Less than one in ten Americans are considered metabolically healthy.
This sort of thing doesn’t happen by accident — especially in our current healthcare climate.
We need to eat, exercise, and research with intentionality if we want to get (and remain) metabolically healthy.
So what are we not doing that 7% of Americans are?
I’ve done the research so you can see for yourself.
How people get and stay metabolically healthy
Most of us aren’t born with poor metabolic health. Over time, we pick up bad habits, advice, and behaviors that impact our ability to stay healthy.
People who fight to stay metabolically healthy know how to go against mainstream myths and bad online trends.
Here’s what they do to maintain their health, including what you can do to emulate it.
1. Eat whole, real food
Food is the biggest factor in maintaining metabolic health. Because as the saying goes, ‘you are what you eat.’ You can’t outrun a bad diet, no matter how much exercise you do.
Changing your diet to whole, real food comes with near-immediate benefits. If you want to see progress within two weeks, you should:
- Ditch ultra processed foods (UPFs). These are products with long lists of ingredients that aren’t always natural (think frozen TV dinners).
- Stop drinking sugary calories, especially soda or juice. You don’t have to go completely cold turkey — giving up one or two drinks per day is enough to offer benefits.
- Give up snacking at least three hours before bed. This can help you sleep better at night and control your appetite in the morning (more on this later).
- Resist the urge to buy more processed food once you use it up. Do you really need more flour and pasta, or could you try a new recipe with coconut flour and zucchini noodles?
As a side note, don’t be afraid to start cooking at home. This will give you much more control over the ingredients added to your food.
2. Avoid added sugars
More than 60% of the food at the grocery store contains added sugar for ‘palatability.’ Fake sugar substitutes aren’t any better — these sneak into your diet and wreak havoc on your metabolic health.
You need to know the truth about food packaging claims so you can make informed decisions about your staple ingredients. You also need to learn how to cut sugar from your diet to avoid chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.
Speaking of diabetes, you should know carbohydrates convert into sugar in the blood. Watch for unnecessary carbs in your diet and consider switching to low or no-carb foods.
3. Follow high protein diets
Contrary to popular belief, red meat does not lead to diabetes or heart disease. Those who consume higher protein diets tend to:
- Have more muscle mass
- Feel fuller longer
- Lower their blood pressure
And the list continues.
I never tell my patients to blindly follow diets — only adopt an eating pattern of whole, real foods.
You may find keto works better for protein intake, or prefer the carnivore diet instead. Either way, find a sustainable pattern for your body and consume more protein than you currently do.
4. Get plenty of sleep
Studies show sleep directly correlates to metabolic health, but we’re the most sleep-deprived generation yet. A third of all Americans sleep just 5.7 hours per night, far below the suggested average of seven hours or more.
Like with diets, I don’t prescribe a specific sleep range to my patients. Everybody is unique and requires a different amount of sleep, which could be anywhere between six to nine hours per night.
Once you get your sleep hygiene under control, I recommend getting a wearable sleep tracker. This is a great way to monitor the quality and quantity of your sleep so you can look for odd patterns and make lifestyle adjustments as necessary.
5. Focus on stress management
Stress and blood sugar have a reciprocal relationship. When stress levels spike, your stress hormone (cortisol) does too. This encourages the production of insulin, which can lead to high glucose over time.
This stress/blood sugar relationship once had a physiological purpose. But these days, you’re probably not stressed about getting chased by tigers (or feeling anxious about an upcoming mammoth hunt).
And yet, the negative effects of stress and blood sugar remain very real. A whopping 76% of Americans have experienced health impacts in response to stress, no doubt encouraged by the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Well-established biological patterns no longer serve humans in the ‘office work generation.’ While you can’t avoid or ignore stress responses, you can use healthy coping mechanisms to limit your physiological response.
Try:
- Picking up a new hobby
- Spending time with friends and family
- Going to a relaxing event (like a spa day)
6. Test their blood
If you don’t know your lab work, you don’t know your metabolic health. With just one in three Americans aware of their own blood type, many of us don’t know what to order (or even what to track).
I recommend purchasing a few different blood labs so you can get a better idea of your metabolic health. You should also invest in a continuous glucose monitor (or CGM) to keep an eye on blood sugar levels.
7. Continue to learn
Metabolically healthy people don’t follow conventional wisdom. Because if they did, they’d be slaves to the food pyramid — which is decidedly unconducive to metabolic health.
You need to be careful about where you get your health advice. This includes knowing how to spot misinformation and reading studies by yourself to draw personal conclusions.
Never take anything at face value, no matter how trustworthy the source seems. Do your homework and reach out for clarification (if necessary). There’s a lot of misinformation in the health world.
8. Jump into a community
Health-oriented communities are a pillar of metabolic health. Not only do they offer plenty of encouragement and support, but they can help you avoid bad advice (especially misguided information from official sources).
You can find community in many different places, including:
- Online forums (like Reddit or Discord)
- In-person groups (like your local health club)
- Coaching groups (like Elite Health Coaching)
9. Work with excellent doctors
The doctor you choose will either make or break your metabolic health. Misinformed or outdated doctors may prescribe beta blockers, statins, or medications that don’t resolve the root of the problem.
As we know now, medication isn’t the best way to treat chronic disease.
It’s just that not every doctor will admit it.
I encourage you to find a health professional who not only encourages your health journey, but supports it with research, encouragement, and clinical studies.
If you’re in the market for a doctor who ‘gets’ it, I wrote a physician vetting guide to help you find the right fit.
How to know if you’re metabolically healthy
Now you know how 7% of Americans are maintaining their metabolic health.
The question is, are you metabolically healthy?
You should pay attention to the five key factors:
- Blood pressure: Less than 130/85
- Blood sugar: Less than 100 mg/dL
- Waist circumference: Under 40 inches for men and under 35 inches for women
- Triglycerides: Less than 150 mg/dL
- HDL Cholesterol: Above 40 mg/dL for men and above 50 mg/dL for women
You may not be metabolically healthy if your numbers fall outside this range.
Looking for a faster way to test your metabolic health?
You can take my online quiz today and get a sense for how healthy you are.
