Metabolic Reserve

And Why It Matters

I've just got back from the Nutritional Medicine Institute Summit - Path to Resileince, a two and a half days focused on resilience, brain health, mental health and longevity.

Phenomenal few days in London with world-renowned international speakers. It was an honour to be there and learn, over the coming weeks I will share key insights.

Today I want to remind you what resilience actually means.

Think of your body as having a buffer.

Extra capacity that helps you cope when life gets demanding.

That's Your Metabolic Reserve.

It's what separates people who bounce back quickly from those who don't. Its build from how you live and restore and what you eat (nutrients).

Your brain alone needs about 30 different nutrients to function.

Your cells need them to make energy.

Your organs need them to manage daily demands.

When those nutrients aren't there, your reserve drops.

And when your reserve is empty, everything becomes harder.

Your reserve capacity also declines with age.

As you get older, you need to work hader to increase or maintain your reserve capacity - this is longevity.

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What depletes your metabolic reserve:

• Chronic stress - your nutrient demands increase when you're stressed

• Poor gut health - inability to properly digest and absorb food can result in lower nutrient intake

• Toxic load - detoxification happens daily and requires huge nutrient input

• Inadequate nutrition - not enough nutrients coming in due to poor nutrition choices

• Inflammation and health status - nutrient demands increase if the body is inflamed or you are managing a chronic illnesss

• Life stage - times in your life stage where nutrient demand increases, childhood, puberty and the elderly

To name a few.

Most people are depleting faster than they're building.

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3 Quick Ways to Assess your Nutrient Reserve

1. Colour & variety check

• Are you eating at least 5 different colours of vegetables and fruits daily?

• Each colour represents different phytonutrients and vitamin groups

• Rainbow diversity = broader nutrient and polyphenol coverage

• Beige/brown dominated plates = lacking antioxidants, vitamins A, C, K, folate

2. Protein quality & frequency

• Are you eating a palm-sized portion of quality protein at each main meal?

• Protein carries amino acids plus B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium

• Skipping protein at breakfast or relying on processed options = missing key nutrients and blood sugar issues

3. Whole vs. processed ratio

• What percentage of your food still looks like it came from nature?

• Whole foods = nutrient-dense; processed foods = nutrient-depleted

• Aim for 80%+ whole foods

• High processed food intake = likely deficiencies in magnesium, B vitamins, fibre, antioxidants

Your body's always talking.

The question is: are you listening?

"The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison." - Ann Wigmore

P.S. If you're looking for a nutrient assessment get in touch.