What is Metabolism?
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Stop for a second, think of everything that’s going on in your body. Cells are re-generating, your brain is sending signals to all your involuntary organs, cells are travelling to carry oxygen throughout your body, the digestive tract is working on whatever you ate last, phagocytes are trying to eat up foreign pathogens, and the list goes on.
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Medline Plus gives us this definition:
“Metabolism refers to all the physical and chemical processes in the body that convert or use energy.”
All of those thousands of functions going on in your body at any given time require energy. You may have had a doctor, nurse, or dietitian speak with you about your Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR.
BMR is the baseline for how much energy your body needs to perform these basic tasks.
This is the bottom-line of energy (or calories) that your body uses just to function if you were to sit on the couch all day long and not move a muscle.
Your Metabolic Rate – or Metabolism – is generally calculated by an equation that factors your weight, height, and age.
If your BMR number is high, this means you have speedier Metabolism.
During my Dietetic studies I really developed a love for family and community nutrition after doing many projects in my local communities: from Governor Huckabee’s school BMI initiative to organizing community health fairs, volunteering with WIC, and running a nutrition education course for elementary students. From there I let my love for food guide me; the desire to help others find a happy balance with delicious food that not only pleases the palette, but our bodies. I worked mainly with one of the country’s largest weight-loss/healthy living camps for teenagers, returning each summer to manage the food program in different locations as well as teach nutrition and culinary courses to teenagers. In between I’ve worked with individuals on personal menu plans, assisted in recipe-writing for health programs, and put together school menus for small kindergartens. My passion is families and kids, working to keep my own family healthy and happy.
- Simple Potato Soup Recipe - April 10, 2015
- Steamed Whitefish With Fig Leaf Recipe - April 10, 2015
- Oatmeal Pancake Recipe - February 6, 2015
