The Hedgehog Principle

The winter padding principle sustains many animals over the winter months. Food intake in autumn consists of a high percentage of fruit sugars. This results in blood sugar levels rising rapidly, followed by insulin. Insulin remains high and layers of fat are formed one after another. 

Hedgehogs, like people, are omnivorous i.e. they eat both plants and animal food sources. In Spring, the hedgehog eats mainly snails and worms whereas in the autumn, the hedgehog's primary food source is ripe fruit, berries and nuts which are abundantly available on trees and bushes. Importantly, it is the sugar in the fruit that leads to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, followed by the release of insulin and the resultant rapid decrease of glucose to below the normal level. This rapid drop induces further hunger for sweet foods. 

The muscle cells are very quickly satiated by the high caloric intake, leaving the fat cells to take in the excess. Due to the permanent dominance of insulin, any decomposition of fat is prevented and hence fat steadily accumulates in readiness for approaching winter and the expected reduction in food. The fat and round hedgehog is now perfectly prepared to survive the winter months. 

In the same way, when humans consume sweet and fatty foods throughout the whole year, then a winter padding mechanism will prevail and obesity results. In humans, however, there is no winter hibernation to restore weight back down. 

The Yo-Yo Effect of Dieting

Metabolic Balance® aims to promote the optimum decomposition of stored fats. An advantage of this, particularly for women, is that connective tissue rapidly replaces subcutaneous fat.

Crash starvation diets typically lead to rapid weight loss during which very little fat is broken down. The usual scenario is one of the body preserving and defending fat stores and the body using up glucose ingested from the diet. This is often to the detriment of the brain whose primary fuel is glucose.

Fat decomposition does result in ketone formation – referred to as a state of ketosis. Whilst ketones will provide a source of energy for the body, they are not used by the brain which will only use glucose units. Crash diets deplete the glycogen supplies and eliminate water. Once glycogen reserves are exhausted, glycolysis (protein conversion to glucose) is initiated in the body. This process leads to a loss of muscle mass with little fat loss. For genuine and sustainable fat decomposition, optimum protein and carbohydrate intake must be provided.

At the end of a crash, starvation diet, excess calorie intake is directed to fat accumulation to protect from probable subsequent starvation periods and hence weight is rapidly regained and will often exceed the initial starting weight. Weight is only then stabilised once the protein storage or amino acid pool is replenished again. At this point the yo-yo effect is complete and the constant feeling of hunger no longer persists.

The Metabolic Balance® Personalised Nutrition Plan

If you would like some assistance in formulating a food plan which is personalised to you, please follow this link for more information about the Metabolic Balance® program. Some of the potential benefits of the program include:

·       From your blood parameters

·       Supporting your optimum cardio-metabolic health;

·       To restore your healthy weight;

·       To support your optimum digestion;

·       To support overall health of the gastrointestinal tract;

·       Helping you transform your health;

·       To support optimal bone and joint health;

·       To support mental well-being and brain health