It is important for us to understand
what Metabolism is before discussing how it is affected by the diet. It is a
process of chemical reaction occurring to sustain life in living organisms.
There are two major categories associated with metabolism; first is Anabolism,
which means compounds synthesis required by the cells, and second is
Catabolism, which means energy obtained by molecules through their breakdown. The
Metabolism linkage with nutrients’ availability as well as nutrition is very
close. One of the most critical elements of metabolism is its formation of
energy. Some of these facts are clearly showing the importance of metabolism
for the human body.
Now it is important to look at the
fact that how diet affects metabolism. It was mentioned earlier that formation
of energy is one of the key components linked with metabolism, and to perform
such functions, the body needs calories so that above mentioned processes can
be processed. How much calories will be burnt by a person, depends on various
aspects such as age, gender, body composition as well as size etc. For
instance, the person having a large body will consume more calories than a
person with slim & smart body. It is important to keep in mind that
different elements can have their affect on metabolism like drugs, hormonal
imbalance, dietary deficiency or illness as well as diet. The body needs
consistent amount of energy to perform its functions, and this need of energy
does not change drastically over the period of time. But if body bears any
shifts in body composition or diet, then body functions may be altered.
One of the critical terms relevant
to metabolism is resting metabolic rate (RMR). It is a process when body is
actually at rest, and amount of calories being burnt by it. This is calories’
minimum amount, which is needed by the body to perform its functions. So, it is
crucial for human body to meet this minimum level of calories. The metabolism
process may slow down, if very little amount of calories is taken due to
extreme level of dieting. The slow metabolism process by not having enough
energy can cause various side effects such as decreased immunity, moodiness,
difficulty in concentration as well as fatigue. At the same time, taking too
many calories by eating excessive of amount of food can also cause issues for
metabolism. Some of these issues can be high blood sugar, high blood pressure,
low HDL cholesterol, and large waistline.
So, it is quite evident that there
is close relationship between diet and metabolism, that’s why diet can have
various affects on metabolism. It is a fact that people practice dieting to lose
weight, but they must understand that low intake of food will keep calories at
low level too, which means that some of body fats may not be burnt, which are
needed to lose weight. The low calorie intake can put your body in mode of starvation.
Moreover, your metabolic system gets disturbed by such practices. That’s why
you need to understand that you need to have a certain level of calories to
avoid this mode of starvation, which slows down the process of losing weight. You
need to consult a dietitian or nutritionist to know that what amount of
calories is normally needed by your body as per your age, gender, body
composition etc. It is important to remember that slow metabolism means fewer
calories are being burnt by your body, and fast metabolism means more calories
are being burnt by your body.
Your diet and eating patterns can have
various affects on metabolism. The less amount of food will produce fewer
calories for your body to be burnt through metabolism, whereas excessive food
intake will also cause issues. It means that you need to have a balanced and
normal diet to make sure that your metabolism process work normally as well as
efficiently. If you want to boost your metabolism and want to avoid any
negative effects of diet on metabolism, then you have to find a perfect die
plan with required food intake. Any imbalance approach in diet can have adverse
effects on metabolism. If you are looking to maintain the best and healthy
metabolism, then you have to review your diet. There are two elements, which
can keep your metabolism at a normal and required level, first thing is proper
diet and the second thing is exercise. You must meet your RMR with the help of
healthy diet having balance level of calories. You have to make sure that you
stay away from habit of overeating. The balance nutritious diet is essential to
boost metabolism. The RMR is increased as well as calories burning process gets
efficient, if you start regular exercise. The exercise helps the body to burn
any extra calories. These facts are clearly depicting that diet is closely
linked with metabolism, and whatever diet you take, it has effects on your
metabolism.