Human beings are not machines or robots, we are much more complex than simply calories in v’s calories out.
If only it was as easy as that. ☺️
What we eat matters, how we eat matters, how we feel about what we eat matters, how we feel when we eat matters, what we believe about food matters, what we believe about ourselves matters. There are many other factors and all of them effect how we process the energy in our food.
From a holistic perspective this is the best definition of Metabolism that I have found.
“Metabolism is the sum total of all the chemical reactions in the body, plus the sum total of all our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and experiences.” Marc David
We know from experience that two people can eat exactly the same thing and yet they will metabolise it differently,
In my studies with The Institute For The Psychology of Eating we explored 8 key elements that impact metabolism and yet are often overlooked because they cannot be weighed or measured.
“Fitness experts are satisfied when we have burned enough calories or reached our target heart rate. Dietary gurus are happy when our milk has enough Vitamin D or are juice has enough Vitamin C. Little have we realised that our diet's have been collectively deficient in some important nutrients that have been around for some time, yet have been overlooked:
Vitamin L - Love,
Vitamin H- Happiness
Vitamin S - Soul.
You won’t find these listed on the side of your cereal box, but don’t let that absence fool you.
If something is truly nourishing for the soul then it is literally nourishing for the body and that nourishment is what fuels metabolism. “ Marc David - The Slow Down Diet.
Let’s talk about relaxation and stress and the role they play in how we metabolise our food.
Simply put a stressed eater will be in a place of digestive shutdown a relaxed eater will be a place of full digestive force. Feelings such as guilt, shame etc that come from good food/ bad food mentality will always lead us to be in stress response, add that to our normal everyday stress, emotional experiences etc and we will be in digestive shutdown and dealing with the impact of high cortisol and adrenaline in our body. Which means we are more likely to store food as fat.
If you would like to explore any of this in more detail please get in touch and if you have found it interesting please share with others. I would also love to read any comments you may have.
Lots of Love ❤️
Joanne
Blog Post Written by:
Joanne Callan
Holistic Therapist & Mind, Body Nutrition Coach.
Founder of Changing Cycles Community Interest Company