What is Metabolism? Metabolism is: How the Body uses Food Turning fats and carbs into energy Turning protein into muscle and tissue repair

Basal Metabolism Basal metabolism is the amount of energy required to support the operation of all internal body systems except digestion. Basal metabolism keeps your body alive when it is at rest. It includes the energy your body uses for it’s many functions. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) Basal metabolic rate is the rate at which the body uses energy for basal metabolism. BMR can be affected by: body structure, body composition, and gender.

Metabolism Problems X ‘Starvation Metabolism’ from dieting  Stress X Nutrient deficiencies from poor quality food – eg. Chromium X Nutrient deficiencies from not eating enough food X Prescription drugs

What is Thermogenesis? Thermogenesis is the process by which the body generates heat in warm-blooded animals This requires burning calories. One calorie is the amount of heat required to raise 1 gram of water one degree C at sea level Thermogenesis is activated by supplements, food, exercise, and exposure to cold (shivering)

Thermic Effect of Food Your body needs food as energy to complete the processes of digestion, absorption, and metabolism. The thermic effect of food is the energy needed to extract energy from food.

Calories to Maintain Weight Women Men Weight (lb.) CaloriesWeightCalories Eating more than this will cause you to gain more weight

Metabolism Problems X ‘Starvation Metabolism’ from dieting  Stress X Nutrient deficiencies from poor quality food – especially Chromium X Nutrient deficiencies from not eating enough food X Prescription drugs

What Affects Metabolism? Size of meals Frequency of meals Type of food eaten Amount of muscle Exercise / Activity Thermogenesis Micronutrients Stress

Why do People Gain Weight? Reason #1: You consume more calories than your body needs in a day. Reason #2: You do not get enough exercise. Reason #3: Your metabolism is malfunctioning, causing you to store fat despite controlling your calorie intake. Usually as a result of yo-yo dieting and/ poor nutrition. Calories consumed minus Calories burned = weight loss or gain

Weight is a Trick

It’s not just about FAT Constant Dieting will Destroy your Health X Overall nutrition begins to suffer creating more illness and less energy as the body is trained to store fat, instead of burning it, making permanent weightloss almost impossible X Body fat percentage increases each time you YO-YO. People go from a healthy range of between 15-25% bodyfat as teenagers, to 30, 40, 50% or more in middle- age X 60 percent of cancer in women and 40 per cent of cancer in men is directly related to this excess bodyfat and the dietary choices which cause it

Dietary Reference Intakes DRIs – are nutrient reference values. DRIs purpose is to prevent diseases caused by nutrient deficiencies. ie) heart disease and diabetes linked to nutrition – now many others such as cancer. RDA – Recommended Dietary Allowances are the suggested levels of nutrients to meet the needs of most healthy people. Not all RDAs are known for all nutrients. Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) Who uses these anyway??? Nutritionists, Doctors, other healthcare professionals. To evaluate your own diet look at the “big picture” – Canada’s Food Guide or