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When I talk about metabolism, I am talking about health and preventing diseases; not getting ripped abs, working out like a maniac and counting calories. Also, I am not big on showing off a million references to scientific studies because there is a study that proves the opposite of everything these days; and each and every one just leads to arguing and comparing.

Rest assured, I have done my research and have referenced some of my favorites; I only talk about things that have been proven to be so and what follows is what makes the most sense to me and works best for my clients and myself. If you wish to learn more than you can research the topics that interest you, just be ready to sort through 1,000s of articles that contradict one another.

If you’ve read Parts I & II  on “Is your Metabolism Healthy?”, then you should have a good idea that metabolism is more than that thing that burns calories and makes you look good when you bend over to pick things up naked. Now let’s get to the meat of how to reset your metabolism.

So, why don’t you poop enough? Or why do you pee so much, wake up tired, crash in the afternoon, crave sweets, need coffee, need sleeping aids, have a low sex drive, are ashamed of your bacne, and drop off some of the foulest smelling kids at the pool (yes, that was a turd reference).

This section is dedicated to the H2 Metabolic Reset Program, which will give you the tools you need to kick your metabolism back in the direction of optimum health and fat burning eliteness, all of which include improving essentially every single function that you live with or have to put up with in your body. That said, the goal of this program is…

…to improve how everything in your body utilizes energy. This is done at the cellular level by optimizing the function of every major organ and gland related to metabolism. In other words, I want to train you to take care of your parts by feeding them the right foods, exercising at the right intensity levels, resting appropriately and enjoying life to the fullest.                                                                   No diets. No hunger. Just getting back to what works and has always worked.

                This is NOT done by restricting your diet, counting calories, eating weird things, working your butt off, being hungry all the time, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. It is done by…wait, just keep reading and you’ll see!

Most people are undernourished and have exhausted their body’s systems, namely the adrenal glands, in a way that makes them crave junk food, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and other drugs.

This means that simply eating healthy is probably not the catalyst they need to get a breakthrough big enough to keep them going and reach their goals. So we need something radical to shift the body’s systems. Something new and probably scary. So scary that it makes most people say “nah, I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and see if that will eventually work.” Please see Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity to see how that story ends.

So the most frightening things that active people usually need to do to improve their metabolism are 1) eat MORE, 2) sleep MORE, 3) work out LESS,  4) worry LESS about how much they work out and eat and 5) enjoy the simple things in life like eating, sleeping and relaxing.

Mind blowing I know. Unfortunately most people don’t trust the simplicity of this advice because they have been told the exact opposite of all of that. Not to mention the modus operandi of so many people these days is fitness and looks over health. Remember, we are talking about how to promote wellness and prevent disease here.

One last thing to understand before diving in: healthy “looking” and fit people can and often have a low metabolism. The trend these days is to work out too much or too hard, under eat and stress too much. This is the most common routine found at gyms, which sadly leads to the exact opposite effects these people seek and eventually causes disease and illness.

Imagine an intelligent, adaptable system that is trained hard but does not get enough fuel and rest…it will wisely lower its metabolic output so that it has enough reserves to complete daily tasks. Ummm, that’s a low metabolism, and it will eventually rear its ugly head in the form of diseases. Keep reading.

Sooo let’s get started, with the top 10 factors affecting your metabolism (you can find more details about the following glands and organs here).

TOP 10 INFLUENCES ON YOUR METABOLISM

In no particular order.

You are only as strong as your weakest links, so start there and eventually piece them all together. This is a process that is directly related to the amount of time you have been abusing your body so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

1. ADRENAL GLANDS  

Think of this as your stress-response gland. When you are stressed the adrenal glands release cortisol and increase adrenaline, which is very helpful if someone is trying to mug you. But if you live a life with constant stress (emotional stress, traumas, high intensity exercise, lack of sleep, too many stimulants like coffee or drugs, and more) then you will slowly wear your body out and teach it to down-regulate itself to avoid burning out; which it will eventually anyway if your habits don’t change. This ends up looking like adrenal fatigue syndrome or Addison’s disease.

To make things worse, in an emotional stress situation, you simply do not need all of the glucose that the cortisol has mobilized and dumped into your bloodstream. And as a result, this excess glucose is stored as fat when it’s not utilized for energy, like let’s say running from an attacker.

Once your adrenals are fatigued from these types of patterns, they will force you to medicate yourself with stimulants like coffee so that you do not feel so exhausted. Unfortunately this is a quick fix and only adds to the cycle of too much cortisol and adrenaline and will continue indefinitely until symptoms are so bad that they force you to take alternate actions.

Signs & Symptoms of Adrenal Stress Treatment and Prevention
– Abuse of stimulants- Allergies- Depression- Fatigue & weakness- Frustration & anger- Headaches- Insomnia- Insufficient perspiration- Irritability & nervousness- Lack of concentration- Lightheadedness- Premenstrual tension- Sweet cravings – Follow proper sleep patterns.- Learn how to relax and manage stress.- Exercise in a way that promotes health, not drains it, i.e. habitual endurance training or extreme weight lifting are draining.- Make sure you don’t NEED coffee or stimulants to get you going in the morning, a little should go a long way. Don’t worry if you can’t do this yet; you will once you get all the other habits on order.- Make sure you know how to truly relax and take breaks from working hard – this is accomplished with proper breathing patterns and enjoying the moment of having no goals whatsoever.

You can read more about your adrenals here.   

2. ATTITUDE

Everything in life consists of vibrations, all the way down to the cellular levels. Since we know that emotions are energy, we also know that emotions and attitudes are made up of vibrations. These vibrations not only ripple throughout your body and every cell from head to toe, but also affect the outside world.

If you don’t believe me, then go hang out at a hospital for awhile and compare that energy with the energy at your next birthday party. Hmmm, imagine if you chose to have those vibrations all the time.

It’s well known that people who are depressed or apathetic have less energy and motivation which believe me trickles down to the cellular level and affects how efficient your metabolism is.

The key to a healthy attitude is surrounding yourself with people, things and activities you love to do and be around. If you can’t do that, then your metabolism and health are in big trouble. That doesn’t mean quit your job and leave your family; although maybe it does. Focus on finding out what makes you happy and then go out and get it.

It’s amazing what happens to people who know what they want and are willing to take a stand for it. Do not settle for anything less than what makes you happy and continue improving yourself everyday so that you can be excited about the next day of your journey, one day at a time and one improvement at a time. This is of course accomplished by having goals and a plan.

For more ways on how to do that, check out these books on the 4-Dimensions of Optimum Health.

3. SLEEP PATTERNS

You know how they say that you can’t ever get back the sleep you missed? I never believed that because I would feel so much better after sleeping 12 hours following “one of those weekends.” But then once I really started understanding physiology, I realized what that saying meant. It means that we can never get back the nourishment that we lost from missing valuable sleep and healing time.

You see, the body has a cycle that it follows when it comes to healing itself, balancing hormones and everything else that rejuvenates us. This cycle is roughly as follows*, which doesn’t even include the Chinese philosophy of energy flowing through specific organs at specific times.

2am – Deepest sleep

4:30am- Lowest body temperature

6:45am – Sharpest rise in blood pressure

7:30am – Melatonin secretion stops

8:30am -Bowel movements likely

9am – Highest testosterone secretion

10am – High alertness

2:30pm – Best coordination

3:30pm – Fastest reaction time

5pm – Greatest cardiovascular efficiency and muscle strength

6:30pm – Highest blood pressure

7pm – Highest body temperature

9pm – Melatonin secretion starts

10:30pm – Bowel movements suppressed

From “The Body Clock Guide to Better Health” by Michael Smolensky and Lynne Lamberg; Henry Holt and Company, Publishers (2000). 

So as you can see, if your body misses its scheduled liver maintenance, it ain’t getting it back till the next day. That’s one day the liver just missed out on optimal healing. You can sleep all you want the next 5 days and feel better, but you’ll still be missing that one day, which is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But imagine this happening weekly for 10-30 years…now we’ve got a problem.

I was someone who stayed up late and got up late until my mid-30s. I am finally following this natural rhythm, which of course I have always done when camping and backpacking (naturally!). The difference is so subtle, yet so powerful in how I feel that I will never go back to being a night owl (although sporadically it’s necessary).

I can’t even explain in words how much cleaner, purer and more rejuvenated I feel on a daily basis by following this schedule of going to bed between 10-11pm and waking up between 6-7am. It’s still 8 hours like I was getting from 12am-8am, but DAMN what a different 8 hours.

Check it out for a month; if you can maintain it, I promise you will LOVE IT.

4. CALORIE RESTRICTION

Here comes the hardest one for many people, you gotta EAT MORE! But I want to lose weight!! If I eat more I will gain weight, and that’s no bueno. If I eat less and work out more I HAVE to lose weight, right? Simple equation. WRONG.

Unfortunately calorie restriction (CR) is the most common strategy for losing weight, even though experience over the long haul shows this never works for keeping the weight off, and definitely is not related to health.

Read this next sentence carefully…CR leads to burning more calories than you are taking in, therefore eventually causing your super intelligent body to slow down its metabolism in order to avoid disintegrating itself!

Yet another example of slow metabolism and therefore un-optimal health. We have proven over and over again that CR lowers body temperature and slows metabolism, yet these crazy researches and even doctors keep saying that this relates to longevity because of some stupid rat study in the 1930’s that we have recently proven doesn’t relate to humans at all. Well okay, maybe 1% of 3% of you, WTH?? (Read here for more ).

Let’s get one thing straight: the human body functions best at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit and that is thankfully something that isn’t argued much in physiology. I will explain more about this below in the thyroid section # 8. So if eating less calories lowers your body temp, you can bet on unfavorable changes to your health in the long run. We are of course talking about natural calories here and not Doritos.

Conclusion: eat until you are full and eat enough to fuel your body for its daily activities. If you under eat, then prepare for it to catch up with you someday and smack you with somethin’ fierce.

5. LEPTIN & INSULIN RESISTANCE

Alright, here is a super complex topic that I am going to attempt to simplify in a few paragraphs. Impossible really, but I’m going to try anyway. If you want more info just Google them and prepare to be bombarded with everything from “how to help diabetes” to “the secret to fat loss.”

Here’s a quick physiology lesson on the two, one at a time, because otherwise you could experience brain pain.

INSULIN

When you eat, carbohydrates are digested and broken down into glucose, which is a simple sugar and the body’s main source of energy, also known as blood sugar. This “sugar” is then absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream after you eat, which causes the pancreas to secrete insulin to normalize the blood sugar levels.

Most cells in the body have insulin receptors that bind insulin to the cell, which tells the cells to absorb glucose from the blood stream and pull it inside the cell for energy. Without insulin, our cells would be unable to utilize glucose and therefore have no energy for life’s functions. In other words, we need insulin to respond properly if we want an efficient metabolism.

The problem arises when cells become unresponsive to the hormone insulin, otherwise known as insulin resistance. This can be from excessive and repeated spikes in sugar, refined sugars, among other complications, which causes extra insulin to be secreted. All of this leads to greater fat storage in the cells from food, and also inhibits fat release from the cells, eventually causing blood glucose levels to rise as well, especially after meals. If these imbalances persist, type 2 diabetes and obesity are soon to follow.

LEPTIN

This brilliantly simple description of leptin comes from Dr. Lustig and a WebMd article you can find right here.

                Leptin is a protein that’s made in the fat cells, circulates in the bloodstream, and goes to the brain. “Leptin is the way your fat cells tell your brain that your energy thermostat is set right,” Lustig says.

                “Leptin tells your brain that you have enough energy stored in your fat cells to engage in normal, relatively expensive metabolic processes,” he says. “In other words, when leptin levels are at a certain threshold — for each person, it’s probably genetically set — when your leptin level is above that threshold, your brain senses that you have energy sufficiency, which means you can burn energy at a normal rate, eat food at a normal amount, engage in exercise at a normal rate, and you can engage in expensive processes, like puberty and pregnancy.”

                But when people diet, they eat less and their fat cells lose some fat, which then decreases the amount of leptin produced.

                “Let’s say you starve, let’s say you have decreased energy intake, let’s say you lose weight,” Lustig says. “Now your leptin level goes below your personal leptin threshold. When it does that, your brain senses starvation. That can occur at any leptin level, depending on what your leptin threshold is.”

                “Your brain senses that and says, ‘Hey, I don’t have the energy onboard that I used to. I am now in a starvation state,'” Lustig says.

                Then several processes begin within the body to drive leptin levels back up. One includes stimulation of the vagus nerve, which runs between the brain and the abdomen.

                “The vagus nerve is your energy storage nerve,” Lustig says. “Now the vagus nerve is turned on, so you get hungrier. Every single thing the vagus nerve does…[is] designed to make you take up extra energy and store it in your fat. Why? To generate more leptin so that your leptin can re-establish its personal leptin threshold… It causes you to eat and it causes you to get your leptin back to where it belongs.”

                “In leptin resistance, your leptin is high, which means you’re fat, but your brain can’t see it. In other words, your brain is starved, while your body is obese. And that’s what obesity is: it’s brain starvation.”

Soooo, what the hell does that mean?!

I have no frickin’ clue!

Just kidding, let’s get to the bottom of this, NOW. I told you all of the above so you could understand what’s behind the following paragraph.

Research shows that really sweet foods, especially refined ones and beverages containing high amounts of fructose, trick the brain into eating more than it should and eventually causes leptin and insulin resistance, which lead to obesity and disease. To make things worse if you’re a fructose lover, all of these foods and yummy sweeteners, no matter how healthy and natural they say they are, are major contributors to metabolic syndrome and a variety of other diseases.

As Richard J. Johnson puts it:

“…we have powerful direct evidence to show that consuming too much fructose-rich sugar and HFCS causes the toxic brew of conditions known as metabolic syndrome. Moreover, this same body of research suggests that starchy foods do not induce metabolic syndrome.”And…

“Glucose does not cause insulin resistance. Fructose does. Glucose does not trick your body into persistent hunger. Fructose does.”

You can read more about Richard Johnson and his research here.

 

SUMMARY

Alright, so seriously, what does all this mean? What can I eat?!?!?

No, this doesn’t mean fruit is bad, but it does mean that the fat-storing powers of fruit should be respected.

In a nut shell, if you are an active person who balances the top 10 things on this metabolic list, then you can eat just about whatever you want; in moderation of course and FOCUS ON WHOLE NATURAL FOODS LOADED WITH NUTRIENTS.

But, if you are rather unbalanced in these top 10 or very sedentary, then stay away from really sweet tasting things. Which of course is virtually impossible if you are imbalanced because you will crave them. Ouch, better get balanced!

On a side note, there are studies to show that leptin is decreased if the pleasure centers of the brain are inhibited. In other words, if you are not happy, then the body becomes hungry and continues to feed until…well, until you are happy of course. Hmmm, sound familiar midnight ice cream marauder?

6. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION 

Now that you’re an expert in leptin and insulin resistance, this topic should be a breeze, so I will keep it short since you already know all about them.

Dr. Jeffrey Flier and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School have found that chronic inflammation interferes with the hormone leptin at the brain level, specifically in the hypothalamus area.

Another research team from Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center showed that the exact same molecules associated with inflammation play a similar role in obstructing insulin sensitivity.

All of this points to chronic inflammation altering the functions of normally protective hormones in the body, causing them to deteriorate your health (instead of help you), and cause weight gain and even more inflammation.

I wish there was room to elaborate on inflammation and all of its causes right now, but that would be a HUGE amount of information that is best saved for specific troubleshooting rather than general description.

That said, in general, you can reduce your inflammation by 1) following the top 10 things on this list, 2) eating the right foods and 3) losing weight if you are obese.

 

7. EXERCISE

In short, exercise is not all you have probably been lead to believe it is. It’s not an automatic ticket to health and a good life, nor a perfect body. What “they” forget to mention are all of the variables that can make or break exercise as a good habit.

When you think about it, intense exercise is the LAST thing someone needs who is already stressed out, overworked and undernourished. Our ancestors may have had some intense physical labors, but it wasn’t day in and day out with the combination of poor sleep habits, high emotional stress, lack of daily movement or weight-bearing positions (i.e. we sit too much) and the all too common, “I hate to look at myself in the mirror” so I must work harder mentality.

If you are someone who needs to constantly kick their own ass on the track, field, court or in the pool, gym etc. to feel good about yourself, then exercise is only one of your issues. I’m not judging, because I did that for over 25 years. I just want you to know that what you are doing is related to fitness, not health.

Once the ego can be removed from the equation, one will find health, enjoyment and an abundance of natural energy to sustain themselves and lead the life they have always wanted, effortlessly.

On the other hand, exercising too little is detrimental to your health. Duh, we need movement. However, you’d be surprised how little exercise a person really needs in order to be healthy and have a normal metabolism.

To plan your exercise program around HEALTH goals, remember these 3 things:

1) Train your body, don’t drain it, and exercise outdoors in fresh air as often as possible so enjoyment is priority number one. This includes dancing, sports, hiking, etc.

2) Habitual, long and intense endurance activities are not healthy and will eventually lower your metabolism, period.

3) If you are unhealthy and trying to reset your metabolism, then all you need to do is walk for 30-60 minutes per day at a moderate pace, and stretch. The rest of the top 10 list will nurture you back to health.

Now, for the really active person who truly wants to improve their health because of certain issues, the question becomes…can you slow down and let your body nourish all of its organs and systems by giving it the rest and nutrition it needs?

8. THYROID

Your body temperature is one of, if not the greatest way to check how your metabolism is doing, and guess who’s the main player in regulating it? Yep, the thyroid.

Normal body temperatures are from 98.0 – 98.6F, and are best taken in the morning right when you wake up and are still in bed (so leave it next to your night stand). Oral temps seem to run a little low but you can leave the thermometer in your mouth a few minutes before starting and usually get a more accurate reading.

Hypothyroidism is a disease where the thyroid gland is under-active and is thought to be a widespread and misdiagnosed (not diagnosed enough) problem in many countries like the U.S. Here are just a few of the symptoms.

Common Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Brittle nails

Chronic colds/flu

Cold hands and feet

Constipation

Fatigue

Hair loss

Headaches

High cholesterol

Inflammation (related to low temperature)

Low body temperature (below 97.8F)

Memory loss

Mild depression

Worsening of hot flashes/night sweats in menopause

Weight gain

Unless your temperature (you can take at home) and thyroid numbers (via blood tests, but are unnecessary if body temperature and symptoms are normal) are way off, the other nine influences on my Top 10 list (ESPECIALLY NUTRITION) should improve your thyroid function, temperature and overall metabolism, naturally and without drugs.

Some great pro-thyroid foods are raw carrots, coconut oil,  bone brothgelatin, natural sugars, sea salt, orange juice and raw dairy.

Sometimes in extreme cases some T3 or other natural-like substances are needed to reboot the thyroid and restore health. Read more about that here.

Be patient when revitalizing the thyroid. This does take time, especially if you have a long history of abusing and or polluting your body. Nutrition will be your thyroid’s best friend, so pay attention to the next section if your thyroid is suspect.

 

9. NUTRITION

What if I was to tell you that the very foods “they” told you would give you heart disease, make you fat and die younger, are the very foods that actually boost your metabolism, fight inflammation, help you lose weight and promote longevity? Huh?!

It shouldn’t be that hard to believe when you look at the statistics of heart disease, obesity and cancer increasing everywhere around the globe. Something is obviously not working.

Of course, all of these can each be argued with scientific data that “proves” them right and other studies that prove them wrong. So what follows is simply a top 10 list of what I believe to be the most efficient ways to improve your metabolic team through nutrition and real food.

It is time to get back to all those foods that the media has tried to scare us off of and have thus created epidemics by having us avoid them, none of which have ever withstood all the tests of science, including cultures who eat these foods regularly and have no signs of disease or obesity.

My Top 10 Metabolic Food Factors

1. Enzymes, Nutrients & Real Food

2. Fats

3. Salt

4. Sugar

5. Cholesterol

6. Proteins

7. Water

8. The No-No List

9. Caffeine

10. Alcohol & Drugs

Enzymes, Nutrients & Real Food

Nutrient deficiency, especially iodine, magnesium, B-vitamins and vitamin D are rampant these days, mostly because people eat more processed foods than real foods. A major problem with our modern, obesity-causing and processed diet is that the natural, anti-inflammatory components of food have been removed. Not to mention all of the additives and calorie-rich “ingredients” added in the process.

The good news is that the solution is so simple: JUST EAT REAL FOODS. If you want enzymes and inflammation fighting properties to come from your food, then eat them as nature intended you to eat them, not as some company intended you to eat them.

Fats

This is a dicey subject that dates back to the 1940s when unsaturated fats were touted as healthy. Let’s just say that was a scam and research and real-life observation and statistics back that up. I will let Ray Peat tell it like it is for you if you want to know more, continue that tangent here.

In the meantime, you should know that natural saturated fats are good for you and help fight inflammation, promote weight loss and improve metabolism. So start getting these foods back in your diet! Butter, coconut oil, meats, milk, cheese and eggs to name a few.

Naturally raised and hormone-free are the only way to go with meats and dairy. Sorry, donuts and potato chips don’t make the list.

Ray Peat also says this about coconut oil, “When added to a balanced diet, coconut oil slightly lowers the cholesterol level, which is exactly what is expected when a dietary change raises thyroid function. This same increase in thyroid function and metabolic rate explains why people and animals that regularly eat coconut oil are lean, and remarkably free of heart disease and cancer.”

Stay away from these unsaturated fats: canola and vegetable oils, soy oil, nuts* and seeds*, avocados* and any other super-dense foods that make you feel sluggish.

* These can be tolerated in small doses, but not for those who are trying to lose weight and boost their metabolism. They are too dense to fully process.

Salt

Here’s something you don’t hear often, “both salt and sugar lower the adrenalin level, and both tend to raise the body temperature”. Those are both good things. Of course we are talking about natural salts and sugars and in the right amounts.

Ray Peat takes it a step further and says “…a lack of sodium slows metabolism, lowers carbon dioxide production, and creates inflammation, stress and degeneration. Rephrasing it, sodium stimulates energy metabolism, increases carbon dioxide production, and protects against inflammation and other maladaptive stress reactions.”

Simply put, salt your foods and enjoy them. This does not include anyone who eats mostly processed foods, because as we all know those are already loaded with salt, albeit crappy salt. So go find some healthy sea salt and start shakin’!

Sugar

As you read above, both salt and sugar lower adrenalin levels, and they tend to raise the body temperature. I am not talking about candy bars and cake here; I am talking about real foods, starches, honey, fruits and the like.

If you are a relatively healthy and active person, then you may go through a few times in a day when your blood sugars are low, especially if you go long periods without eating. This often leads to headaches, cold hands and feet, lack of concentration, and an overall feeling of “I wanna kill the next person who talks to me!”

This is obviously not good short or long term, and is easily fixed by eating or drinking enough sugar throughout the day. Yeah, I said it, eat sugar!! Just make sure its natural and you are doing enough movement in your daily routine to burn it off and not have it accumulate as fat. It doesn’t need to be high intensity movement or the WOD, just movement, i.e. walking.

My favorite way to keep sugar in my blood is to make a big batch of tea at home, mix some honey in it while it’s hot, then cool it down in a glass container in the fridge. Once it cools I put it in a bottle and take with me to work or wherever I’m going. As an added bonus, this will often decrease the number of times you need to go pee as well – read the water section below for more on that WIZardry.

 Cholesterol

Another huge error of the 20th century and still to this day is the cholesterol myth. I will sum it all up by saying that we need cholesterol and it’s good for you if you get it from natural sources like eggs, meat, cheese, butter and the like.

An interesting fact about cholesterol is that whether it is produced internally by the cell or taken in from the blood stream, it is the precursor for all steroids in the body, several of which are anti-inflammatory, including cholesterol (Mikko, et al., 2002; Kreines, et al., 1990).

And finally, there are plenty of studies now indicating low cholesterol levels increase mortality rates. For more details on the benefits of cholesterol, read here and here.

In summary, don’t be afraid of cholesterol, you need it. Also, unless you’re cholesterol numbers are astronomically high, you don’t need medication to lower it. High cholesterol is often due to low thyroid function that can be improved by following the Top 10 list here.

 Proteins

Are you getting enough protein? The latest news  recommends for active people to range from eating 0.5 – 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body wt. for the best performance and health.

Protein is the building blocks of our muscles and the key to recovery for active people. It is also thermogenic, which means it raises and helps to stabilize body temperature. Proteins are also full of the enzymes we need to catalyze so many reactions in the body that keep us going strong.

When eating meat for protein, think about this…there is no natural tribe or culture that just eats the meat/flesh, i.e. they make stews, cook the bones for broth, eat the liver, skin etc.

They did it out of instinct, but we have shown that all the components of an animal feed all the components in the human body, i.e. animal liver helps our liver, their skin and bones helps our skin and bones, etc.

If all you eat is muscle flesh, then you will have too much acid and inflammation in the body. Make sure to consume natural bone broth and use gelatin as anti-inflammatory proteins – both of which will support the thyroid and help regulate metabolism and body temperature.

                If you don’t eat meat, then make sure you are getting enough protein from natural sources to keep up with your activities.

Water

Yes, water is what we are mostly made of, and yes, we should drink it and keep hydrated. Howeverrrr, there are some instances when an average amount of plain water is not good for someone. How is this possible? Well, imagine you’ve got a person who is undernourished and lacks certain vitamins, sugar or salt.

Then you have them drink half their body weight in ounces because that’s what everyone says; even I have said that. All that water now dilutes the blood and cellular levels and makes that vitamin or whatever deficiency even more pronounced.

This leads to a lot of peeing and “water in and water out” cycles to protect the balance of the cells. Now if you take that same person and improve their deficiency, water is again awesome for them.

If you drink a lot of water or liquids, pee a lot and have cold hands and feet, you may be low on sugar or salt. You can experiment by adding sugar/honey to your liquids and seeing if that helps your symptoms. If so, you’re welcome. If not, try adding them into your overall diet, including the salt and see if that helps. If none of that helps, then get crackin’ on the other Top 10 items!

Bottom line: make sure you’re not diluting yourself by drinking too much plain water. A sign of that is frequent peeing and cold hands and feet.

The No-No List

Here is The NO-NO LIST…in no particular order. It is up to you to read labels and find out where you are getting them in your diet. The goal is not to be uptight about this list and feel guilty every time you have something on it. The goal is to slowly train your habits so that this list is naturally avoided.

If you eat fresh, whole, organic foods, you won’t have to worry about any of this.

  1. Artificial Sweeteners
  2. Refined Sugar
  3. Pesticides
  4. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
  5. BHA and BHT
  6. Sodium Nitrate and Nitrite
  7. Soda
  8. Artificial Colors
  9. Olestra (Olean)
  10. Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)
  11. Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Trans Fat)
  12. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
  13. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
  14. Growth hormones in animals

You can read the entire article here.

 

Caffeine

Caffeine is a drug, a good one, but still a drug that too many people abuse. Coffee for example is a very healthy drink that is full of antioxidants. However, it is only beneficial if taken in the right doses, which is usually WAY smaller than most people realize. Jumbo, grande mocha is not a health drink and is killing you faster than the normal aging process.

If coffee or caffeine makes you jittery, pee a lot, have soft bowel movements or any other abnormalities, then it is either not for you, you are drinking too much of it, or you need to become healthier first. Abuse of coffee is one of the most common ways people treat their adrenal fatigue and also contribute to their adrenal fatigue.

 

Alcohol & Drugs

This is an obvious one: don’t abuse them. Alcohol leads to overeating and poor fat metabolism to name a few problems, while drugs like sleeping aids and other “innocent” aids throw off the body’s own ability to regulate its own hormones and regulating systems, leaving the body to rely on drugs; not good.

If you have to use drugs right now, fine. Just use this Top 10 list to help get you of them, slowly and safely.

 

10. TOXICITY

This topic of course deserves an entire book, which is why I wrote a small one for you. Below is an excerpt from the foreword of my book, Cleansing with the Seasons – When, Why, What & How to Cleanse, for Everyone.”

“We live in an age of rampant toxicity, and it is my opinion, and the opinion of thousands of other experts in the field of holistic medicine, that toxicity is the number one cause of the current epidemics of cancer and other chronic illness. But there is a solution; Chris outlines numerous easy-to-follow protocols to detoxify your body, and if you follow his advice you can be assured of health improvement. In 20 years of treating thousands of patients I have seen these protocols working repeatedly.”

Adam Atman L.Ac. MMQ.

I highly recommend learning the simple ways to detox your body, without using anything other than normal food. No products or disgusting tasting foods. The secret to detoxing is not consuming anything special as much as it is about NOT consuming or practicing toxic behaviors. You will learn all of these “secrets” here.

DISCLAIMER

This process is not easy and you are likely to fail numerous times for many reasons. That is okay and TOTALLY normal. Just keep on headed in the right direction and remember why you are doing all of this. If you don’t know, then I recommend some soul searching.

I am doing all of this because I lost my mom to cancer when I was 27, and I lose friends, family and clients every year to preventable diseases and cancer. I do this because I care about myself and everyone else around me, and I don’t like to see that kind of suffering.

So when you are down in the dumps, feeling bloated, fatigued, drowsy and whatever feelings you may feel from trying all of this new stuff, just remember why you are doing it and have faith that I am writing to you at this moment for a reason.

Also note, this Top 10 list describes ideal ways the body works, but many times chronic diseases and other issues complicate matters and require different types of interventions to balance the body before “boosting” the metabolism.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.

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