So you’ve made the decision to invest in your metabolic health. For that, I commend you — but let me caution you of dangers ahead.
Corporations, influencers, and so-called health ‘gurus’ have become increasingly interested in metabolic health trends. As a result, they’ve prioritized the production of metabolic health ‘solutions’ designed to help you ‘get healthier’ and ‘lose weight faster.’
The truth is that most for-profit health organizations don’t have your best interests in mind. Even nonprofit organizations — including the AHA and ADA — have a colorful history of outside influences.
That’s why it’s so important that you know how to discern fact from fiction so you can ultimately protect your metabolic health. To do that, let’s look at some of the biggest lies in the industry, starting with the most pervasive one:
“Any low-carb food will help you get healthier”
I am not against low-carb diets. I happen to follow one myself.
We already know that dietary carbs are non-essential. And those who adopt low to no-carb diets (including carnivore or keto) often see dramatic results in their weight, blood work, and lifestyle.
But as more and more people leave the Standard American Diet (SAD), more and more companies try to cash in on the trend. There are hundreds of products, pills, and food ‘amalgamations’ that have ‘low-carb’ or ‘keto-friendly’ printed on the box.
Many of these low-carb products, including keto ‘breads’ and ‘cereals,’ are not at all beneficial to your metabolic health.
That’s why I follow a simple rule of thumb: read the ingredients label. You need to know if what you’re eating is whole, real food.
- Does the food contain seed or vegetable oil? It’s not a whole, real food.
- Are there dyes, artificial flavors, or preservatives? It’s not a whole, real food.
- Is it a ‘diet’ version of something else (filled with harmful fake sugar)? It’s not a whole, real food.
When used correctly, a low-carb diet can be a very powerful thing. But not all low-carb foods are whole, real foods. A ‘dirty keto’ or ‘dirty carnivore’ diet may just reinforce your cravings for processed food.
This is why you need to know where your food comes from — and why you need to start cooking at home (if you haven’t already).
“Lots of cardio will make you metabolically healthier”
No.1 Heart Surgeon: Cardio Is A Waste Of Time For Weight Loss! Philip Ovadia | E240
Cardiovascular exercise is not the best method of improving your metabolic health. I’m not saying this to be contrarian — many studies echo the sentiment.
This is because cardio exercise may:
- Burn surprisingly little energy, up to 28% less than expected
- Damage the heart when engaged in excessive training
- Atrophy muscle growth, which is the building block of metabolic health
Building and maintaining healthy muscle is key to metabolic health. It’s not just the most metabolically-active tissue in your body, but it continues to use energy throughout the day.
A pound of muscle can burn 50% more energy than fat. This means building more muscle — which requires energy throughout the day — is far better than running on a treadmill for an hour.
You cannot exercise your way to weight loss, especially not with cardio. However, resistance exercises can help you gain and preserve metabolically active muscle mass. I’ve covered various exercise suggestions on my blog before.
This isn’t to suggest cardio exercise can’t be beneficial — it just isn’t going to overcome a bad diet and it isn’t the only form of exercise you should do.
“I need medications or supplements to feel better”
Supplementation may be helpful during the acute phases of metabolic recovery.
The same is true of medications. There are some medications that are truly necessary in emergencies.
However, there are very few medications that are genuinely ‘life-saving.’ I struggle to think of a non-emergency situation where a patient might die without a specific pill or injection.
Similarly, there are very few supplements that will genuinely change your life over the long term. Many can help to alleviate symptoms, such as taking magnesium to battle a headache. But those apple cider gummies or metabolism-boosting drinks are not going to help you lose weight over the long haul.
You need to be wary of certain medications that could actually worsen your metabolic health:
- Statins. Studies show numerous side effects to statins, including potentially inducing diabetes.
- Beta blockers. These may weaken your circulation, potentially damaging your metabolic health.
- Glucose-lowering drugs. Compounds such as insulin secretagogue may potentially accelerate sarcopenia.
You should also be careful about certain supplement blends. No matter how flashy the packaging may seem, you need to remember that:
- Gummy-form supplements usually contain sugar and flavorings. Neither of these are good for your metabolic health.
- Some so-called ‘supplements,’ including fat burners and pre-workouts, could potentially damage your cardiovascular health.
- Most supplements contain just the vitamin or mineral in question — they don’t have the complex blend of flavonoids, antioxidants, and carotenoids you get from whole, real foods.
Above all, medications and supplements do not treat the root cause of disease. They might be able to alleviate certain symptoms, but they’re not a magical solution for better metabolic health.
We can resolve this medication/supplement conundrum by treating our food as medicine. Whole, real foods provide the vitamins and minerals we need to restore balance to the body. This may alleviate and even cure chronic diseases, which then doubles as preventative medicine for heart disease and beyond.
Learn more about the lies of the health industry
It shouldn’t be difficult to become metabolically healthier. But with so many myths, lies, and half-truths out there, making informed decisions can sometimes feel like wading through murky water.
I recommend keeping it simple. Eat whole, real foods. Exercise to build muscle and increase fitness, not to ‘burn calories.’ And if you’re currently taking supplements or prescription medications, ask yourself whether they’re essential to healing the root cause.
Of course, we’ve barely just scratched the surface of these issues — there’s a lot more to cover than what I could go through here. If you want to take a peek at the true state of the healthcare industry, chapter two of my book covers the 12 deadliest food lies.