Episode 268

Metabolic Flexibility

Published on: 18th September, 2024

Understanding how metabolism works and all the different aspects that go into metabolic health can feel overwhelming. This week Jenn is breaking it all down into digestible pieces, so you can create metabolic flexibility. 

In this episode, Jenn is discussing metabolic flexibility. This is the body’s ability to burn different types of fuel (sugar or fat) depending on what’s available. She breaks down the different aspects that go into creating metabolic flexibility, including sleep, stress, movement, and nutrition. Jenn provides some great examples of how to implement each of these factors into your daily life, and which are most important when getting started. She takes the overwhelm out of this complex topic so that you can get started with one small thing today to create more metabolic flexibility in your life. Tune in today to learn more! 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.

IN THIS EPISODE:

  • [3:15] Jenn tells members the recipe they are getting this week and about the quarterly live Q&A.
  • [5:23] What is metabolic flexibility? 
  • [7:24] What is metabolism and how does it work? 
  • [8:37] What is metabolic health and what are the indicators of metabolic health? 
  • [13:45] What are the benefits of being metabolically flexible? 
  • [18:11] How does intermittent fasting and the keto diet impact metabolism and metabolic flexibility?
  • [27:12] Does sleep impact metabolic flexibility? 
  • [31:21] Why does stress impact metabolic flexibility? 
  • [35:18] How does exercise influence metabolic flexibility? 
  • [40:00] Jenn summarizes how all these aspects come together when it comes to your health. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • The ketogenic diet was originally designed to help treat seizures. If you do not experience seizures, the keto diet isn’t meant to be followed for life. 
  • Sleep is one of the most accessible, effective ways to support metabolic flexibility.
  • The key factor to ensure that we remove fat without losing as much muscle is eating quality and sufficient amounts of protein and strength training. We need all the macronutrients in order to maintain muscle mass and not turn the muscle into fuel. 

QUOTES: 

[2:29] “Metabolic flexibility is the body’s ability to use different sources of fuel, depending on what’s available. So essentially it’s the body using sugar or glucose or fat as it’s fuel. In an ideal scenario, the body’s able to adapt depending on what's available and it might go back and forth.” - Jenn Trepeck

[19:33] “When we’re eating processed foods, higher glycemic carbohydrates, foods that look like food but are really new to nature molecules, devoid of nutrition, it sets us up for challenges with glucose and insulin and again, allowing our body to do what it’s supposed to do. So whole, real foods meeting those dietary needs.” - Jenn Trepeck

[34:53] “Think about all the little things that you can build into your day to help chip away at that stress whether we feel like we’re stressed in that moment, so that we can start to make the shift and turn off that nervous system response that keeps us in that glucose burning state.” - Jenn Trepek

[44:35] “If you are in a place where you’re experiencing all of those symptoms, or signs of metabolic rigidity, let's start with a progression of working towards whole foods. Hitting our protein, fiber, quality fat. Let’s work to get our blood sugar in these middle ranges. Make sure we have all the stress reduction, the sleep, the movement, all of these other elements in place, and then we can evolve into a place where we start to experiment with some of the other things.” - Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

The Mess of Stress Episode

Nutrition 101 Episode

Sleep on it Episode

Beyond Cardio Episode

Autophagy Nutrition Nugget

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Salad With a Side of Fries  Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss

About the Podcast

Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss
What to eat and when to cheat! Let's decipher between all the “diets” out there. You know what to do but it itsn't working. In fact, your diet could be making you fatter.

Ever wondered if cryo-freezing your fat cells would really work? Should you try acupuncture? A hypnotist? If you do, how do you know if someone’s good?

Salad with a Side of Fries is the podcast that will answer all these questions and more! Talking wellness and weight loss for real life, because most of us are going to drink, eat out, skip the grocery store and who wants a life without fries or dessert?! Host Jenn Trepeck’s expertise as an optimal health coach, in practice for over a decade, along with experts in various modalities will clear up the myths, mis-information, bad science and marketing to reveal the truth of HOW TO EAT and HOW TO CHEAT!*



*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This podcast, its content and guests are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About your host

Profile picture for Jennifer Trepeck

Jennifer Trepeck

“My passion for nutrition and helping others stems from “kicking my food issues” with my own weight management saga.” ~ Jenn

I believe that the greatest accountability is paying it forward! That’s why I teach the nutrition education we are all supposed to know but no one ever taught us, along with the science behind food, fitness, and health.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, I founded Better Life Now LLC while working full-time in hedge funds. In 2019, I took my practice from side-hustle to full-time self-employment and launched my podcast, Salad With a Side of Fries. On the show, we offer science-based tips and tricks for how to achieve wellness and weight loss for real life – because who wants a life without fries or dessert?!

Topics we tackle on the podcast include debunking fad diets, food myths, misinformation in marketing, bad science, and general nutrition. I encourage guests whose expertise is different from my own focus on weight management to bring their unique, fact-based perspectives to talk about subjects they are educated in and passionate about.

Due to my decade-long experience of working with clients, I have gained insight into the health and food industry and the how-tos of building a business.

Some specific health and wellness topics I can speak to include debunking fad diets, exposing the BS we are fed by the food and diet industry, how the people around us can positively and negatively impact our health journey, and shifting mindsets in order to overcome inappropriate barometers of success to instead achieve happy, healthy, and meaningful change.

On the subject of business, I can help you by teaching my critical pieces every entrepreneur should know, how to make your side-hustle into your full-time job, ways to sustainably achieve success without burning out, contemporary networking, and how to prioritize wellness while pursuing your projects.

When I find some free time, I’m typically working out at Physique57, discovering hidden gem restaurants in NYC, or traveling to spend time with friends and family.

I’d love to have an in-depth conversation with you, whether it’s leveling up in business or debunking food myths!