Eating for Energy: It All Comes Down to the Cell
I recently had the pleasure of hosting my in-laws-to-be for a humble Sunday night dinner. I say “humble” only because I don’t have as much time, these days, to curate and prepare the from-scratch, carefully-thought-out feast I normally would like to. But since our guests were primarily vegetarian, I lovingly soaked some rice and lentils for a simple herby sauté, which I used as stuffing for some roasted local squash. Garden greens on the side.
The next time I saw him, my fiancé’s father remarked how much energy he felt the food had given him, both the night of our dinner and after he’d enjoyed the leftovers the next day; How he felt lighter, clearer headed, and even more creative and optimistic after the meal. “I don’t know what you did,” he told me delightedly, “but I swear that food was infused with life itself.”
Hearing this brought me more joy and fulfillment than I could put into words. The Ayurvedic concept of Prana (“life force energy”) was what his words initially conjured up in my mind; If you’d like to learn more about cooking to optimize Prana, check out my previous blog post.
But there is also newer research gaining prevalence that’s backed by Western science as well, demonstrating the myriad of ways in which eating and living by certain principles has a measurable effect on cellular energy levels.
It’s no secret that we are facing a Human Energy Crisis of unprecedented proportion.
The C.D.C. reports that 3 million Americans are currently struggling with chronic fatigue syndrome. Where the majority of people once sought help from their G.P. for weight management, research now shows that most doctor’s visits are currently allocated to treating cases of low energy, and/or unexplained fatigue.
We’ve all heard the saying “health is wealth”; if we don’t have our health, we have nothing. And, as the World Health Organization so succinctly states: “energy and health are inextricably linked”. Anyone who has experienced prolonged periods of unexplained physical and/or mental fatigue knows that energy is freedom. Having healthy energy levels can mean the difference between getting through the day and enjoying it. And life is too short not to enjoy every day to the fullest.
But where, exactly, does our energy come from?
We can’t have a conversation about energy without first talking about metabolic health. There is a common misconception that “metabolism” refers predominantly to how easily we are able to manage our weight. But, in fact, the most basic definition of metabolism is how efficiently our cells convert energy potential from food into usable fuel for our mitochondria.
The mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells, and since our cells are the building blocks for our entire being, this essentially means that they are the powerhouses of our minds and bodies. This is because, when they receive what they need to function optimally, they produce a substance called adenosine triphosphate (or A.T.P.), which is used throughout the body as our primary chemical energy source.
But in order to function well enough to produce sufficient A.T.P., mitochondria need 2 things: proper nourishment, and protection from oxidative stress, both of which are becoming harder to come by in our modern world.
For this reason…
Mitochondrial disfunction is widely recognized in the literature as the primary cause of the current Human Energy Crisis.
When our cells malfunction, it causes widespread inflammation in the body. And inflammation, as we’ve heard time and time again, is the root cause of all disease.
What causes mitochondrial disfunction?
Mitochondrial disfunction happens when our cells do not get their basic needs met. The prevalence of ultra-processed food, toxic exposure, and increased mental/emotional stress in Western society is unprecedented in the history of human evolution. To put it simply: our cells are not built to thrive in our current environment. This has led to them being simultaneously overwhelmed and undernourished, both of which negatively impact their ability to produce energy.
The good news is that providing our cells with nourishment and protection is something over which we have more control than one might think.
Regulating our circadian rhythm, maintaining blood sugar balance, prioritizing healthy sleep habits, avoiding exposure to blue light, environmental toxins and endocrine disruptors to the best of our ability, and getting enough daily movement are all practices that have been shown to improve cellular function.
But food is perhaps the biggest lever we can pull in terms of our metabolic health and genetic expression.
Food is 100% of what we’re built and rebuilt out of. During pregnancy for instance, babies are essentially 3D-printed from food inside the mother’s body. As the Taoist teaching says, “The body is a process, not an entity”. Because we are constantly oscillating between states of catabolism (breaking down) and anabolism (rebuilding), our capacity for improving our metabolic health is virtually limitless (yes, even as we age).
And it’s the quality of the foods we consume which determines the structure and functional efficiency of our cells.
Moving away from ultra-processed food-like substances and incorporating more fresh whole foods provides our cells with more bio-available nutrients (aka more usable fuel) and facilitates better chemical messaging. If we can get good at reading labels, and avoid ingredients such as added sugars, refined grains, and processed/industrial seed oils, we’ll already be taking great strides toward eliminating our cells’ least efficient fuel sources.
When it comes to choosing what to eat, there are 5 key things that our cells need more than anything else: fiber, high-quality (bio-available) protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and antioxidants.
Simply choosing a few of our favourite whole foods from each of these categories and getting intentional about incorporating them on a daily basis can make a world of difference when it comes to optimizing energy levels and, when it comes right down to it, living our best life.
