Rev Up Your Metabolism with Smart Carbs and Hydration

I promised to go through the factors that decrease metabolism this week (dehydration, carb addiction, medications, candida yeast, stress, and others). Today, let's talk about carb addiction and dehydration.

Refined carbohydrates (like French fries, sugar, cakes, cookies, carbonated beverages with sugar, white bread, ice cream, etc.) are addictive and are among the foods that cause the most inflammation. Consuming refined carbohydrates in excess leads to a state of acidity in the body, which decreases metabolism. This happens because the body is forced to manage a surplus of glucose in the blood, along with high levels of insulin.

Refined carbohydrates start to affect our emotional state and create an addictive dependence because of the calming effect they produce. These foods cause a significant insulin reaction in our bodies. A diet that lowers insulin production will help reduce body fat, and vice versa.

There are also carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, and starchy vegetables. But there's no need to fear carbs. If eaten strategically, they can promote your metabolism and provide energy throughout the day. The idea is to have 1/4 of your plate filled with these carbohydrates—a 1:4 ratio in every meal. This way, there won’t be an excess of glucose, and your body won’t need to generate more insulin than necessary. A well-balanced plate containing veggies, proteins, carbs, and fats will keep you full for longer, reducing the urge to snack mindlessly. In fact, if you ever go hungry, your metabolism slows down, so it's important not to let yourself get too hungry.

On the subject of hunger, many times we confuse hunger with dehydration. Dehydration is one of the factors that most significantly lowers metabolism. I'm about to get a little technical here, but bear with me—I have a feeling this information will be of great interest to you.

Water, H2O, is composed of 89% oxygen and only 11% hydrogen. When we drink water, we mainly add oxygen to our bodies. Oxygen is the element that allows the combustion of fat and drives the metabolism. Drinking plenty of water is a very effective way to increase your metabolism and lose weight.

I’m sharing this information with you because, personally, it helps me a lot to understand the WHY behind the things I do. It gives me a purpose and confidence that what I’m doing is actually benefiting my health.

Also, I want to clarify that this applies to water only. Drinking juices or soft drinks is not the same thing. If the liquid we consume has some sort of flavor (soft drinks, juices, coffee, mate, etc.), the body detects it as food and sends it through the digestive tract instead of directly to the bloodstream.

Fun Fact: The more dehydrated a person is, the more their body will reject water.

So, make sure to have a nutrient-dense plate and drink lots of water throughout the day (around 8 cups of water a day is ideal).

Tune in next week for additional factors that lower metabolism. Happy Friday!