The term “prometabolic” is thrown around a lot these days.

Sounds fancy - but what does it even mean? Is it just another gimmicky trend like "low-carb" or "plant-based"?

Does it involve more food restriction and less freedom?

Thankfully, HECK NO.

I am so excited for you to read this post because it has been one of my favorite discoveries on my personal healing journey and as a Health Coach who helps clients. Quite frankly, I am disappointed this is not a more publicized topic, because to me, understanding what pro-metabolic is, is crucial to understanding anything else about health and healing.

So, let’s dive right into it!

"Prometabolic" is pretty much exactly how it sounds.

It's eating and living in a way that optimizes your metabolism.

You know that if yours is too slow you might gain weight. But what exactly does this all mean?

What is the metabolism?

We thought you'd never ask!

Technically, “metabolism” is the word to describe all the biochemical reactions in your body. It’s how you take in nutrients and oxygen and use them to fuel everything you do.

Your body has an incredible ability to grow, heal, and generally stay alive. And without this amazing biochemistry, life would not be possible. Metabolism includes how the cells in your body:

• Allow activities you can control (e.g., physical activity etc.).

• Allow activities you can’t control (e.g., heartbeat, wound healing, processing of nutrients & toxins, etc.).

• Allow storage of excess energy for later.

So, when you put all of these processes together into your metabolism, you can imagine that these processes can work too quickly, too slowly, or just right. And no, being prometabolic isn't synonymous with "hacking your metabolism", which we don't recommend. Instead, it's simply supporting your body's metabolic processes so that you can better produce energy to be able to perform functions, adapt to your environment, and build resilience to stressors. This can sometimes mean increasing how much you eat, but it's really more about eating efficiently.

Supporting your metabolism focuses more on:

• The TYPES of food you eat

• WHEN you eat

• Food preparation

• Increasing salt intake and bioavailable nutrients

And less on:

• Restricting foods and entire food groups

• Pounding the veggies which are made out of mostly just cellulose

• Drowning your system in loads of water

• Eating grains, seeds and beans without properly preparing them

• Chronic dieting

It's all about working with your body to lower stress, feel safe, and produce plenty of energy.

Now, what happens when you start introducing prometabolic principles?

You can expect:

• A warmer body temp (~98.2 F), so no more cold hands and feet

• Balanced hormones (kiss painful periods goodbye)

• A desire to get frisky (a revved-up sex drive is a sure sign of a healthy body)

• Healthy skin and hair

• Improved digestion

• Easily build and maintain muscle mass (without being in the gym every single day)

What foods are particularly pro-metabolic?

• Nose-to-tail animal products (think collagen-rich muscle meat, eggs, bone broth, organ meats, collagen & gelatin)

• Easy-to-digest carbs (fruits, root veggies, juices, some starches)

• Saturated fats (coconut oil, butter, ghee & tallow)

• High-quality dairy products (*gasp* I know, crazy, right?)

• Wild caught seafood (especially white fish and shellfish)

I know what you're probably thinking.

This turns everything the Harvard Food Pyramid presents entirely on its head.

And it's true.

As we learn more about our biology, we can start to understand exactly what foods and practices help us thrive.

And that's what living prometabolically really means.

It's about building awareness around how your body responds to things in the environment and working to provide it with all the necessary energy and nutrients it needs to be resilient.

This is not a 3-week diet or trend.

Being pro-metabolic is a mindset shift and a way of life.

A few good ways to measure your metabolism are by checking:

• Thyroid function

• Pulse before rising

• Body temperature am and after eating

• General energy level throughout the day

• How well you burn high carb, fat, and protein food

• Metabolic blood wellness panel that checks your thyroid, minerals, liver and kidney functions...

• Sex hormones via a urine panel

• Hair mineral analysis can also provide insights into slow or fast metabolism

We cover these concepts more in-depth in our Dynamic Wellness packages, where we walk you through exactly how to best support your metabolism through nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, and environment.

Talk soon!

References:

• Metabolism. 1977 Feb;26(2):187-92. Osmotic control of the release of prolactin and thyrotropin in euthyroid subjects and patients with pituitary tumors. Sowers JR, Hershman JM, Showsky WR, Carlson HE, Park J.

• Journal of Experimental Biology 2005, 208, 1717-1730, Body size, energy metabolism, and lifespan, Speakman, JR.

• Front Biosci. 2007 Jan 1;12:2457-70. Maternal-fetal metabolism in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia. von Versen-Hoeynck FM, Powers RW.

• Metabolism. 2003 Aug;52(8):1072-7. Dietary sodium restriction exacerbates age-related changes in rat adipose tissue and liver lipogenesis. Xavier AR, Garófalo MA, Migliorini RH, Kettelhut IC.“Taken together, the data indicate that prolonged dietary sodium restriction exacerbates normal, age-related changes in white and BAT metabolism.”