‘Metabolism’ is often thrown around when people are trying to lose weight, but one expert appeared on the Zoe podcast to thwart some major misunderstandings. He warned it’s so much more important than some people realise, while Professor Tim Spector laid out some top tips to keep your metabolism in chec.k
Sleep and metabolism expert Shawn Stevenson started the podcast with some bombshells. He highlighted the biggest misconception; metabolism isn’t just about converting food into energy.
The experts also revealed you don’t have to be overweight to have bad metabolic health, a fast metabolism isn’t always better. And how you eat and sleep can change your metabolism.
Shawn explained: “Metabolism is really about the sum of all the different pieces that can create and generate energy and that feed into each other. There are other things besides food that are getting converted into energy for us as well.
“Whether that’s body fat, whether that is oxygen, and how it relates to all these different pieces. There are literally millions of parts and inputs that determine metabolism.”
For those looking to readjust their diet, Shawn revealed all foods aren’t made equal when your metabolism tries to convert them into energy. This is why processed foods may be holding you back on your weight loss journey.
He explained: “Your body, from my perspective, is just trying to figure out what to do with this stuff, because it is newly invented.” As a result, highly processed foods can cause a “metabolic clog” in your system.
Professor Tim Spector warned that this effect isn’t just because of foods that we know to be unhealthy. It’s also some “healthy” sugar-rich foods that may be out to get you, including the likes of breakfast smoothies, brown bread and orange juice.
He explained: “We know that you need to avoid foods that are really going to peak your blood sugar and stress your insulin levels. Cutting out their sugar spikes is probably the number one thing for metabolic health if you had a tip.”
The expert recommended people replace these goods with “higher fat foods, good quality fats, obviously, and plants that have high fibre content”. He warned people who have a history of metabolic diseases in their family should particularly heed this advice.