What Is Metabolic Health? Debunking Common Metabolism Myths

The terms “metabolism” and “metabolic health” get thrown around a lot these days in a weight loss context, but their true functions are WAY broader and more foundational than merely how fast you can burn calories. In simple terms, your metabolism encompasses the hundreds of chemical processes your body uses to convert the food that you eat into fuel or energy. 

It can be really helpful to think about your metabolism as the engine that powers your body. Like the engine of a car requires fuel (in the form of gas or electricity) to run, your metabolism needs carbs, fats and proteins to function. In a car’s engine, the fuel gets ignited to produce energy that powers the car’s movement. In your body, food gets broken down into smaller molecules like glucose (sugar) and fatty acids which get converted to ATP (energy) in your mitochondria (the powerhouses of the cell). As you know, a well-maintained car engine will run smoothly, burning fuel efficiently. Similarly, a healthy metabolism will process nutrients effectively, maintaining balanced energy and blood sugar levels. Yet when your metabolic health starts to decline, you may experience engine breakdowns or things like insulin resistance, chronic inflammation and hormonal imbalances. Therefore, the best thing that you can do for your metabolism (aka engine) is to consistently feed it high quality fuel (nutrient-dense foods, herbs, strength training) for optimal performance. 

If metabolic health is a priority for you but you don’t want to take a bunch of different herbs and supplements (we get it), our Metabolic Duo could be just the thing for you. It’s a two-part daily protocol that offers immediate blood sugar balancing effects but also teaches your body to more efficiently convert the food you eat into energy and burn more fat over time.

Metabolic Health

While your metabolism is the sum of all of the energy-related processes, your metabolic health describes how efficiently your body performs them. In other words, it measures how well your body’s metabolism is functioning. Your metabolic health is in control of your blood sugar regulation (avoiding spikes or crashes), lipid metabolism (using fats for fuel or storage), energy balance (converting fuel into energy without fatigue), and hormonal balance (regulating insulin, cortisol and thyroid hormones). 

When your metabolic health gets out of whack, you might experience persistent fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, and frequent sugar or carb cravings. Over time, suboptimal metabolic health increases your risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even certain cancers, so it’s extremely important to prioritize! 

Metabolism Myths, Debunked

Myth: You can’t change a slow metabolism – it’s genetic.

The truth: While your DNA definitely plays a role, lifestyle factors like eating enough protein, exercising (especially strength training), managing stress, and getting consistent sleep have a significant impact on your metabolic health. Take working out for example. Building more muscle increases your metabolic rate because muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat does.

Myth: Certain foods can boost your metabolism.

The truth: Studies show that green tea, coffee, and spicy foods can slightly boost metabolism, burning an extra 5-100 calories per day. However, when combined with lifestyle changes, targeted supplements can support fat oxidation, blood sugar balance, mitochondrial health, and hormonal balance, all of which enhance metabolic function.

Myth: Low-calorie diets can help jumpstart weight loss.

The truth: Eating too little signals to your body that you’re in survival mode so it adapts by slowing down metabolic processes to conserve energy. Your body also starts to break down your muscles to generate fuel, which slows your metabolism down even more.

Myth: Thinner people have faster metabolisms. 

The truth: Your metabolism is based on your body’s total energy needs, which is not always correlated to body size. For instance, think about larger-bodied football players who have a huge amount of muscle mass. Since muscle tissue burns more energy than fat at rest, these people will have a higher resting metabolic rate (RMR) regardless of their overall weight or size. On the flip side, we all probably know someone who is naturally skinny and doesn’t really exercise. This type of person often has less muscle mass and more body fat, meaning that their metabolism could actually be slower. Plus, physical activity level plays a huge role. More active people burn more calories throughout their day no matter what their body size is. In other words, body composition (your unique proportion of fat, muscle and bone) is far more important than body size. 

Myth: Eating after 8pm will slow down your metabolism.

The truth: Even after you fall asleep, your body continues to burn calories in order to fuel vital functions like breathing, cell repair, digestion, etc. Snacking or eating meals too late can, however, mess with your sleep which can impact your metabolism if it becomes a pattern. Another factor to consider here is that people who eat later in the night tend to consume less nutritious and more calorie-dense foods (think: mindless eating while scrolling or watching TV), which can add a significant amount of calories to your daily intake. The takeaway? Late night eating doesn’t slow your metabolism down, but inconsistent eating patterns or disrupted circadian rhythms certainly can over time.

Myth: Your metabolism is just about how fast you burn calories.

The truth: All of the chemical reactions that occur in your body to convert food into energy fall under the umbrella term of your metabolism. It’s essentially your body’s internal engine to sustain your vital functions.