Flexibility
Do you know that we have 2 metabolic systems? Our bodies can burn glucose (sugars) or fats for fuel, but not at the same time. You want your body to utilize both systems efficiently and interchangeably. It is called metabolic switching. During immediate energy needs, you want glucose to provide the fuel while fats sustain long term energy. Switching between these 2 systems is hormone driven in response to the food we eat (or don’t eat).
Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (SAD) has enabled a vicious cycle of only burning glucose by consuming an overabundance carbohydrates. Let me explain.
Carbohydrates come into our body as sugar, starch, and non-starchy vegetables. Some carbohydrates convert to glucose quicker than others. I previously listed then from fastest to slowest. Keep in mind, the faster the foodstuff converts to glucose, the faster the pancreas works to rid it with insulin. When those carbohydrates enter the body, they get converted (in the liver) to a useable fuel called glucose. Glucose circulates through the body via the blood to get to cells so it can be used to make energy. The hormone insulin plays an integral part in allowing glucose to enter the cells. Insulin does the best job it can to keep up with the glucose demand. But in the case of the SAD, we constantly flood our body with carbohydrates (particularly sugar and starches) every few hours, and insulin can lag behind. Thus the pancreas produces more insulin. When insulin rids the blood of glucose, you get hungry again and you eat again. Do you see the pattern?
Here is where the pattern becomes a problem.
Insulin has another job. If there is no room for glucose to enter the cells, insulin tells the liver to convert the excess glucose to fat. Fat floats around the bloodstream as a condensed form of fuel and is easily utilized when necessary. That blood fat is called triglycerides. If triglycerides become overabundant, our body takes the excess to the liver for storage, then to body fat as an overflow storage. You may see this as weight gain. As long as insulin is prevalent, fat will accumulate and grow. Hence, when we eat at 2-3 hour intervals, especially carbohydrates, we are stimulating insulin production and forcing fat deposition. Additionally, with the increased insulin levels, our body can become resistant to its effect. This is called insulin resistance (IR). In order to utilize the fat storage and to improve IR, we need to decrease the insulin levels.
A counter-regulatory hormone, glucagon, does the opposite of insulin and raises blood glucose to prevent blood sugars from dropping too low. Glucagon only releases when insulin levels are low and signals fat break-down to be used as fuel.
Since our body is so used to only fueling with carbohydrates, we need to train it use fat stores or to become fat adapted. This happens with decreasing insulin response and increasing a glucagon response by eating fewer carbohydrates.
I recommend starting with eliminating sugars and grains found in processed foods. For instance, your first meal of the day can be eggs and bacon, no toast, rather than oatmeal or cereal. For lunch, rather than a sandwich and chips, have a salad with protein and dressing that does not contain ANY sugar. This can be hard to find in a bottle. At dinner time, serve up loads of non-starchy vegetables, and a fatty protein like beef, pork, skin-on-chicken, or any type of seafood.
Now here is the challenge. Try a week without sugar and/or grains. Pay attention to how you feel, body changes, energy levels, brain power/fog, inflammation, mood, etc. Notice how full you get and how much food you actually eat compared to your current diet. It’s helpful to keep a log of food, mood, and changes so you can reflect back on the days. You can handle a 1 week experiment. Try it. You may find that you like it.
