Module 1 – Calorie/Energy

“Energy harvest” means the energy you net from digestion. You may not have heard about this concept before but its super interesting!

It’s like gross income vs net income. Calories are like gross income. Energy harvest is like net income. All of the newer food innovations in things like protein bars, rely on manipulating energy harvest. Read the label. You will see things like “net carbs.” Words like “net carbs” mean calories-in does not always equal net calories or calories extracted.

There are lots of sentences hightlighted in this section, pay attention to them!

There are many factors that play a part in how much energy you harvst from food, but one you may not have heard of (apart from hearing it from me), is bacteria. Bacteria play a big part in how much energy we harvest from food. Especially these two;

Akkermansia Mucinilpha

Is a carbon feeder and my favorite tyrpe of bacteria. Meaning it feeds off carbon in our mucus layers and the carbon released when fat stores are broken down through cardiovascular exercise and fasting. Its very hard to feed directly. Apple skins are one of the only foods that feed them directly. This bacteria maintains the health of your gut lining and can encourage weight loss based on many studies.

Bifidobacteria

These guys feed and ferment your prebiotic foods (asparagus, green banana, grapefruit, berries, green beans etc), and in turn they create butyrate short chain fats that heal the mucus layer in the gut and feed Akkermansia. This beautiful feedback loop also reduces inflammation in the gut and across the whole body. These guys also love Colostrum and HMO or human milk oligosaccharides – yep you can consume baby formula or breast milk if you like. Bifidobacteria have also been connected to longevity and high energy – ever wonder why kids have so much energy? They have high amounts of Bifidobacteria!

So, encouraging the growth of these two bacteria species, tilts conditions in our favor and supports long term success.

How Akkermansia controls net calories.

Akkermansia has a unique ability, in that it can contract the surface area of the gut. This helps the gut junctions seal and thighten (healing holes in the intestinal lining and leaky gut). And then becauce the surface area in decreased, less food energy gets absorbed. So the more Akkermansia in the gut, the fewer calories absorbed.

There is a lot of research on Akkermansia and I have done several posts on this magnificent microniota! The benefits range from gut health (as mentioned above), to blood sigar control, anti inflammation, weight loss and more. I personally take this Akkermansia product and have seen HUGE improvement in my diverticulosis with it.

Energy harvest is a real thing;

Animal studies have shown that net calories from carbs can be reduced by altering ratios of bacteria types. This also triggers and maintains the active set of genes common to lean people. In other words, by using foods to alter gut bacteria composition, you can map peak human physiology on to your body. For example; Cheeses and dairy products have been shown to decrease net calories absorbed from fats. They produce “calcium soaps” in the gut. These calcium soaps inhibit fat absorption, especially in the liver – but that doesn’t mean you can go to town on cheese either. More is less.

Selectively targeting production of Biﬁdobacteria in the gut helps the body suppress or limit fat storage on the body.

When we promote the production of Akkermansia and Bifidobacteria with the consumption of Apple cider vinegar, Organic Green apples, Organic Berries, Organic Cranberries, Grapefruit, Green bananas, Green beans, Asparagus, and Sweet potatoes. Also Berberine and cardio exercise, we can increase our ability to stay lean and healthy.

Consuming resistant starch at lunch, like apples, GF organic oats, sweet potato, green banana. Or white potato, white rice or beans that have been heated and cooled, has been shown to feed Bifidobacteria when you sleep, especially cold resistant starches.

Back to the idea of “offsetting” that your learned earlier in this module; The addition of phenols from things like berries before a meal has been shown to impair key enzymes needed to absorb sugar – meaning sugar can’t be as readily absorbed. 40-70 g of blueberries, raspberries or blackberries before a carb meal.

More offsetting; Increasing the resistant starch in carbs with the addition of a fat, and the heating and cooling process, feeds the good bacteria while reducing the amount of carbohydrates absorbed in the body. Remember this video?

More offsetting; Studies show that having whey protein with cinnamon, before a carb meal, can inhibit the glucose response from the carbs. *See my post in the forum on the protein powders I recommend.

A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before a carb meal can also help metabolize the sugars and blunt the insulin response. ACV also supports the growth of Akkermansia and Bifidobacteria, and other health supporting bacteria.

More offsetting; A 40-60 minute walk after dinner has been shown to improve digestion, improve the insulin response and reduce the amount of calories absorbed from the food.

Think about this; The energy you harvest from food is quiet variable. 2,000 calories of potato chips has a radically diﬀerent eﬀect on the body versus 2,000 calories of salmon. We all get this. The calories are equal. Both are loaded with fat. The eﬀects are totally diﬀerent. One will get you lean. The other will destroy your health.

You can learn to manipulate the calories you harvest from food though.

One mechanism impacting net calories is carbohydrate metabolism. The net energy from carbs varies dramatically depending on your gut bacteria. In recent years numerous science papers have established that key enterotype’s of gut bacteria correlate with weight gain, obesity and cancer. Others correlate to being lean and healthy ( your Bacteriodetes, Akkermansia and Bifidobacteria).

Bacteria is not the only variable involved in how many calories you harvest from food… muscle mass, genetics, and other things are involved too but right now bacteria and altering that, is the lowest hanging fruit.

Facts about energy harvesting;

Net calories can and do vary from total calories.

Unique foods possess unique properties to alter net calories.

Net calories can be manipulated.

Pair this with your basic eating style to optimize results.

Breakfast Phenols => Lunch Resistant Starches => Dinner Cruciferous/Green Veg

Next - Chewing and Eating