backed and expert-informed approaches represent opportunities we can lean into to flex our metabolism and actually see results. Ann Kulze, M.D., physician, nutrition expert, bestselling author of Eat Right for Life, and founder of The Healthy Living School®️ underscores these tried-and-true pillars of whole foods and regular movement. “Colorful plant-laden nutrition and daily physical activity that preserve muscle mass, fuel an active metabolism, and nurture long-term cardiometabolic health are foundational.” Metabolic scientist and author of Why We Get Sick Ben Bikman, Ph.D., makes sure that he and his family consume “a lot of protein and whatever fat that comes with it.” Meanwhile, he practices a relatively lower-carb approach. When it comes to physical activity, all movement is welcome, but make sure to prioritize muscle-building/preserving activities. Alexis Cowan, Ph.D., Princeton-trained metabolic health expert and mindbodygreen podcast guest, explains why building muscle mass via resistance training is so important. “Muscle is the primary site of metabolic heat production. The more muscle one has, the more energy will be dissipated as heat in the body.” When I asked my friend Whitney Crouch, RDN, CLT, an integrative registered dietitian who helps women recover their health from thyroid, gut, and sex-hormone-related issues, for her top metabolic health-promoting strategies, she had two. First, lift weights. Second, don’t demonize carbs since the right kind of carbs are important. More specifically, Crouch recommends that her clients “lift heavy weights two to three times per week.” She says to “start with weights that feel like you’re putting in effort (we’re not talking circa 1980 Jazzercise!) and that you can still maintain good form while lifting. Then, work your way up over time with both the weight and frequency per week of your sessions, and work with a trainer if you’re new to the lifting world and your budget allows.” She adds that “carbohydrates are not your enemy, and in the (very near future) it will be easy and accessible to determine individual needs.” We’re talking about healthy carbs (whole grains, fruits, vegetables), not the refined and processed counterparts. “The truth is, carbs are imperative to women’s hormonal balance1 (sex and thyroid hormones), and integral to energized workout sessions,” Crouch concludes. Megan Rossi, Ph.D., R.D., The Gut Health Doctor and author of How To Eat More Plants, explains that “when we’re fixating on calories, we completely forget about the gut microbiome and how important that is for regulating metabolism.” In my opinion, life’s too short to count calories. Instead, I recommend that people enjoy an array of healthful foods and the wonderful nutrition they are extracting. My gut-metabolism recommendations are hydrate (water), plants (fiber), color (phytonutrients and other antioxidants), complemented with high-quality protein and healthy fats (especially omega-3s and omega-9s). Cowan echoes this approach, recommending a diet with sufficient “protein to maintain and grow muscle, as well as polyphenols to mitigate [inflammatory processes] and optimize the gut microbiome.” Melina Jampolis, M.D., physician nutrition specialist, podcast host, and bestselling author of Spice Up, Slim Down, shares that “nourishing our gut and maintaining proper energy balance by consuming more plants (fiber but also herbs and spices), healthy fats, and quality protein, while remaining active throughout life are some powerful ways to reclaim our metabolic health.” Whether through intermittent or circadian fasting, corralling our food intake into a designated time window is known to promote metabolic health, and it’s an evidence-based longevity nutrition approach. Working at the interface of metabolic and mental health, Harvard psychiatrist and author of Brain Energy Chris Palmer, M.D., asserts that, “as long as the person is not underweight or malnourished, the single most powerful intervention to improve metabolism is to go without food for a period of time, or at least make your body think that it is.” To put this into practice, he says, “This can be accomplished through fasting, intermittent fasting, or a fasting-mimicking diet, such as the ketogenic diet. This forces your body to burn fat, increase autophagy, and increase the health and number of mitochondria in your cells. All of these can have a powerful and beneficial effect on metabolism. You can think of these processes as a ‘clean cycle’ and a ‘reboot’ for your cells.” Metabolism and metabolic health are directly affected by numerous hormones (thyroid, sex, insulin, cortisol, etc.), so the opportunities for personalized and incremental gains on the metabolic optimization front are massive. For certain hormones and labs, while some useful at-home kits do exist, they won’t include every lab you might need, much less the personalized expert interpretation and game plan. Again, you’ll want to partner with a health care provider specializing in hormonal health whenever possible. While BPA and glyphosate might come to mind, perhaps a less discussed toxin that’s incredibly pervasive is alcohol. Creator of Functional Sobriety and functional medicine nutritionist Brooke Scheller, DCN, CNS, shares that, “one of my key recommendations is cutting out (or cutting back) on alcohol use to support metabolic health. Alcohol consumption even a few times per week can affect our metabolism through gut changes, hormone imbalances, and even altering stress hormones2.” She goes on to explain that, “While we’ve heard in the past to just drink clear beverages, lower calorie options, and even cut out the sugar in our alcoholic drinks,” that’s a futile approach since “the alcohol itself creates the imbalances that may impact how our body releases hormones, supports blood sugar regulation, and contributes to inflammatory pathways3.” To provide a practical example, just look at the chili (cayenne) pepper. Rai explains that “we can lean into the intrinsic power of capsaicinoids from chili peppers, as a metabolism-energizing approach,” with science to boot: “There is ample evidence via human research showing that capsaicinoid ingestion can boost metabolic rate8, as well as emerging evidence for a role of capsaicinoids in supporting lipolysis9 (fat breakdown), satiety10, and positively influencing body composition11.”* Family physician Bindiya Gandhi, M.D., previously explained that in working with her clients struggling with leptin resistance, “there’s one very important factor that’s often missing in the conversation about healthy, sustainable weight management and metabolism. Enter: hormones, namely, leptin.” Leptin is an adipokine hormone13 produced by our fat cells and is directly related to adiposity levels. When working properly, leptin tells our brain that we’re full from eating and that enough fat has been stored up. Wonky leptin spells metabolic disaster. Some key leptin resistance contributors are long-term stress and insulin resistance. Cardiometabolic health expert Cate Shanahan, M.D., says, “If you want to do one thing in 2023 to optimize your metabolism, I would start with getting a blood test called HOMA-IR.” An equation that uses fasting blood glucose and insulin lab results, HOMA-IR is a way to estimate insulin resistance. The fact is many of our country’s adults and youths have poor glucose control (i.e., blood sugar balance) due to suboptimal insulin sensitivity. Cowan shares an incredibly practical and powerful tip to move the needle on insulin resistance: “Perhaps the simplest and most effective strategy at improving metabolic health is by moving your body after each meal. Even a 10- to 15-minute post-meal walk can dramatically increase glucose clearance into muscle.” Cowan expounds on the mechanism: “Insulin resistance reduces the muscle’s ability to take up glucose out of the circulation following carb-containing meals. Elevated blood sugar levels drive fatigue and brain fog and inflammatory and microvasculature issues over time.” That’s where exercise comes in, she says. “Exercise is vital for the reversal of insulin resistance and enhanced glucose clearance. Muscular contraction directly stimulates glucose uptake in an insulin-independent manner. A post-meal walk provides sufficient muscular contraction to clear a significant amount of extra glucose from the bloodstream.” That’s why a particularly recent technology excites Cowan: continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). She shared that this innovation is “becoming available to the general population at a reasonable cost and with access to user-friendly app interfaces.” (If you’re looking for a product recommendation, a great CGM example would be Levels.) “CGMs allow individuals to access critical information about their body’s unique response to different foods and meals, sleep quality, stress, and movement. Wearing a monitor for even a few short weeks can provide enough actionable insights to design a personalized diet and lifestyle protocol for an individual and give them rapid and sustainable results. Moreover, the CGM allows individuals to correlate changes to their blood glucose with their felt experiences within their bodies.” When it comes to promoting insulin sensitivity, along with a plant- and fiber-rich dietary pattern and physical activity, I can’t forget to shout out my favorite nutrient, vitamin D! A growing body of clinical research links vitamin D sufficiency with cardiometabolic health benefits by promoting healthy levels of glucose and insulin. The fact is that any improvement on the glucose and insulin front is critical. “Optimizing for glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity is the game-changer for longevity and protection against serious health concerns chronic diseases including those in the cardiovascular, cognitive, and metabolic realms,” Cowan concludes. You see, brown fat is special fat. As Michael Lelah, Ph.D., chief science officer of NutriScience Innovations, explains, “BAT is actually an organ in your body responsible for the transfer of energy from food into heat. When BAT is activated, high amounts of fats and sugars are used up.” And while that’s fascinating, the fact that we can use BAT to our advantage (literally, bringing the heat) really gets me jazzed. “There are different ways to activate BAT, including cold therapy and certain botanicals—grains of paradise is one such plant.” If you’ve never heard of grains of paradise, this West African spice is in the ginger family. “High-quality extracts of this ancient spice contain several unique phytonutrients, including 6-paradol, known to activate BAT15 and thermogenesis16 while reducing visceral fat. This is a targeted and plant-based way to help support your metabolism.”* In addition to maintaining a healthy body weight (limiting obesity) to promote inflammatory resolution and cardiometabolic health, you’ll also want to regularly incorporate marine omega-3 fats EPA and DHA (which nurture a healthy inflammatory response), along with a colorful plant-laden nutrition approach for antioxidant power to combat oxidative stress. Casey Kelley, M.D., ABOIM, functional physician and founder of Case Integrative Health, adds that cortisol “will give you a burst of energy while simultaneously pausing other bodily functions and slowing your metabolism.” For all these reasons, you’ll want to cut or limit stressors you can control. For the other stress-giving things you can’t affect, give yourself grace and lean into healthy coping and resilience-bolstering strategies. Lean into meaningful connections and joy-giving things. Finally, with over one-third of adults failing to clock seven hours of sleep per night, our country is sleepy. Sleep duration and quality are directly tied to metabolic health. Indeed, our circadian rhythm even affects our body’s ability to use insulin properly. In addition to her mindbodygreen contributions, Ferira is published in Health, Metagenics Institute, American Family Physician, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, and Osteoporosis International. She has a passion for the translation of evidence-based science into innovative and high-quality products and information that help people lead healthier lives. She is a believer in compassionate, informed, and personalized approaches to nutrition, health care, and wellness. Ashley lives in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina, where she was born and raised. Whether savoring an orchestral performance or delectable meal at a local restaurant, you will find her enjoying Charleston’s cultural and culinary arts with family and friends.
