Steps To Reset and Repair Your Metabolism

Transcript:

Kara: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. Our company, Nutritional Weight & Wellness provides life-changing nutrition education, and individual nutrition counseling. Each week a new podcast is released and we work hard to cover a variety of topics, since not all topics will apply to everyone.

Today we're discussing how to overcome a slow metabolism. Chances are you might be someone who struggles with this personally, or you definitely know someone who complains about not being able to lose weight because it is a very common situation that people deal with. I'm Kara Carper. I'll be one of your hosts today, and I'm a Licensed Nutritionist and Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist.

I really love teaching our nutrition classes and doing research for these podcasts. Brandy Buro is also hosting with me today, so I'll give Brandy a moment to introduce herself.

Brandy: Thanks Kara. Happy to be here with you today.

Kara: Great to see you as always.

Brandy: So I'll just share a little bit about myself. I am a Registered and Licensed Dietitian here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness. So I am more on the counseling side of things here. So I'll meet one-on-one with clients to work on nutrition therapy, coming up with personalized meal plans and action steps to help them reach their health goals.

But I'm also one of the nutrition educators. I love meeting in group settings, teaching some of the foundational principles of nutrition to our class participants. And I'm also here on the podcast; you've heard my voice before. I've answered some of our listeners questions in the midweek Ask a Nutritionist episodes. So there's a good variety of work here and I love it all.  

Kara: Yeah. I love that about our company as well. You never know what your week is going to look like.

Brandy: Yeah. And you know, every person you encounter or project on your plate is an opportunity to learn something new about nutrition, because this is, you know, it's a science field. It's ever evolving. So, very exciting stuff. And Kara, I agree with you to the topic today, while you know, there's always new and emerging science around metabolism and weight loss, I think the thing that is constant is that everybody experiences issues in metabolism.

So given all that, I have met with so many people individually and in the classroom setting. And one common thread that I think a lot of people struggle with, like you said, Kara is a slow metabolism. And I don't think it's just the people that we see at Nutritional Weight & Wellness. I think this is happening. across the entire nation.

There was some interesting data that was released from the CDC that reported 70% of adults in America are overweight or obese, and those numbers have really started to increase over the last couple of decades. There was a really big spike between the years 1990 and 2000.

Kara: And I saw that too. You know, in a lot of different research papers, you know, you'll see these statistics, but in 1990 it was about 23% of the population were considered obese. But then just 10 years later, in the year 2000, the numbers jumped to 31%. So that's very significant. It's almost 1% increase in obesity each year.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: Imagine if that continued on that timeline. I mean, it hasn't, you know, but especially in that one decade, there was a big jump.

Brandy: As somebody that grew up in the nineties, I have some ideas of why that might have happened.

What are some reasons metabolism struggles have risen?

Kara: Absolutely. I was thinking that too. I mean, and you can speak to this, Brandy, but I'm thinking like the low fat era. And all the processed foods.

Brandy: Definitely so many processed foods. And the low fat thing obviously didn't do us any favors, right?

Kara: Right. And we'll talk more about that. But you know, when they remove fat from food, when that has fat in its natural state, usually they're adding in quite a bit of sugar, chemicals; metabolism stoppers essentially.

Brandy: Exactly.

Nutrition & lifestyle choices help with metabolism

Kara: So of course there are a lot of factors when it comes to a slow metabolism. And sometimes there are certain medical conditions or illnesses, even medications that folks are taking that can make it harder to lose weight. But even if you do have a predisposition to gaining weight, you can still make progress by focusing on what you're eating.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: You know, this is the area where everyone has control. So even if, let's just say both of your parents are prediabetic or maybe they have type two diabetes, genetically, you are more likely to have higher blood sugar levels and you are more likely to struggle when it comes to weight loss. However, what you choose to eat and how you choose to move your body can override that genetic makeup or that genetic predisposition.

Brandy: Yes.

Kara: So it's not inevitable to go down the same path as your family members.

Brandy: That's really empowering to know, you know, that's not your destiny necessarily if you're proactive and make some lifestyle choices that can get you out of that.

Kara: And that's what we're here today to do, is to walk you through some basic steps to reset and repair your metabolism with the correct nutrition and lifestyle habits.

Brandy: Mm-hmm. And this is a message that I share with my clients when we meet, you know, even if your family members are dealing with some of those chronic diseases, you can learn how to prevent that or how to reverse it. And when it comes to metabolism and weight management, oftentimes my clients will complain about being dealt, how do I want to say this?

Kara: Unfair hand.

Brandy: Unfair hand when it comes to their metabolism. Maybe they'll just look at a cookie and they'll put on 10 pounds, or all I have to do is look at food and I gain weight. But the good news is that this is really not true. You're not cursed. You weren't dealt a tough deck. You can reset and repair and heal your metabolism.

Common misconception: eat less, exercise more

Kara: Yeah. That is really important. And like you said, empowering for our listeners. Before we get into our topic, let's clear up some common misconceptions about metabolism and how it works. Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse, personal trainer, or anybody, just eat less, eat less food and exercise more, and that will create a calorie deficit?

Does that sound familiar? That was the old model of calories in versus calories out. Research shows that metabolism is much more complex than calories in, calories out. It's not as simple as cutting back on what you're eating and then working out two hours every day. In fact, that type of approach often damages metabolism and can make it more difficult to lose weight in the future.

Brandy: I'm glad you said that. 'Cause I think people are working themselves to death trying to lose weight or keep weight off when really we just need to be working smarter, not harder. That's how I like to think of it anyway. And that restriction mindset can make it more difficult to lose weight or keep weight off.

And that's because that low calorie mindset is really stressful on the body. You're essentially starving yourself every time you go into a low calorie restriction diet, and that goes on for long periods of time, your body will adapt to that. It will adapt to fewer calories. And it does that by slowing down your metabolic rate.

It slows down your metabolism so that it can hold on to your weight, your weight storage, which is basically your body's reserves for survival. So this is basically a biological response from the body, which is perceiving lack of calories as starvation. It's just kind of built in, wired into your body so that you can survive the tough times.

Kara: It makes sense, I mean, that was a helpful biological response at one point in time, you know, when food was more scarce. People didn't know when they were going to get their next meal. And so their body would naturally go into fat storing until food was more readily available.

Brandy: Exactly.

Kara: But we're basically inundated with lots of food and lots of choices. And so that is not our current day situation.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: And that low calorie or restrictive dieting, think about it, that can also lead to overeating or binge eating. Because let's be honest, a person cannot sustain an overly restrictive diet for very long. Maybe a few weeks, maybe even a few months. But our body is so intelligent. It won't allow us to continue this way.

Brandy: Especially if there's plenty of food around.

Kara: Absolutely. And eventually people fall off the diet and usually we'll start overeating. Maybe even binging. And that's because the body senses starvation and is really craving nutrient dense food.

Brandy: Right.

Tips for long term weight loss & management

Kara: And so a highly restrictive diet, it's not a long-term weight management plan. Brandy, it sounds like when you meet with clients, are some of them looking for that quick fix? You know, you're a licensed and registered dietitian, so what have you found to be true when it comes to long-term weight loss and weight management?

Brandy: Well, I have to say, by the time a client comes to me, they've already tried a lot of those restrictive diets, and they wouldn't be visiting with me if they were effective. So oftentimes what they're looking for is a plan that is sustainable and gives them results because they found that that restriction mentality doesn't work long term.

And you know, on a personal level, that's what I found to be true as well. You know, starvation, that starvation, calorie deficit mindset, I've never really been able to follow that. It's always been a more balanced approach for me to maintain a weight that I'm comfortable in. And that's what I'm seeing with my clients too. You know, that weight may not come off as quickly as it may with an extreme restriction approach. But it's slow and steady and it stays off for good. And that's what we want to see.

Kara: Absolutely.

Brandy: And it might take some encouragement with clients to be patient for the process and to know that it's not going to be, like that magic pill or that magic bullet, or quick fix, like you said. And it's not always maybe as exciting or groundbreaking to say that what we really need to do is simply focus on eating nutritious foods, eating in balance, get rid of processed foods, eat enough. You know, these are basics that we have to return to and really embrace. I think people are looking for some like aha, like the new fad.

Kara: Yeah.

Brandy: But really it's just like, let's get back to basics. Eat real food several times a day.

Kara: I love that advice, and it reminds me of something a colleague said to me years ago, and I'll never forget it. To get the best results in any area of life, it's the small, consistent, those baby steps done on a regular basis that result in the biggest changes and are the most effective. So in other words, if it sounds like a boring plan, if it feels kind of mundane. And like Groundhogs Day, you're doing the same thing every day, you're doing it right.

Brandy: That's what we want. Results come from consistency. Like I said, getting back to the basics, beyond eating in balance, eating enough, we're also thinking about drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, walking outside, moving your body, not skipping snacks. Not skipping meals.

Those little changes every single day can make the world of a difference. It is not a magic pill, it's not that quick fix, but this is basically laying the foundation, basically a blueprint for long-term health and healthy weight is that you can lose weight and still feel like you're satisfied.

You're not going to go hungry on this way of life, you're not going to feel deprived, and I would bet that many aspects of your health are going to improve right alongside the weight loss. Sometimes actually, probably before you see weight loss, your health will improve.

Kara: That's such a great point. And we talk about that when we're teaching some of our nutrition classes, and I'm sure when you're meeting with your clients you might have to give it a few months to really kind of see the needle moving on body measurements or like scale measurements. But when it comes to things like high triglycerides or high glucose levels, you know, achy knees, people report back that they are seeing improvements in their labs or less pain and inflammation within a week to a month, sometimes.

Examples of real, unprocessed meals (prioritize macronutrients)

So let's give some examples of what we mean by putting together real whole food unprocessed meals. And so this is just kind of a general plan, not a very individualized plan. But you can get a really good idea just from our podcast today on how to go about this.

With every meal include four to six ounces of a good high quality protein, the equivalent of one to two tablespoons of healthy fats or oils, which is about 15 grams. And then round that out with one, two or even three cups of vegetables and that, you know, that should be the main source of carbohydrate for a resetting metabolism plan.

Brandy: Exactly. So everything you just mentioned, Kara, we're focusing on prioritizing the presence of macronutrients. So with every meal and snack, we want to have a little protein, a little bit of fat, and carbohydrates from vegetables. So each one of these macronutrients plays a specific benefit in boosting your metabolism, and they're more effective when you combine them all together at the same time.

The importance of eating protein

So when it comes to protein, I would say many people, especially women, are shortchanging themselves on how much protein they eat. So many of us are undereating protein, but protein is so crucial when it comes to weight loss. Every time you eat protein, your metabolism is increased by about 30%.

Kara: That's a big number.

Brandy: It's really motivating to eat your protein, but there's a few reasons for this. Every time you eat protein, your body actually expends a little bit of energy just to digest and process that protein. So more so than fat, more so than carbohydrates. Protein requires more energy than any other macronutrient to digest. So we refer to that as the thermic effect of food. Eating protein is also going to help you feel fuller longer.

So it's, it improves satiety and it's also going to help you build and maintain muscle mass. And muscle tissue is a big component of your metabolic rate. So muscle tissue burns more energy compared to fat tissue. So you do want to maintain as much muscle mass as you can so that your metabolic rate is as optimized as it can be.

Kara: What you're saying is people are burning more calories at rest, correct?

Brandy: You're burning more calories just sitting. Versus someone with less muscle mass, and protein is how you build muscle. One other note that I'll mention about eating protein is every time you eat protein, you have a little boost of that GLP-1 hormone. GLP one hormone is getting a lot of attention lately with some of those medications that are out, those weight loss medications. But the truth is that your own body will produce that hormone when you eat protein. And that's something that helps you feel satisfied and full after a meal.

Kara: So folks can naturally increase their own GLP-1.

Brandy: Exactly.

Kara: So clearly there are multiple benefits, you know, when it comes to metabolism, when someone's incorporating protein several times per day. Not only does GLP-1 naturally increase after eating protein, but another hormone called ghrelin is decreased. And so that is also helping metabolism.

Brandy: Exactly.

Kara: So there's a lot of hormones in play here. Another hormone that's in play if we're eating enough protein and not overeating, especially starchy carbohydrates, you know, that will balance out a hormone called insulin.

Brandy: Yes.

Kara: And you know, if our insulin, if the pancreas is not overproducing insulin to clear out excess carbohydrates, that is going to also help heal and reset metabolism.

Brandy: Exactly.

Kara: Any type of movement, whether it's going for a walk after dinner or getting on the elliptical or riding your bike around the neighborhood. It doesn't matter. I mean, you know, 30 minutes a day would be ideal, but every little bit counts.

Brandy: Eating protein gives you energy and gives you energy to move your body. Any form of physical movement helps lower insulin levels. And that is key to healing and resetting your metabolism. I am going to give you even one more reason protein helps you heal metabolism.

Eating protein is good for your brain health. It supports your brain function and can help you make better decisions, especially when it comes to food. Basically, when you eat protein, it digests down into something called amino acids. And those amino acids go on to produce our brain chemicals or our neurotransmitters, including the famous neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin.

Dopamine and serotonin are key neurotransmitters that play a role in our food behavior. If we have low levels of dopamine and serotonin, we tend to have more cravings for sugar and bread and alcohol. So eating enough protein can support better brain chemistry so that we are not sort of filling that void with other substances like sugar and alcohol. So basically we have fewer cravings when we eat more protein.

Kara: And it's much easier to maintain eating a real food plan when someone has sufficient levels of dopamine. Dopamine also helps people to have a sense of power and control and be more focused and energetic and like you said, have fewer cravings. So naturally it's going to be easier for them to stay on an eating plan if you felt in control, focused and energetic every day.

Brandy: Absolutely. So, just to be clear, when we're talking about protein, this really important macronutrient, we are referring to high quality animal based sources of protein. So pasture raised eggs, chicken, lamb, beef, fish. For some people who tolerate dairy, we could even include plain yogurt and cheese, a couple of my favorites.

So these types of proteins are very filling and they are very well absorbed by our body. Well, it is time for a quick break. When we return, we will continue to talk about all the benefits of macronutrients and the roles they play in our metabolism. You are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition, brought to you by Nutritional Weight & Wellness. Stay tuned for the rest of our show.

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Kara: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. Our topic today is steps to reset and repair your metabolism. I'm Kara Carper, a licensed nutritionist, and I'm here with Brandy Buro, a licensed and registered dietitian. So with our topic, we have spoken so far about the benefits of eating protein: four or five or six ounces, you know, at least three times per day.

Brandy: Right.

Benefits of fats & oils

Kara: And now we're going to transition and talk about our second macronutrient, which is fats, fats and oils. And when it comes to fats and oils, we recommend incorporating a serving of a healthy fat and oil with each meal and each snack; could be grass fed butter that you're cooking your eggs in, and maybe for lunch you drizzle some olive oil dressing and add a little balsamic vinegar on your salad. I always like when I'm having a salad to add a solid fat as well. An example might be a third of an avocado.

Brandy: Yes.

Kara: We also have a protein shake recipe on our website, which is weightandwellness.com. I will frequently make this as a snack to have between my lunch and dinner. And then we definitely want to add a healthy fat into even a protein shake. And I like to add either full fat canned coconut milk or peanut butter or almond butter.

Brandy: That's what I do too.

Kara: You do? Okay. Yeah. I love it. And it, you know, it's nice and smooth. You could add avocado as well. That does not add any flavor. But the coconut milk, it adds a little coconut flavor. And if you like peanut butter, you can mix that with some banana in your smoothie.

Brandy: So good.

Kara: So lots of options. And then moving on to dinner. An example of what you could have for fat at dinner, it could be a dollop of sour cream on top of your beef chili that you're eating. So you can hear that this is not a restrictive diet. And fats and oils, that's where we get our flavor. And so food tastes so much better and Brandy's going to start talking about the other benefits of fats and oils.

Brandy: Right. And you know, a question that I get a lot at this point, when I am kind of going through the basics of this meal plan with clients, they'll kind of stop me and just double check. Like, okay, you're sure that I can add fat in this amount to every single meal that I eat throughout the day? Because they've been so used to eliminating fat.

And it's really unfortunate that that has been the message that we've been led to believe for so long is that fat is bad for our health. Fat is bad for weight loss, but the truth is that we really do need a little bit of fat and a variety of natural fats in your diet every day in order to lose weight.

Healthy fats, you know, like the butter, the coconut oil, the peanut butter, all of those fats help us stay full and satisfied. And they can actually help prevent us overeating some of those high sugar processed foods, which are bad for our metabolism. And they're also going to help create healthy cells. They actually play a role in repairing damaged cells, and this is all going to lead to better insulin sensitivity. Healthy cells are insulin sensitive, meaning we don't have to produce as much insulin to control our blood sugar. And that helps us lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

Kara: That's right. So in adding that protein as well, so if you have your protein and a healthy fat with every meal and snack,, that will keep your blood sugar levels more stable, and like Brandy just explained, you know, then your body's not going to overproduce insulin because if there are excess carbohydrates or no fat, or low fat and low amounts of protein, you know, then the blood glucose gets too high and insulin comes to the rescue to clear it out.

And so why, why is that important? Why do we not want excess glucose and excess insulin? Because if your glucose levels are stable and your insulin levels are stable, your body is naturally in fat burning mode. And so your body's not able to burn fat if glucose is high or insulin is high.

Brandy: That's right. And fat plays a really important role and I've learned this firsthand. After having a little bit of experience wearing a continuous glucose monitor, I noticed how much my blood sugar spikes if I'm not adding enough fat in with my meal, even if it has a good amount of protein and some high fiber vegetables. Without that fat, my blood sugar gets pretty high pretty quickly.

Kara: I'm so glad you shared that.

Choosing the right carbohydrates for metabolism

Brandy: The proof is in the data. And it was really great to have that experience and now I know how important the fat is for me anyway. Well, I want to move on to talking more about those carbohydrates. This is our last macronutrient that we want to tackle. A lot of my clients struggle with this, you know, they're used to eating vegetables maybe with one meal out of the day. But vegetables are the primary carbohydrate that we need in our diet for a healthy metabolism.

So ideally, we would be getting vegetables not only with dinner, but also at breakfast and at lunch. And this is what I work with my clients on, is figuring out how to incorporate more vegetables into their day in ways that seem realistic to them, but in ways they also enjoy. And I think that's the most important part.

Kara: Yeah. 'Cause that's what people are going to stick with, is something that they enjoy eating.

Brandy: That's right.

Examples of ways to incorporate vegetables throughout the day

Kara: So what are some popular vegetable choices that your clients like if they come back after meeting with you once and they're like, oh, this worked out really well. What are some examples?

Brandy: Yeah, well, breakfast is often a tough sell, but what I've found works pretty well is some pre-washed spinach that you can toss in a pan with a little bit of butter, maybe some other kind of leftover veggie, maybe some chopped peppers, and then throw in a couple of eggs, some scrambled eggs. So that's a really great way to get some vegetables in with breakfast.

As far as lunch goes, not everybody has enough time to sit down to a big salad, but a shortcut that I like to use is, the way that I sell it is an adult Lunchable, or like a mini charcuterie board, where we have some fresh vegetables, maybe some little carrots. I like the mini peppers or sugar snap peas. These are all kind of like ready to eat. You just have to wash them.

Pair that with a nice dip, maybe, a hummus with tahini and olive oil or a little guacamole packets, or maybe even, some tapenade. So those are some fun ways to get some vegetables in with lunch.

Kara: That's very creative. And I am someone who typically doesn't have time to sit down and eat a large green leafy salad. And so that would work really well for me. And if you're listening and you have not been to our website, we have a ton of recipes. So check those out: weightandwellness.com. Just go to recipes. There's a little dipper homemade vegetable dip recipe that is delicious.

Brandy: Yes. I love that one.

Kara: It’s very simple. Kids love it. Grownups love it. So check that out. 'Cause you want something, you want that healthy fat to pair with your charcuterie vegetable tray.

Brandy: Yeah, and if you don't do the dip versions, some nice nuts, dry roasted or raw nuts would be good. Some olives, there's lots of ways to get that fat in, but we do want to pair those together 'cause you get the most benefit from those vegetables when they are eaten with some fat.

So when it comes to dinner, again, we want vegetables with every meal. Dinner seems to be a little easier to incorporate vegetables. If you are new to vegetables, I think a really great introduction to vegetables is roasted vegetables. This kind of brings out their best flavors. Roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted cauliflower are a couple of my favorites.

It is grilling season here in the Midwest and that is another way I love to eat vegetables. It just adds a really nice flavor and it's very simple. Asparagus on the grill is amazing. I also do mushrooms, those little mini peppers; zucchini cut in half with little avocado oil. Very easy, really delicious. And fill it up, you know, fill that grill up. Make as much as you can.

Kara: Yeah. If you're already grilling a protein, you know, why not throw some vegetables on there? We got a vegetable grill basket several years back, and that was a very good investment. I love having that.

Brandy: Oh yeah. That sounds awesome. So similar to protein and healthy fat, there are a lot of reasons why vegetables are critical when it comes to healing a broken metabolism. First of all, there are essential nutrients. I mean, think of the vitamins, the minerals, the fiber that helps you to stay full and regular when it comes to bathroom habits.

There are plant nutrients or phytonutrients, protective antioxidants that can reduce inflammation. And also this is very important. The body tolerates the quantity, the amount of carbohydrates coming from vegetables. Here's an example of the difference between the number of carbohydrates in vegetables versus a starchy grain. So three cups of broccoli contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates.

Kara: And then Brandy, you researched how much fiber is in that as well.

Brandy: Yeah, three cups of broccoli has about eight grams of fiber.

Kara: Yeah. So that is helping folks to stay full and you know, level out blood sugar levels.

Brandy: Exactly.

Kara: So then go to three cups of cooked pasta, which is a starchy grain. Processed grain that will spike blood sugar much more dramatically compared to broccoli. Three cups of pasta contains 130 grams of carbohydrates.

Brandy: And really, that's probably enough carbohydrate for an entire day.

Kara: And not everybody's going to eat three cups of cooked pasta, but if you go to some of those Italian restaurants, that is what is being served.

Brandy: So we have discussed this on other Dishing Up Nutrition podcast episodes, but excess carbohydrates will create high blood sugar levels; high blood sugar levels lead to high insulin levels, and that leads to storing that energy as body fat. So our goal is to keep total carbohydrates per meal to about 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrates. This is the amount that your body can tolerate at once and remain in fabricating mode instead of fat storage mode.

Kara: Mm-hmm. And that is why we are such proponents of vegetable carbohydrates and really, really limiting the starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, pasta, bread, rice, because those, you know, you can pretty much only have a third of a cup with a meal or a snack if you want to keep your total carbohydrate content under 30 grams.

Brandy: Exactly.

Getting adequate sleep is important for health & metabolism

Kara: So the big message from today's show is establishing that solid foundation of eating real food. That's the most important step when trying to reset metabolism. But of course there are other factors as well that greatly impact metabolism. And it's hard to say, what comes second after a real food plan, but we are going to talk about sleep. Because that is very important. You know, poor sleep can make it much more difficult to lose weight.

Brandy: Absolutely. And sleep is critical for so many other aspects of health that I do really like to work on this with my clients if they're not sleeping well. And the quality and quantity both are really important for weight loss. Research continues to show us that those who sleep less than seven hours a night tend to be in a chronic state of stress. And when the body perceives continuous stress, our stress hormone, cortisol is elevated.

Kara: And we know that increased cortisol levels lead to weight gain, especially around the belly or the midsection. And so sleeping seven plus hours on a regular basis really seems to be that missing link when it comes to weight loss.

Brandy: Yeah. A night here and there isn't going to throw you off track, but if you are somebody that thinks yeah, I can get by on 5, 6 hours, you are really harming your metabolism. So think about that. If that sounds like you, what is interfering with your ability to get that full seven and a half, eight hours? We have a lot of solutions. We have a lot of ideas to help you get there, but first we really need to know what is your specific sleep challenge.

Kara: And you may have even heard me on Dishing Up Nutrition in the past, talking about my personal sleep issues, and for me, the biggest challenge tends to be trouble falling asleep. The frustration of lying in bed, tossing and turning, you know, replaying incidents from the day. Making mental lists for tomorrow or next week. Trying to plan out my whole summer for that matter. I tend to do all of that worrying right before bed, which is not helpful.

Brandy: It's like you have a moment to yourself, and that's when the wheels start to turn. Well, and I have to say, when working with clients, the three biggest challenges that I encounter when they're talking about their sleep issues are basically what you just said. Trouble falling asleep; you know, their brain is kind of racing, they're going through the lists. Or another one is waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. Or they might wake up maybe two or three hours before their alarm goes off and they're just, their brain is ready, but they're not ready to get up.

One other category of sleep challenges tends to be poor sleep hygiene. So maybe you have some habits that are preventing you from getting into bed and getting to sleep on time, or some other sleep habits that are making it difficult to stay asleep. But sleep hygiene is one thing we do have a little more control over. We have the opportunity to make some changes. But just as it is with making any kind of change, it can be much easier to say than to do.

Possible solutions for getting adequate sleep

Kara: Yeah. So we'll cover all four of those most common challenges and we do have solutions. So I'll start with a few things that have helped me with my trouble falling asleep so I can get to sleep more quickly. I try to turn screens off, all screens at least 30 minutes before starting my bedtime routine. I wear blue blocking glasses and try to dim some of the lights in the house. And of course, that's going to help my natural melatonin production.

Because it's, you know, it's the blue lights coming from the screens and the bright lights and the homes that can prevent melatonin from being adequately produced. And that's a hormone that helps us to sleep.

I also take nighttime supplements. Not everyone needs to do this, but this is what works for me. I take something called 5-HTP, which is also known as 5-hydroxytryptophan. That helps to reduce brain chatter and some of that ruminating and worry. I also take a mineral called magnesium, the glycinate form. It's very calming. And another amino acid called GABA. That tends to calm down any like physical tension or feelings of agitation that may pop up at bedtime.

And because I am recently menopausal, I find that progesterone cream, natural progesterone cream, just about a half teaspoon rubbed on the belly prevents night sweats. It's a very calming hormone.

Brandy: Definitely. Yeah. I think with all of those supplements you mentioned, if I'm working with somebody individually, we kind of go through their health questionnaire and decide like, which one makes more sense. Maybe try one to start, see how it goes. But it can be a bit of a trial and error for some people.

If you're somebody that tends to like pop, pop awake in the middle of the night, can't get back to sleep, maybe it happens just once or maybe it's happening several times throughout the night, one other reason could be blood sugar issues.

When your blood sugar drops in the middle of the night, it might be 2, 3, 4 am, that's when you might pop awake. You might be really alert and that's basically your brain telling you to go look for some food, but why would our blood sugar levels drop in the middle of the night? One reason might be you are going to bed when your blood sugar is already low or trending downward.

If you're going to bed and you feel hungry, your blood sugar's already low and chances are you're not really going to get great sleep. So low blood sugar will naturally trigger that fight or flight response and basically release a bunch of adrenaline into your system. So that's going to make you feel alert and ready for action, not what we want at 2:00 AM.

Kara: No, and that has also happened to me, and I describe it as, you know, I wake up and I feel like I just drank a cup of coffee. Which is not what we want to be feeling at 2, 3, 4 in the morning.

Brandy: No.

Kara: So the blood sugar drops, those can happen for a variety of reasons. Brandy said maybe somebody just went to bed really hungry. That's certainly a reason. It could also be that the person did not just eat enough food in general the day prior.

Brandy: True.

Kara: Because maybe the blood sugar is fine when you go to bed, but then it kind of catches up with you and drops once you're sleeping.

Brandy: True.

Kara: It could also be from eating too many sugars or carbohydrates close to bedtime. And just a real quick example, my husband and I like to eat sushi. And I remember us ordering sushi for takeout. And it had a lot of rice. Did not have a lot of protein, did not have a lot of healthy fat. And so that was not balanced. And my blood sugars are very sensitive anyway. And so I had that meal for dinner and I woke up like it was morning at about 1:00 AM.

And I couldn't figure out what was going on. Then I remembered what I had for dinner. And I actually had to get up and get like a half of an apple and some peanut butter to be able to go back to sleep.

Brandy: I've been there. Yeah. And sushi is, it's one of those meals where I always feel like so full right away, but like, I'm hungry and ready to go again an hour later. It’s that blood sugar crash because of all of that rice. You need enough protein and fat, not just with dinner, but with every meal throughout the day to make sure your blood sugar is stable all night.

So what's going on throughout your day can really impact the rest of your night while you're sleeping. But if waking up in the middle of the night is a regular occurrence for you, a proactive tip, really simple is have a small snack about an hour before you go to bed. You've probably heard us talk about the different bedtime snack combinations on the show in the past.

But the perfect combination is just a little bit of real food carbohydrate and a little bit of fat. A classic combination is heavy whipping cream and a half a cup of fresh or frozen fruit. Or another one you just mentioned would be peanut butter, one or two tablespoons of peanut butter and half an apple. So just a little bit of fat and a little bit of carbohydrate. It just helps stabilize those blood sugars while you're sleeping.

Kara: Yeah. And if you're someone that would like to know, you know, how many grams of this and that are they talking about? It's the combination of 15 grams of a healthy fat and 15 grams of a real food carbohydrate can work like magic to prevent middle of the night wake ups.

Brandy: Let's say you're somebody that tends to wake up an hour or two before your alarm goes off. I think that one's a little trickier to determine what the root cause is, but you can try experimenting with that bedtime snack or some of the supplements you just mentioned, Kara, the 5-HTP, or perhaps the GABA.

But the one I always like to start with is that Magnesium Glycinate: about 300 to 400 milligrams of magnesium glycinate before you go to bed can help you just have a really smooth, deep sleep the entire night.

Kara: I agree that magnesium is a great place to start when looking at a variety of sleep supplements. It's because three out of four Americans are deficient in that mineral magnesium. So the chances of someone having a magnesium deficiency that could be a factor in their insomnia, it's pretty high. It's a completely safe mineral to take, but it is important to get the correct form. Magnesium Glycinate is a very absorbable, high quality form and tends to work the best for sleep issues.

Brandy: I take that every night myself for sleep, but it's helped me with so many other things in the way I feel on a day-to-day basis. And that's why I always start with magnesium when it comes to supplementation for sleep issues. Even if it doesn't fix your sleep issues 100%, just take comfort in knowing that there are so many other benefits to magnesium.

It can help lower blood pressure, it can help reduce muscle cramps, prevent constipation, improve blood sugar control. So there's just so many benefits to magnesium that it's kind of a no-brainer to start with, and if it helps your sleep, amazing.

Kara: We had also talked about a fourth reason that people are commonly unable to get a solid night of sleep, and that is poor sleep hygiene. When it comes to sleep hygiene, I think the most common issue current day is too many screens available.

And even having, you know, your cell phone, your Kindle, your iPad, whatever it may be, if it is on and you're looking at it within 30 to 60 minutes before bed, that can negatively impact sleep. So you just really need to get in the habit of turning off your screen and starting that wind down, relaxing routine at least 30 minutes before bed.

Brandy: And get yourself into bed. Give yourself the chance to have seven or more hours of sleep every night.

Kara: I guess people can't sleep if they don't get into bed. But that is worth saying and repeating.

Brandy: Well, if boosting your metabolism is not enough of a motivator to aim for that seven or more hours of sleep every night, just know that adequate sleep is going to help reduce your risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's. It will improve blood pressure. It will improve blood sugar control and reduce stress in your life. So there's so many reasons to work on getting enough sleep.

Summary

Kara: So as we wrap up today's podcast, the topic was steps to reset and repair your metabolism. To summarize our main points, focus on eating real foods and stepping away from processed foods, especially those processed sugars and carbohydrates, and strive for four to six ounces of protein several times per day. That's going to help you maintain muscle, improve your metabolism up to 30% every time you eat the protein. And it's satiating and filling.

When it comes to healthy oils and fats, about 15 grams. Whether you're eating a meal and a snack, incorporate that healthy fat. That's going to again, keep you feeling satisfied and full, stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep your insulin from being overproduced. And on that note with carbohydrates, try to get as many vegetable carbohydrates that are non-starchy as possible.

And you can eat those unlimited. You don't have to measure those. They're going to contain lots of filling fiber. And there's all of the antioxidants and phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. And when our bodies are rich with nutrient dense carbohydrates, your metabolism is going to be able to heal and work better.

Brandy: We're not searching for something else to fill the gaps.

Kara: It's not going to be craving other processed foods if you're filling it rich nutrient-dense food. And sleeping seven or more hours per night not only will give you many health benefits, but it's a way that you can naturally increase your metabolism.

Brandy: Yes. And one last thing I want to mention, we didn't talk a lot about this, but movement, moving your body somehow every day will help reduce insulin resistance and it will boost your metabolism. So whatever it is that you like to do, go on a walk. Take your dog for a walk, ride your bike, do some air squats, clean the house. Just get your body moving. It's very important for your health, but especially your metabolism.

Kara: And 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, and thank you for joining us and have a wonderful day.