It is true that we are what we eat so it should come as no surprise when I tell you that nutrition and lifestyle determines your health and your energy levels. It’s one thing to know what you should eat and do to be healthy, but it’s an entirely different thing to know what’s happening in your body that enables you to live a healthier and more productive life and increase your energy levels. 

Believe it or not, the one thing that makes the biggest impact on your health, happens to be one of the smallest things in your body, mitochondria.

What is Mitochondria?

“Mitochondria” is sometimes known as the “powerhouse” of the cell.　 It exists within your body, and helps with producing energy.

The basic function of mitochondria is to use the sugar or fat in the foods that we eat and convert it to energy for the body therefore increase your energy.　 Certain health conditions have been linked directly to mitochondrial functions, so lifestyle choices to increase mitochondria can have a direct impact on your health and wellness.

 Mitochondria generate chemical energy, similar to the type of energy you get from a battery. The energy made by the mitochondria is in the form of a chemical called adenosine triphosphate or ATP for short. ATP is an energy currency that every cell in our body can use and it keeps us alive.

Benefits of Having More Mitochondria

New science is showing that there are many health conditions which may be prevented by improving mitochondrial functions within the body.　 In fact, some healthcare professionals have said that dysfunction of the mitochondria might be one of the biggest factors which impacts fatigue and aging.

Some of the health conditions that have been associated with mitochondrial dysfunction include: Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, and other degenerative diseases.

You should aim to increase the number of mitochondria that are present within your body as well as increasing the efficiency in which they work.  There are several things that you can do to improve mitochondrial functions within your body:

• changing your diet
• changing your physical activity.

How to Increase Mitochondria

Mitochondria converts sugar into energy, which means that certain types of foods that you are feeding your body can impact  on the way you increase your energy levels.　 When food is digested the energy can be transferred throughout the body, to provide the energy that you need to walk, run, stand, move and think.　 Without the energy providing services of your mitochondria, you wouldn’t be functioning at all.

Diet choices to increase mitochondria and increase your energy levels include:

• Increasing consumption of leafy greens, such as spinach, chard, and kale
• Decreasing consumption of processed foods and alcohol
• Decreasing consumption of commercial dairy products
• Decrease carbohydrate intake
• Increase consumption of omega-3 essential fatty acids, such as fish.

Exercise is another very effective way to increase mitochondria and increase your energy levels.　 Exercise uses up energy which in turn stimulates the production of AMPK.　 The more AMPK is stimulated the more mitochondria is generated.　 Basically mitochondria is generated in response to a lack of energy.　 Which is why a sedentary lifestyle can actually lead to a decrease in mitochondria.　 Have you ever done nothing for a day and felt more tired?

Although most all forms of exercise helps increase mitochondria, studies show doing short high intensity workouts not only increased mitochondria but also helped burn more fat than any other forms of exercise.　

Although diet and exercise are usually the best options to improve mitochondria within your body, you may also consider a high quality supplement.　 Certain nutrients have shown to enhance the function of mitochondria, such as magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, vitamin A, vitamin C, and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

So to increase your energy levels,  here’s the basics for you to consider:

• Eat a low carb diet composed only of high quality whole foods
• Protein should come from high quality meats (organic meat is preferred) or fish
• Carbs should mainly consist of dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard and kale.　 Limit intake of fruits and eliminate grains
• Limit dairy products
• Eat healthy fats especially ones high in Omega 3 fatty acids.　 You can take high quality omega 3 fatty acid supplements as well, if you can’t get enough from real food
• Exercise at least 3 – 4 times a week.　 Any form of exercise is fine, but if you want to maximize it’s benefits, perform short high intensity exercises
•  You can include high quality supplements as an adjunct to your healthy low carb diet and exercise.

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