SFH #86: Improving Mitochondrial Function - Part I
Overeating 🍽
To live a healthier lifestyle, not only are we trying to practice good habits, but we are also trying to combat some insidious ones.
Overeating1, inactivity2, and too much stres3s are the three main drivers of disease that damage mitochondrial function. And the reason we should take notice is that mitochondrial (cellular) health is the key to a long and highly functional life.4
In Part I today, let’s break down what is behind overeating and how to combat it.
We overeat due to two main issues.✌🏽
a) We are evolutionarily wired to eat what is in front of us, and modern culture has made it a giant unavoidable hurdle through an industrialized food system.5
b) We have an attachment to food as a source to manage our feelings - good and bad. We all emotionally eat to some degree or another. Again, this is genetically wired into us.6
How do we combat it?🤷🏼♂️
It would be best to opt out of the industrialized food systems tricks; hyper palatability, portion pushing, and the CPG marketing game. Easier said than done. Here are some steps we can take along the way.
Eating real food instead of processed and refined foods addresses the palatability issue.
If our bodies do not know that we are full because our brain isn't receiving the message, we will keep eating from the oversized popcorn bin and downing large portions of diet soda. It's the double-edged sword with our palates. Opt for real food in smaller quantities by being mindful of the setting and environment you are eating in - including the size of the containers, plates, bowls, and cups.
When food is packaged versus showing off its naked natural lusciousness, it can look so attractive with a combination of aesthetic tricks and language that stimulate your sensibilities. The thing is, if the food does its job, you never need to be sold because the ecosystem has gifted you that one ingredient to survive and thrive!
In part II, we will look at the role of inactivity and methods to keep us positively in motion.
In the meantime, watch this video for more on hyper-palatable foods. 📺
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5770194/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30452895/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5901654/#:~:text=Under%20stress%2C%20mitochondrial%20can%20swell,fats%2C%20respectively%20(27).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3951182/#:~:text=Mitochondria%20play%20a%20key%20role,in%20severe%20impairment%20or%20death.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4031802/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4214609/