How to Boost Energy

Who doesn’t want more energy? Even if you are relatively healthy, more energy never goes astray.  

But if you are not in optimal health or if you have an illness, getting more energy is critical because it takes energy to heal. When you pick up a common virus, you know how tired you feel.  Your body tells you to just slow down and rest while energy is redirected to healing.

When you have a chronic illness, like autoimmune disease, diabetes, or heart disease, your body is constantly needing more energy to heal.  All the time.  It’s no wonder you are so fatigued, right?

So, how can you boost energy and get yourself to heal? It comes back to the most basic building blocks of life: cells.

Time to dust off the part of your brain where you stored that high school biology lesson on cells. Think back.  Remember the diagram of the cell: cell membrane, nucleus, nucleolus, cytoplasm, etc., etc. and  … mitochondria.  

Mitochondria: energy-producing organelles in cells.  Some cells have more mitochondria than others, depending on how much energy those cells need to produce.  Examples of high-energy-demand cells in our body are the brain, retina, heart, and liver.  It takes a lot of energy to think, see, pump blood, and deal with toxins, so the cells in our brain, retinas, heart, and liver have a concentration of mitochondria. 

As well as producing energy, the mitochondria also trigger cell death.  Cell turnover is a natural and necessary part of life.  If cells don’t die when they should, they can keep on growing and can form cancerous tumours.  Impaired mitochondria functional may also result in premature cell death, causing more rapid aging of organs.  So, mitochondria are also critical in ensuring proper cell turnover in our bodies.  Pretty important stuff.

“Cells like the ones in your brain, heart and retina that are literally studded with mitochondria are the first at risk when you have less energy available than you need or when those cells waste energy they were meant to use.” Dave Asprey, Headstrong

Mitochondria are actually ancient bacteria which helped larger bacteria evolve into multi-cellular organisms.  Recent scientific studies point to communication between these ancient bacteria and our gut bacteria.  I wonder what that conversation sounds like, especially if we have “bad” bacteria living in our gut or if our mitochondria are not functioning properly.

Signs that the mitochondria are not performing well include brain fog, heart dysfunction, tiredness, chronic fatigue, leaky gut, and autoimmune disease.

You can see that having mitochondria in top working order is critical to our overall health as well as boosting energy. We all want that.  It’s a no-brainer - no pun intended!  But how do we get our mitochondria functioning optimally?

Mitochondria are in cells, and cells need fuel.  And fuel comes from … our food, of course!

To produce energy, our mitochondria need:

• either glucose or ketones

• oxygen

• vitamins and minerals

Glucose comes from sugar, carbohydrates, starches, and protein. Ketones come from fats, either from the diet or stored in our body. Mitochondria are much more efficient at producing energy from ketones than from glucose.  On top of that, producing energy from ketones also produces less oxidative stress in our bodies.  

Higher efficiency in energy production and less oxidative stress are two key benefits to being in ketosis, the state where our mitochondria use ketones rather than glucose to produce energy. Ketones are produced during periods of fasting or severe carbohydrate restriction. Ketones can also come from high-quality dietary fats.

The typical diet in the developed world is high in sugar, starch and carbohydrates which all turn to glucose in the bloodstream and become the primary source of fuel for our mitochondria.  Our cells are used to producing energy from glucose and not so much from ketones.  In other words, our cells are used to producing energy, but not as efficiently as they could since the primary source of fuel is glucose, not ketones. 

What types of foods do we need to eat to give our mitochondria the fuel they need?  I have read several books on this topic, including The Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls, Headstrong and The Bulletproof Diet by Dave Asprey, and The Plant Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry.  These are definitely worth reading to get specific dietary recommendations. Links to these resources are provided at the end of this blog.  

Dr. Terry Wahls also did an excellent TEDtalk called Minding Your Mitochondria which is well worth watching.  Here is the link. 

Dave Asprey interviewed Dr. Wahls on this Bulletproof Radio podcast where they talk about improving mitochondrial performance.

Having ketones rather than glucose available to fuel the mitochondria, at least part of the time, helps the mitochondria produce energy more efficiently.  Switching between producing energy from glucose and producing energy from ketones is called metabolic flexing. If you have never fasted or restricted carbohydrate intake, then it is possible your mitochondria have never produced energy from ketones, and it may take a bit of effort to get your mitochondria used to producing energy from ketones rather than glucose. 

Being in ketosis means giving the mitochondria fuel in the form of healthy fats (rather than fuel from glucose) and plenty of vitamins and minerals from LOTS of green leafy, sulfur-rich, and brightly coloured vegetables.  In other words, a low carbohydrate and nutrient-dense diet.  Some so-called keto diets are not necessarily healthy because they don’t provide necessary nutrients.

Producing energy more efficiently also requires a reduction in toxin exposure since mitochondria function is impaired when toxins are present.  Toxins include things like mercury, lead, arsenic, pesticides sprayed on food, GMO foods, and exposure to chemicals through our skin and in the air. 

If you lack energy, have autoimmune disease, or other signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, I highly recommend further reading on a ketogenic diet. See the list of resources provided below.

My own experience is that inflammation is reduced when I am in ketosis. I also have much better clarity of thought and … more energy!  Well worth the effort.  

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Further reading:

• Headstrong by Dave Asprey

• Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls, MD

• The Plant Paradox by Dr. Stephen Gundry, MD