How to Eat to Increase Your Metabolism

Learning to eat to increase your metabolism can be a long and complicated journey. At least, that's what I used to think. It turns out the solution might be a lot more simple than I previously thought.

I'll admit, I've tried a lot of the typical "tricks" to increase my metabolism. You've probably heard of them. Eat more protein. Drink tons of water. Fidget a lot. Hit the treadmill. Take hot baths. Eat a lot of cayenne pepper.

Some of these are founded in logic. Others are dead wrong. And some are just plain silly. And frankly, nothing seemed to make an immediate and noteworthy impact for me.

What was missing from my approach was a simple method of monitoring biofeedback and tweaking my diet accordingly. Incredibly simple. Surprisingly effective.

In my last post about how I got rid of my cold hands and feet, I brought up a few basic ideas about increasing your metabolic rate (which conveniently solves cold hands and feet, as well as quite a few other annoying issues associated with a low metabolism). But a few of my readers asked me for more specifics from Eat for Heat. So here I am to dish out some of the more juicy details...

How to Eat to Increase Your Metabolism

The basic idea in Eat for Heat can be summed up in this excellent quote from the book:

"When you are cold, especially in the hands and feet, your urine is clear, the urge to urinate is strong, or you are peeing frequently… YOU NEED TO EAT MORE AND DRINK LESS.

When you are hot, especially in the hands and feet, your urine is dark or you haven’t peed in a really long time… YOU NEED TO EAT LESS AND DRINK MORE."

So how did I solve my cold hands and feet in one day?

I cut back on my liquids (I was drinking a lot when I wasn't thirsty), and I chose foods that were dense in calories, salt and carbohydrates. 

For me, this meant some snacks of cheese with honey or dried fruit or a few bites of my coconut oil fudge. I didn't have to overeat or even significantly change my normal eating habits (for instance, I ate a typical dinner that evening the same as I normally would). However, even with these minor changes, I noticed immediate signs of increasing my metabolism (i.e. toasty hands and feet!).

Although some specific eating strategies are mentioned in the book, Eat for Heat also advocates being flexible and individualizing the strategies according to your biofeedback. Personally, I just took the general idea and adapted it to what I typically eat and what is already in my kitchen. The fact that I could do this and still get phenomenal results is just plain awesome.

 

Are You Drinking Too Much to Increase Your Metabolism?

If you're taking in too much fluid, you'll notice having to urinate with increased frequency (sometimes even every 20-30 minutes) and your urine will be super clear like water. Some health gurus claim this is a good thing, but I don't buy it. In fact, it could be a sign that you're losing excess salt and other electrolytes through your urine. This can really stress the body--not a good thing if you want to maintain metabolic balance.

After reading Eat for Heat, I realized that I often experience frequent trips to the bathroom at the same time of day my hands and feet start getting really cold! A very intriguing connection. 

So how much fluid is enough?

As you might guess, it's all up to the individual. Your need for fluid is based on a lot of variable factors, like your current metabolic rate, the climate you live in, how active you are, etc. This is where all that biofeedback stuff comes in.

I've found it very helpful to pay attention to two things: 1) my level of thirst and 2) how warm I feel.

Interestingly, I feel more thirsty when I feel warm and my hands or feet are feeling toasty. The two definitely go hand in hand!

And instead of drowning my thirst in tons of clear water, I try a more subtle approach and drink just a few ounces of liquid at a time. Sometimes I choose plain water, but more often I go with diluted juice with a dash of salt to balance it out. In either case, I have about four fluid ounces at a time and simply drink more as needed. This gives my body time to take it in and give me that valuable biofeedback.

 

Warming and Cooling Foods: Achieving Metabolic Balance

An important concept in Eat for Heat is that certain foods tend to warm up (increase) the metabolism and others tend to cool it down.

Warming foods are generally calorie-dense foods. They will normally contain more salt, sugar, carbohydrates and saturated fat (the good stuff of course!). Some examples would be cheese, real butter or cream, coconut products (like shredded coconut or coconut oil), grains, starchy vegetables (like potatoes), fatty meats (I'm thinking quality bacon would be excellent) and real desserts (like ice cream or homemade cheesecake--yum!).

Cooling foods have essentially the opposite qualities. They are less calorie-dense, and contain more liquid in ratio to salt, carbohydrates and fat. These might include water (and other weak beverages like coffee, tea and juice), fruit and vegetables. These foods are not inherently bad, of course. They just tend to promote a slower metabolic rate if used at the wrong time, rather than increase your metabolism like warmer foods.

The idea is not that you eat only warming foods and shun the cooling foods. Not at all. This is not another game of bad foods vs. good foods.

Instead, the idea is to pay attention to how your body reacts to specific foods at certain times. Yep, we're talking about good ole biofeedback again.

Here is an example:

If you tend to feel sluggish and cold in the mid-afternoon, then this is a good time to try out more warming foods and dial it down on the more cooling foods (probably not a good time to have a bottle of water, for instance).

Or perhaps if you're too warm in the evenings, that's a good time for light soups and beverages (like juice or kombucha), with some fruits and veggies as well.

For me, understanding the difference between warming and cooling foods has allowed me much greater control over my metabolic state throughout the day. By listening to my biofeedback, I am able to choose foods that keep me feeling balanced.

If you like this post, you can learn more by reading Matt Stone's eBook Eat for Heat.


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Commercial Table Salt vs Unrefined Natural Salt

The salt of yesteryear was a healthful, whole food, but today it's been stripped and processed into a disaster waiting to happen. What began as an essential nutrient has been disfigured into a substance our bodies are not meant to use. Although salt has been doled a bad reputation in recent years, you might be surprised to hear that traditional cultures greatly valued natural salt and would go to great lengths to procure it. And for good reason:

Every cell in the body requires salt, and countless functions depend on salt--including everything from blood sugar regulation to bone density to circulatory health. And because we lose salt constantly during the day through urine and perspiration, it’s important that we replenish it. Of course, it's counterproductive to try and replace lost sodium with commercial table salt because it's a refined and incomplete product. Instead, choose a high-quality unrefined salt that can naturally replenish the sodium, trace minerals and electrolytes your body needs.

What's wrong with commercial table salt?

• Commercial salt is typically 97.5-99.9% sodium chloride, whereas a quality unrefined salt is only about 87% sodium chloride. This is because unrefined sea salt contains a rich content of important trace minerals.

• Table salt is typically full of additives, fluoride, anti-caking agents, excessive amounts of potassium iodide and other poisons. Many versions of commercial salt also contain aluminum derivatives, which are known to be highly toxic. These additives can cause discoloration in salt, so bleaching agents are then used to restore the desirable white color. 

With this kind of processing, it’s no wonder refined commercial salt is causing so many health problems! Unfortunately, the key differences between refined salt and unrefined salt are not yet widely recognized, so the general assumption is that all salt is bad--which is definitely not the case.


Salt, Trace Minerals and Electrolytes

Unrefined natural salt, naturally harvested and dried in the sun, contains a wealth of trace minerals and electrolytes. Our bodies only need small amounts of these nutrients, but they are still absolutely vital for a variety of functions in the body. In fact, they are key players in enzyme production as well as immune system, adrenal and thyroid function.

Table salt causes imbalances of fluid throughout the body and puts a great deal of strain on the elimination systems. In contrast, unrefined natural salt allows the body to achieve a balance of water both inside and outside cells. With adequate natural sodium and pure water, conditions like gout, muscle cramps, water retention and edema often disappear.


Salt and Digestion

Real salt also stimulates the production of enzymes and digestive juices which are necessary for the body to utilize nutrients from the foods we eat. This can be especially beneficial for people whose diet consists mainly of cooked foods, since cooking foods destroys enzyme content. Unrefined sea salt can help the body digest these foods properly.


Salt and Adrenal Health

Another bonus: unrefined sea salt is great for the adrenal glands. Salt cravings are common among those with adrenal fatigue, but the body is telling you it wants the natural trace minerals in unrefined salt - not a huge dose of refined sodium! Read more about using natural salt to heal the adrenals here.

Making the Switch to Unrefined Natural Salt

If you eat mostly home cooked food, then simply switching to unrefined salt at home will greatly reduce your intake of refined commercial salt. However, packaged and processed foods are hidden sources of commercial salt. The more convenience food you buy, the more refined sodium will dominate your diet. Since packaged foods are often loaded with other unhealthy ingredients (like vegetable oils or refined sugars), it's wise to steer clear of them whenever you can, anyway.

Don't confuse so-called commercial sea salt with true unrefined salt. Many manufacturers label their salt as "sea salt" but it is still highly refined and doesn't contain valuable trace minerals. Instead, choose a source of natural salt that offers genuine unrefined salt and is clear about how they make their salt so you can be sure it is not highly refined.

And I have to say it's hard to go back to refined table salt after tasting the real stuff. Real salt just has this full-bodied flavor that one-dimensional commercial salt can't touch.

On a side note: although unrefined natural salt can be considered a health food, it should still be used with wisdom and moderation. Excessive salt consumption is not healthy for anyone, and certain individuals may be more sensitive to sodium than others.

Find a great source of natural, unrefined salt here on my Resources page.

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