This new year, I've placed my focus on optimizing my metabolic fitness. In short, metabolic fitness is how well trained we are to process and create energy. Metabolic health consists of optimal levels of five different biomarkers including HDL cholesterol, blood glucose, waist circumference, triglycerides, and blood pressure. Here’s an overview of metabolic health from the Levels Health Blog.

Metabolism is the set of cellular mechanisms that produce energy from our food and environment to power every process in the human body.

Metabolic health is a term to describe how well we generate and process energy in the body.

Glucose is a primary precursor for energy in the body, and needs to be tightly regulated for metabolism to work effectively.

Metabolic health can be improved by consistently making choices that keep glucose levels in a stable and healthy range and minimize large glucose swings.

These choices may include selecting foods that don’t cause large spikes in glucose, exercising consistently, getting quality sleep, managing stress, adding in nutrients and foods that improve our processing of glucose, and avoiding environmental toxins that are known to disrupt metabolic function.

Poor metabolic health is associated with worse brain function, energy, memory, mood, skin health, fertility, and risk for chronic disease.

As a country, our metabolic health is poor, with 88% of the American population displaying at least some metabolic dysfunction.

Metabolic dysfunction underlies most chronic diseases.

- Dr. Casey Means, MD, Levels Health Blog, The Ultimate Guide to Metabolic Health

I've tested my biological age using blood biomarker testing through InsideTracker and am currently on my second week of testing my real-time response to foods using the Levels continual glucose monitor. Nutrition and metabolic health are linked and personalized so as always, work with your healthcare provider, listen to your body, and find what works best for you. If your current regimen is working for you excellent! If you have an interest in managing blood glucose and metabolic fitness through nutrition, here are 5 of the biggest takeaways that I've landed on so far.

1) Taper down to 16:8 (fasting: eating) window.

Here’s one example of how to transition into a longer fasting window over the course of one week. This ratio tends to be a good window to allow for better body composition, improved insulin sensitivity, and almost 80% of the organ systems in the body are influenced by the circadian rhythm (wake and sleep cycle). Transitioning into a longer fasting window is helpful to allow the body enough time to adapt its functions to the new change.

• Ramp Week- The goal here is to taper into 16:8 fast by 1 hour per day. If you already practice a longer fasting window than recommended, great! Work your way to the 16:8 from where you are currently at.

• Monday- 13:11

• Tuesday- 13:11

• Wednesday- 14:10

• Thursday- 14:10

• Friday- 15:9

• Saturday- 15:9

• Sunday- 16:8

• Weeks 2-4 maintain the 16:8 fasting to eating ratio and continue as you see fit.

2) Two simple rules- 1 hour after waking, 3 hours before bed

• When it comes to the placement of your fasting window, it can be helpful to use the natural sleep-wake cycle to your advantage. Waiting at least one hour after waking to begin eating is a helpful way to extend the overnight fast while placing emphasis on rehydrating. I include athletic greens, LMNT electrolytes, and black coffee as a part of my morning hydration routine.

• The second rule of thumb is to stop eating 2-3 hours before bed. This allows you to extend your overnight fast while also allowing the food time to digest so you can spend your energy recovering during sleep instead of spending the first 3 hours of your night’s rest digesting your dinner.

3) Macronutrient order matters- Fat and Protein first, Carbs at the End

• When you eat macronutrients during each meal, the order matters. When it comes to how the meal impacts your blood glucose level, saving your carbs until the end of the meal can be helpful to lower the insulin spike. By preloading healthy fats and proteins, you help reduce the size of the body’s response to carbohydrates.

4) Mixed Meals Help Lower Insulin Response

• Like the above point, including many macronutrients with each meal helps with creating a stable insulin response. By pairing apples with nut butter, crackers with hummus, beans, olive oil, and rice you combine fat, fiber, and protein. This results in reducing the insulin spike post-meal and can help avoid post-meal energy crashes.

5) A short walk after a meal helps to reduce a post-meal glucose spike

• Is this the secret behind how most Parisians stay trim while consuming a rich diet? By taking a short 10-20 minute walk after a meal you can use the initial release of glucose and stimulate a balanced response avoiding the peaks and troughs that might otherwise result without the walk.

Here's to a year full of opportunities to continue learning and improving your health and fitness!

Let me know what goals you're working towards.

- Shiloh at Whealth

P.S. We are currently updating and creating a standalone nutrition program covering this topic and many more. Let us know what topics interest you most!