Various aspects of our health are important. One important aspect that’s vital is our metabolic health. What we put in our bodies influences our hormones, energy balance, and metabolic function. Let’s learn in this week’s post what metabolic health is and which nutritional strategies we can implement to support it.
Understanding Metabolic Health in Women
Metabolic health is the state of the body’s internal processes for creating and using energy, normally assessed by factors such as blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipid levels. It’s associated with having a healthy metabolism. Your body can digest and absorb nutrients from the food you eat without having your blood sugar, inflammation, insulin, and blood fat increase. Women’s metabolism is very different from men’s due to perimenopause changes, estrogen, and progesterone. Some women also have to endure a host of metabolic challenges, such as insulin resistance, fatigue, stubborn weight gain, and PCOS.
Nutritional Strategies for Supporting Metabolic Health
Poor metabolic health happens when your body starts to have a hard time responding well to foods being put in your system. When your metabolic health isn’t strong, your blood sugar and insulin levels spike instead of remaining at a normal rate. However, while exercising and good sleep are a big part of restoring it, there are also some nutritional strategies you can apply to support your metabolic health. Let’s learn about these four principles.
Prioritize Whole, Fiber-Rich Foods
The first nutritional strategy that you must implement into your health is whole, fiber-rich foods. These foods are great for slowing down the digestion process. They also have a significant impact on your glucose levels, preventing them from spiking. Some common examples of fiber-rich foods include green, leafy, non-starchy veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, and green beans. Lentils are another good source of fiber, containing 8 grams of it.
Keep Up With Your Protein Intake
Giving your body plenty of protein is also very important for supporting your metabolic health. Protein plays a pivotal role not only in metabolism but also in muscle mass. Legumes such as black beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans are foods that contain high protein content, which requires your body to burn more calories to digest them. Protein is definitely a hardworking macronutrient in our bodies, and we need to keep up with it even more as we age. It’s beneficial in protecting your lean body mass and building up your muscles.
Include Healthy Fats for Hormone Production
Be sure to leave room for foods with healthy fats. They are instrumental in supplying you with plenty of energy and keeping your body functional. Fats are also helpful in supporting hormonal and metabolic function. Avocados, natural peanut butter, walnuts, cheese, and eggs are all foods with healthy fats you can find at any grocery store. Salmon are good examples of food that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Choose Low-Glycemic Carbohydrates
You can’t forget about low-glycemic carbohydrates in supporting your metabolic health. Foods that contain lower-GI carbs help support insulin sensitivity. They are another good source of energy, and through digestion, most are broken down into glucose. Aim for foods that contain low-GI carbs such as berries, legumes, whole grains, and root vegetables. Be sure to reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates and eat more whole foods in your diet.
Implement These Strategies in Your Health
If you want to try implementing these nutritional strategies into your health, you could start building these habits today. Try creating some simple meal-prep ideas to add whole, fiber-rich, and protein foods to your diet. These foods are beneficial for your digestive health and prevent your blood sugar, inflammation, insulin, and blood fat from increasing. As you continue to fill your diet with protein, healthy fats, lower-GI carbs, and fiber-rich foods, you will start to see a difference in your metabolic health.
What nutritional strategies do you implement to benefit your metabolic health? Are there daily eating habits you have to support your metabolic functioning? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next health-conscious person you know.
