These two concerns can be greatly minimized by taking care in food selection, washing potential contaminants from the food, cooking thoroughly when indicated and paying close attention to signs of gas, bloating and indigestion. Often a little focus on food preparation and perhaps adding an enzyme rich supplement, such as Alfalfa, will help us get the best benefit from our food.

There are three other factors which will greatly adjust our metabolism.

Frequency - Breakfast is so important because of your body needs to keep protein and energy feeding lean muscle mass.

Protecting your lean muscle mass will improve metabolism. Higher density of muscle means more energy is required to nourish and use them.

Eating in between each meal and also making a special effort to eat protein in the evening will go a long way to maintaining our lean muscles.

Portion size - Simply stated, eating excess calories will preserve your body mass ( fat included ). Learning what you need versus what you want does take some careful planning and self observation.

Food content - You need:

Ideally we would like to see higher protein intake with lower carbohydrate consumption, with a decent portion of your carbs as fibre. Hopefully, a decent portion of your fat is omega rich 3-6-9. Not all protein sources are the same. Do you trust the source of protein you have decided to eat?

The Hypothalamus

It appears that the hypothalamus is very important to weight management and controlled weight loss due to the release of endocrine hormones.

From a metabolism stand point, the hypothalamus not only governs the motivation to eat, stimulating hunger and appetite, but most importantly how eating is to be experienced and reflected upon, whether it is satisfying or not, and how deep the satisfaction occurs. This is due to the four primary hormones Serotonin, Dopamine, Norepinephrine and acetylcholine.

Ensuring enough protein, fats and b-vitamins are available will go a long way to maximize the presence of these hormones as required. Most North American diets do not provide enough essential fatty acids. Consider supplementing with Krill Oil or WellbetX Omega-3

Our hypothalamus must help us balance against:

If we still find that tendencies towards any of these factors persist, despite dietary modifications, adding 5-HTP is helpful.

Note: Your story is unique. While many scientific studies point towards a general effectiveness of these nutrients in regulating metabolism, it is imperative that a thorough review with your healthcare practitioner explores the advantages of incorporating these supplements.