Boost a Broken Metabolism
October 30, 2017
Discover why your metabolism may be broken and ways to eat to make your metabolism work better.
You try to eat healthy and work out and you’re still not seeing the weight loss you want. Frustration sets in—what’s going on? We will help you discover why your metabolism may be broken and ways to eat to make your metabolism work better.
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Transcript
CASSIE: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. I'm Cassie Wenes, registered and licensed dietician, one of two hosts of today's show. In just a minute, my co-host will introduce herself. But first, if you're struggling with a slow metabolism, I encourage you to continue listening because we have put together, first of all, reasons for a slow metabolism, and then we're going to give you steps you can take to boost a broken metabolism.
KARA: Good morning listeners. My name is Kara Carper. I'm a licensed nutritionist and also hosting today's Dishing Up Nutrition with Cassie. This show is brought to you by Nutritional Weight & Wellness. We're a company that helps people to lose weight, really the healthy way by eating real food in balance so we're going to talk a lot more about that today.
CASSIE: Yes, eating real food in balance. As I was thinking about today's topic I was thinking of this past summer, I was at the state fair. And being at the state fair, I was reminded that obesity really is a huge problem. And I go typically every year because I work at a booth for the support group for raising celiac kids that I'm in. And every year I notice this so I don't know why it continues to shock me every time when I enter through those gates, but it is kind of shocking and it seems like with each passing year, whether it's the state fair or Valleyfair or some other large venue, it seems to me anyway that the waistline of the adults and the kids just continues to grow.
KARA: Well, and I think maybe the reason that you are noticing it more is because research shows that in the ‘80s, one in six adults were obese. But listen to this today, one in three adults are obese. I mean, there is a difference between overweight and obese, so one in three adults are obese today and sadly, children are also more obese today than they have been in the past. The rate of childhood obesity has gone from 17 percent to the current rate of 18 and a half percent that might not sound like a big change, but still it is trending up, and we don't want that. So actually, this is the largest increase of obesity that we've seen in children in ages two to five years old. So over 18 percent of kids between two and five are obese.
CASSIE: And those statistics beg the questions, “What has happened?” and “Why has there been such a great increase in obesity?” We also know that there's been a rise in the rate of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and it's kind of puzzling to me because it appears that more people are going to the gym. When I go to work out, I see a lot of people there, especially after the first of the year, exercising. It seems like every weekend I know somebody that's going to run a 5K or a 10k or a marathon. And we know Michelle Obama in 2010- she launched the Let's Move campaign. And her intent was good and her heart was in the right place, but did that Let's Move campaign work? No, it did not. The rate of obesity in kids is still climbing and it's no longer people just being overweight. It's actually gone beyond that as more and more people are falling into this category of obesity.
KARA: And this was talked about in last week's show, as well, I mean I think this is really important just for people to know what's going on with the statistics. So, last week we mentioned research that reports 41 percent of men and 45 percent of women in their 40s and 50s are now considered obese. So, this means we're a nation that's obese. It's not just about the weight, it's about the health conditions that you just mentioned are more prevalent, as well. So, are you one of the 41 or 45 percent if you're a man or woman falling in that category? Do you feel like you have a broken metabolism? So, if almost 50 percent of our American population are obese, why is this happening? I think it's easy to blame the person and have kind of like a victim mentality. And we often hear this-- health and fitness professionals will give out the advice or make a comment, “Well hey, just eat less. Just move more.”
CASSIE: I have acquaintances who have no sympathy for overweight people. They don’t get it.
KARA: But, again, when you look at it, there's so much more involved, and a lot of it is the processed food industry. We're going to talk more about that. But a lot of our clients say, “I've tried that ‘eating less and moving more’ thing. I've tried that over and over my whole life and it just doesn't work. Nothing works.” And people say, “I'm convinced that my metabolism has shut down. I feel like I have a broken metabolism.” We hear that a lot.
CASSIE: Yes, absolutely. I think there's truth in that statement. So, let's dig a little deeper and see if we can come up with the true reasons behind this epidemic of obesity.
KARA: Right, and when I want to dig deeper, the number one book that I go to is Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes, such a great book.
CASSIE: And we had him on when that book first came out.
KARA: We did. And we've actually interviewed him for Good Calories Bad Calories.
CASSIE: And then he has one about sugar, too. If you wanted to search for his name in the search engine on our past podcasts, whether through iTunes or on our website, weightandwellness.com, he's on as a guest. Those are some great shows.
KARA: Really great shows. I know for sure he was on Why We Get Fat. And in that book, he takes an overall look at Americans with weight issues and he's actually very critical of the food industry. So, you might be listening and wondering, “How do these extra pounds on my body have anything to do with the food industry?”
CASSIE: Actually a lot, right? Gary Taubes, who wrote this book, Why We Get Fat, says in his book, and I want to quote here “I believe the food industry is actively promoting a lie that processed food, imitation food, is just as good for us as real food.” And remember, we've previously mentioned on Dishing Up Nutrition that money talks. I mean, the reason the food industry is saying that processed food is just as good for us as real food is because billions of dollars are made every year by selling that processed food.
KARA: And all we need to do is turn on the TV and watch the food commercials. What kind of ads do you see? Are you seeing ads for vegetables? Do you see an ad for broccoli? Do you see an ad for brussels sprouts?
CASSIE: No, but I wish, right? Oh man I love brussels sprouts. I think people that don't like them haven't had them cooked correctly. That's my philosophy. But, no, I have not seen any ads for broccoli or brussels sprouts. But, of course, I've seen a lot of ads on TV, as I'm sure our listeners have, for potato chips, for pop, for cookies, and oh my gosh the pizza commercials are everywhere! There's an old adage that goes something like this, “If you repeat a lie often enough people will believe it.”
KARA: Isn't that the truth? Cassie, it looks like it's coming up on break. Should we take our break for now?
CASSIE: I think so and then we'll come back and get more into this topic of a broken metabolism. You're listening to Dishing up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight & Wellness.
We're a company providing life-changing nutrition education and nutrition counseling. If you're just tuning in we're talking about how to fix a broken metabolism. And we're going to continue talking about this topic. The first step to fixing a broken metabolism is to eat real food. So, think of grass-fed beef or wild-caught fish. Think of a lot of vegetables, like the broccoli and brussels sprouts Kara mentioned, all cooked in healthy fats like butter and olive oil. Because of the enormous influence the food industry has had on our eating habits over the years, we have a big challenge to keep our metabolism working properly. Real food, not the manufactured factory food, is the answer. We'll be right back.
BREAK
KARA: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. After last week's show, many of you have told us you would like additional group support to help you continue to eat healthily through this upcoming holiday season. You may have been asking yourself, “How do I avoid the cookie exchange? How do I order a coffee with heavy cream and avoid the skim milk pumpkin latte and the pumpkin muffin? Those are everywhere, hopefully for just a few more days. Well, we have answered your requests and put together a 90 minute class to help you make your personal commitment, get helpful information, suggestions, and support. So, by the time the Super Bowl rolls into town you're going to be feeling great. You're going to be feeling proud of yourself. The title of the class is called “Habits, Habits, Habits.”
It's only $25. It's going to be offered at three of our office locations. The St. Paul, Maple Grove, and North Oaks office. So that's really exciting. I was happy to hear about that class. People can sign up online at weightandwellness.com or you can call our office 651-699-3438 to get registered.
CASSIE: And I think that is the best $25 you will spend this holiday season for 90 minutes. Really good deal. You know the boss is not making money on that deal but she loves to help people. That's going to be a great class.
So, we have a caller we have an on line 1. Ann, welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. Did you have a question about olive oil?
CALLER: Yes, I did. I recently read somewhere that it shouldn't be heated. So, to not cook with it, I've never heard that before and I've not bothered to do any research. So, when you asked for questions I was very curious what your thoughts are of that.
CASSIE: That is a great question. We actually do teach that when we teach our Nutrition 4 Weight Loss series. We have a section on fats and the different temperatures that the fat should be heated, and based on how fragile they are. Olive oil is actually more of a fragile oil. So, heat and light will oxidize the olive oil and it can become rancid. Then it's a bad fat.
KARA: So, really olive oil is meant to be, I would say, low to possibly medium heat, more for like light sautéing or salad dressings, that’s really predominantly how I use it.
CASSIE: If I have extra time on my hands, let's say and I'm going to make eggs in the morning, I will use olive oil and then I'll put it in between zero and medium on my stove top. But if I don't have that much time then I'll use coconut oil because it can withstand high temperatures. And I love the flavor. Is that helpful?
CALLER: Oh, so when I'm roasting my brussels sprouts, it’s ok to use high heat with just a little butter. Normally, I do a little bit of olive oil and just brush it to keep it from sticking, and flip them around a little bit, in high heat.
KARA: No, you should roast your brussels sprouts in butter, or coconut oil is delicious too. But I've been doing more butter than I was ever since we had Sally Fallon on as a guest two weeks ago because one of her statements she made was that so many of us are low in vitamin A, and a good organic butter is such a great source of vitamin A. So, you can be assured that you're eating something healthy if you roast those brussels sprouts in butter. And it takes the high temp so you're all good and it tastes great.
CALLER: OK. Thank you very much.
KARA: Well, before break, Cassie said that there's an old adage that goes, “If you repeat a lie often enough people will believe it.” Author Gary Taubes said that the medical profession bought into this myth that fat causes cholesterol problems. So really that's when they started pushing low fat diets without really investigating the science behind that. There was no valid science behind what we call the cholesterol myth.
CASSIE: No, it was, I think, a theory more than anything and it took off like wildfire that we should eat low fat to get rid of fat on our body, but, like you said, they never really investigated any of the science that people were supposedly touting. And any science that was out there was truly faulty science. And it seems that the more any one food company advertises a packaged product, the more people believe the message without even really questioning what is being said and really, because of the major food industry advertising campaigns, people bought into the lie that fat is bad. And the false message that saturated fat causes heart disease also took off like wildfire and this, then precipitated the food industry to put cheap, manufactured fats into their cookies and their cakes, their crackers, and their chips. And the list goes on and on. And then they advertised these items as a healthier choice because they weren't made with lard or other saturated fats. Now, on this program, on Dishing Up Nutrition, we call these manufactured fats refined, or very damaged fats. So, what do manufactured fats do to someone's metabolism, Kara?
KARA: So, in Sally Fallon Morell’s book, and again we had her on two weeks ago if you want to catch that show, but she has her new book, Nourishing Fats, and she quotes research from the ‘70s that shows that excess consumption of these vegetable oils—So, when we say the term vegetable oils, we're really just referring to all the fats you just mentioned-- the manufactured, processed, refined-- those are vegetable oils, and they're especially damaging to the reproductive organs, is what the research found, and to the lungs. And both of those organs are actually organs that are experiencing an increase in cancer in our country. So, think about lung cancer, possibly uterine or ovarian, breast, prostate, all those reproductive cancers.
CASSIE: Also all these vegetable oils, and we're talking about the corn oil, the soybean oil, cotton seed oil, and canola oil-- these vegetable oils have been found to cause abnormal fatty acid profiles in the fat cells. And this might be, in part, why the use of these oils has been linked to mental decline. I mean, we're seeing Alzheimer's and dementia on the rise. The use of these oils has also been linked to accelerating aging and to obesity.
KARA: Is it OK if we talk a little bit more about that quote that you just said? You said that those cottonseed, canola, corn, and soybean oils have been found to cause abnormal fatty acid profiles. What does that mean? So, maybe people don't understand what that means. I think of that as low omega 3s. And we have more inflammatory fats in our system. We're out of balance. So, we need those omega 3 fats which are anti-inflammatory. So, if people are low on the omega 3s because they're having all these cheap oils, that makes sense they're going to have a mental decline, accelerated aging, and obesity. One study found that women who ate the most of these vegetable oils had more wrinkles.
CASSIE: So there you go, there's the accelerated aging. I mean if that's not motivation enough to stop the vegetable oils, I don't know what is. When we eat a lot of vegetable oils, again it's the corn oil, the soybean oil, the cotton seed oil, and the canola oil, research tells us that these oils have been associated with an increased rate of cancer, of heart disease, and of weight gain. I mean, the bottom line is these damaged oils slow your metabolism. And I would like to suggest that anybody listening right now, if you're in your kitchen and have a minute, pull out a salad dressing bottle from your fridge. Go to your pantry and pull out some crackers. If you have almonds or some type of a roasted nut in your pantry, pull out some of those things and read through the ingredient list. I think many of you listening will find that you probably have corn oil or cottonseed or soybean oil or canola oil in your house.
KARA: I would say a lot of frozen foods, boxed foods, prepackaged frozen meals, so anything that's already in a box or a can is going to be likely to have some of those soybean and corn oils. So, also when you pick up a processed food at a convenience store, maybe you grab a muffin, for example. If you look at the ingredients, what do you see? Well, usually the first or second ingredient is going to be sugar. And then shortly after, you will see an ingredient that’s soybean or corn oil, one of those bad vegetable oils. Right, and so one of those is not going to cause damage, but if you're eating muffins on a regular basis, you could have more cellulite on your thighs. That’s another thing. I mean there's the wrinkles, the cellulite-- eating bad fats can lead to wrinkles and cellulite. That's just actually a sign of accelerated aging that shows up on the outside.
CASSIE: Right, and great, great motivators to get those foods out of your diet. Kara, we're going to take a quick break and then we're going to come back and talk more about not just the contributing factors to our broken metabolism, but we're going to give you some solutions, too.
You're listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. If you're just tuning in, we are discussing how to boost a broken metabolism. I have a question for you before we go to break, though. How does chronic stress affect your metabolism? Studies have found that short-term stress is actually beneficial for us, but long term stress can cause people to turn away from healthy foods like the blueberries and the sweet potatoes and pick high sugar foods instead. Like, maybe M&M’s or potato chips. Living with stress on an ongoing, daily basis makes you more likely to have issues with your weight.
When we come back from break Kara will share more about the harmful effects of ongoing stress and how it can lead to a broken metabolism. We'll be right back.
BREAK
KARA: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. Let's take a closer look at reasons why ongoing stress is bad for your metabolism. First, let's look at a human study. Researchers found that when women were under stress, they ate more, and they often chose high-processed, high-carbohydrate-type foods. So, think about cookies, candy, chips, things like that. And that's human studies. If we take a look at animal studies, researchers found chronic stress even caused animals to gain weight. So, one study from Georgia State University found that hamsters experiencing ongoing stress over a 30-day period gained weight, particularly in the abdomen or belly fat.
CASSIE: Yes, all of that. And another human study published in The Journal of Adolescent Health found that adolescents who experienced more stress were more likely to have weight problems. Now, as a registered dietitian, I look at what causes stress a little differently than most people. I mean certainly we can have outward factors that are stressing us out, but we can also stress ourselves from the inside out depending on our food choices. So, if I think of foods that can produce stress in adolescence and teenagers, for example, I think of pop. Cold breakfast cereal is another stresser. Potato chips, pizza, and, let's not forget, that a lack of sleep is a stresser.
KARA: So, here's a few poor eating or sleep habits that may cause you or your teen to have a broken metabolism. So, what do you need to do to eliminate your food stressers?
I mean, I would say, first thing, replace those sodas or energy drinks with water. Add a slice of lemon if you want some flavor. You could put fresh lemon, lime, or orange. You could have not excessive sparkling water, but one or two per day of like the La Croix or Mendota Springs.
CASSIE: Yesterday I had my husband pick up for me at the Nutritional Weight and Wellness office, the berry flavored Stevia drops to jazz up my water. So, another great way if you're kind of bored with water.
KARA: When people say, “Oh I don't like water.” Or “I have a hard time getting my water in. It just doesn't taste like anything.” If they're used to drinking soda. That's a great tip. Put some Stevia in there.
CASSIE: And think further about, “How do we eliminate our food stressers?” How about for breakfast this morning, skip the pancakes and choose some eggs cooked in butter instead.
KARA: And stop buying chips. If you're hungry, you could try to have nuts or something. I always keep nuts in my purse all the time.
CASSIE: Me too. And I love that you said, “Stop buying the chips,” because if they're not in the house, if that urge hits you, tough luck. Out of sight, out of mind for most people. You can't really call your name if they're not in your house. And let's not forget about the importance of unplugging at a decent time. Remember to turn off the TV, turn off the laptop and the iPad, turn off your phone and go to sleep at a decent time in the evening to get your eight to ten hours. And the reward is when you change to these good nutrition and sleep habits, you can actually repair your broken metabolism.
KARA: Yeah, it’s so important. All of those things play a really big role in metabolism, so we can't just focus on one thing. It's really about the whole big picture.
CASSIE: It's putting all the puzzle pieces together. We have Rachelle on line 1 with a question for us. Rachelle, good morning. Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. Did you have a question about palm oil?
CALLER: Good morning. Thank you. Yes, I am confused about whether palm oil is an appropriate oil for human consumption or not.
CASSIE: That's a great question. I believe it is. I actually have a Nutivia brand. It's sort of a healthy shortening I guess I would call it, and I think palm oil is the main ingredient. I've seen that it's a Crisco-type of consistency. But instead of the hydrogenated vegetable oil they make it with palm oil. So, I tried that. I will tell you, I rarely bake at my house, but around Christmas I do make some healthier treats for the kids, and I had bought it last year for a recipe and I think it's fine. What do you think Kara?
KARA: Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. I don't know as much about palm oil as I do about coconut oil, and I know they're both tropical oils so they withstand higher temperatures, so I think they both have some of the same properties as being an anti-fungal, antibacterial, anti-viral.
CASSIE: Yeah, I think you're OK with that. What were you looking to use it in?
CALLER: Well, I'm actually seeing it on the label instead of partially-hydrogenated oil in peanut butter and crackers. And I'm just wondering if, when they're putting it in there, is it just another name for partially hydrogenated oil?
CASSIE: Oh good. I love how you're being active there. It's great to see. But no, it is not another name. I know that it is not another name for partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated, which, as you likely know, are the trans fats. So, I think it's going to be an OK peanut butter if you see that in there. Even better, I always think of food in terms of OK, better, and best. And most of us are on this continual journey to get everything to that best category. So, a peanut butter with palm oil instead of hydrogenated oils would be would be one of your better choices. But, if you can buy that peanut butter that's just peanuts and salt, that's your best choice. Yeah that's a great question though.
CALLER: Thank you so much.
KARA: Thank you for your call. I just want to make one comment. So, any type of oil could potentially be hydrogenated. So, if our listeners are looking at labels, it is possible that there could be a hydrogenated palm oil.
CASSIE: Really? OK. You’re taking me back to science class.
KARA: So those are just the words to avoid. So, it would have to say “hydrogenated” palm oil. Without that word next to it is fine.
CASSIE: Avoid hydrogenated oil of any kind and avoid partially-hydrogenated oils of any kind. Those are the worst of the worst. Those are the trans fats. And then I think we're just going to take another caller. We have Amy on the line. Amy, welcome up to Dishing Up Nutrition. Did you have a question for us?
CALLER: Yes. I have a question regarding jazzing up your water. I tried this tart cherry juice concentrate in my water. Is the concentrate OK?
CASSIE: How much are you putting in there?
CALLER: Two tablespoons. Because I'm doing it for arthritis.
CASSIE: Yeah, I would think that would have health properties, probably antioxidants and those are things that protect all of our cells from potential damage.
CALLER: Right. And the studies have shown that the cherries have to be tart, I guess. But it is helping with my arthritis. I can’t believe it, but it is helping.
CASSIE: So you put two tablespoons per how much?
CALLER: I'll just take the two tablespoons just by themselves. And sometimes I do put it in the water, but I got the concentrate at the orchard in Door County. And so far, I'm waking up and I'm on week almost four and I'm not having pain anymore.
CASSIE: Wonderful. And you're getting a little flavor in your water. Well, I'm glad you called in because I bet there is somebody or several somebodies out there listening that this could be helpful information for you.
CALLER: I can’t believe it’s working, but it is.
CASSIE: Yay. Count your blessings. All right thank you, Amy, for listening. And I'm sure that can be found at a co-op in the refrigerated section so you don't have to go to Door County.
KARA: I think the key is that she's only using two tablespoons so it's not eight ounces of juice. That's keeping the sugar content down.
CASSIE: Yes. A little goes a long way there.
KARA: All right, so let's see when we talked about how bad fats lead to wrinkles and cellulite.
CASSIE: Right. That's right. And, of course, a slow metabolism. And if you've been like most of us and you eat manufactured foods or these fake imitation foods for years, do you think that maybe this is why you have a slow metabolism? I mean, really, for decades most of us were unaware of the danger of these refined vegetable oils. For decades no one told us if we ate chips and cookies and microwave popcorn, or even most restaurant meals, that these foods would slow down our metabolism. In fact, to the contrary, TV nutrition ads show that these oils were healthy and most of us believed it. Sadly, now the consequence of eating these bad damaged oils, like the corn oil, the soybean oil-- eating these oils for so many years has resulted in a slow metabolism for many, not only for you out there listening, but for almost half of the United States population.
KARA: As a nation, we have a serious problem. Slow metabolism and obesity are occurring from eating processed foods that are full of these refined oils.
CASSIE: We're going to take a break here and come right back to this conversation. You’re listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. We are talking about causes of a broken metabolism. If you're just tuning in, we're also going to be talking more about solutions to fix a broken metabolism. And I want to say that if you're a podcast listener and have written a review for us we want to thank you. If you haven't yet please go to iTunes and consider writing one for us. We really want to continue making this radio show and this podcast better and better for all of you listeners. We can only do that if we hear from you. So, thanks again for listening and for sharing Dishing Up Nutrition with your family and friends. Stay tuned, we'll be right back.
KARA: Welcome back. You're listening to Dishing Up Nutrition.
CASSIE: And before we get back to our topic I want to let the listeners know that if you or a family member or a friend struggles with headaches, tune in next Saturday as Leah and Kara will take a look at natural headache relief, so not ibuprofen or something even stronger, but natural headache relief. They're going to be talking about food supplements and possibly even sleep as contributing factors to those sometimes-debilitating headaches.
All right. So, before we went to break, I was wanting to give an example of a woman that took our Nutrition 4 Weight Loss program. And I jotted down her story. I think I remember when I first started listening to Dishing Up Nutrition, when I would hear people's stories, that was the best. It's really inspiring stories. So, here's an example of a woman in her 60s who took the Nutrition 4 Weight Loss program and she lost 12 pounds. So that's one pound each week throughout our 12-week series. Now, we asked her why she took the Nutrition 4 Weight Loss program and here's what she said. She said, “Your radio program said I could eat real food including berries and heavy cream for a snack.” So that was motivating her because she knew she could have heavy whipping cream. She knew we weren't going to be a deprivation diet. So that really motivated her. And then she also said “I lost 12 pounds and my blood sugars have gone down from the 200 to 300 range down to a normal range, right around 100.” So, it's not just about the weight loss that gets him into the class, but there's always these other really wonderful positive health outcomes.
KARA: I know blood sugars going from 2-300 down to 100s. That's basically reversing your diabetes, which a lot of people don't even think can happen.
CASSIE: But we see that happen in our office time and time again with diabetes and diet type 2 diabetes reversed.
KARA: So, let's give some solutions to everybody. The solution to changing your metabolism, I mean this sounds simple, is to stop eating processed foods and start cooking and eating real food.
CASSIE: I mean, really, you have to get in the kitchen, at least a little bit. Whether you enjoy it or don't enjoy it, you've got to get in there a little bit.
KARA: If you truly want to heal your metabolism, and there are some shortcuts, but you can’t just rely on processed, fast food, boxed food, canned foods, because that's what got you into trouble in the first place. That's what actually breaks the metabolism.
So, here's an example of what real food would be for a great fall dinner meal: So, in the middle of the afternoon, just put some chicken legs in the crockpot. Put a little salt, and two or three tablespoons of Braggs liquid aminos (basically that's just a soy sauce with no MSG and no gluten), take a quarter cup of heavy whipping cream and cook it on low for four to five hours. It's got a great flavor, it makes the house smell good. It's just an easier way to get that healthy protein in. And then you can just put some squash in the oven; butternut squash, acorn squash. Put that in the oven. That's cooking so you don't have to do anything with that. Sauté up some green vegetables, maybe some brussels sprouts in butter, just sauté those on low. Now, for dessert, you could serve cubed watermelon and cantaloupe, which is a low-sugar fruit. Simple and easy and the whole family would love that type of meal.
CASSIE: Right. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. It doesn't have to be six or seven things on the table like some Minnesota Grandma's are used to doing. I mean, just a few simple things and you have a delicious, family-friendly meal. And when you eat real food with good, healthy fats, your cells, over time, are able to get rid of the bad fats and replace it with the good fats. And this, in turn, biochemically activates your metabolism or revs up your metabolism.
KARA: I've heard that referred to as giving your body an oil change. That's a great visual. Getting rid of the bad fats and replacing with the good. Just like when you change your oil and you drain out the gunky static and put some new stuff in, now it might surprise you that body fat is actually regulated in our bodies. When we're healthy, our bodies work very hard to maintain a set amount of fat that's in our tissues. Not too much, and not too little. So that ensures a steady supply into our cells. So that's what happens until we start eating something that throws off the regulation, and something that would throw that off, of course, would be the soybean oil, the corn oil, the muffins, the processed foods, even certain medications can do that. Prednizone, anti-depressants, chemo drugs, and blood pressure medications can all throw off this fat regulation. Sometimes we don't have control over the medication, but we always have control over what we eat. So, somebody needs to be on prednizone unfortunately may need to be on it for a while, but they can still control what they're putting in their mouths
CASSIE: And it might be a little bit harder to do. You may need to sign up for a nutrition consult, because prednizone can mess with your hunger and your metabolism. But you're right, you ultimately are in control of what you eat. Now, in addition to bad damaged fats-- that's one thing that can break your metabolism, but these processed foods we've been talking about, the potato chips, the crackers, they can contain too many carbs. You want to talk a little bit about that?
KARA: Sure. It's the combination of the excess carbs and sugar and the bad fats that are going to slow metabolism. And so, I have a quick statistic that I'd like to share about where Americans are getting their calories. I learned this at a continuing education conference yesterday, so this is hot off the press. Most Americans consume 50 percent of their calories through liquid.
CASSIE: Oh my goodness. That surprises me.
KARA: Soda, juice, energy drinks, milk, chocolate milk, fancy coffee drinks, the mochas, the lattes. So just switch to water and you'll probably drop a lot of weight and help to heal your metabolism. And watching those sugars and carbs and refined oils. That's really key.
CASSIE: And so we need to point the finger at the high carb foods, but also at the beverages you're drinking, so be aware of what you're choosing to drink. Water is always your best choice.
As the show wraps up today, I just want to remind our listeners that our goal at Nutritional Weight & Wellness is to help each and every person experience better health through eating real food. It's a simple, yet powerful message. Eating real food is life changing. Thank you for listening and have a healthy day.
