Metabolic Health: The Foundation of Health

Health: diet, exercise and weight. This is what people think about when they think about health. Even more so, recently the big question we get is “do we test hormones?” While these are important, an equally critical—yet often overlooked—aspect of well-being is metabolic health. From a functional medicine perspective, metabolic health is at the root of how your entire body functions. This is the basis of dysfunction and greatly impacts even hormone health and levels. 

What is Metabolic Health?

Metabolic health refers to how well your body creates and uses energy on a cellular level. Meaning how well your cells use the food you are eating as fuel. It involves blood sugar regulation, cholesterol balance, blood pressure control, and body fat distribution. When these markers are in balance—without relying on medication—it signals that the body’s systems are working together as they should.

Why Does It Matter?

Functional medicine metabolic health as a foundation to wellness and when unbalanced it can lead to chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even some cancers. Research shows that only about 12% of American adults are considered metabolically healthy—meaning most of us have room to improve.

Key Markers of Metabolic Health

1. Healthy Blood Sugar – Stable glucose prevents insulin resistance and energy crashes.

2. Balanced Cholesterol – Optimal lipid levels support cardiovascular and hormone health.

3. Normal Blood Pressure – Protects your heart, kidneys, and brain from strain.

4. Healthy Waist Circumference – Central fat is more inflammatory and tied to higher disease risk.

   
   
   
   

How to Improve Metabolic Health 

Implementing root-cause solutions and lifestyle changes that work with your body’s natural design is step 1 and the long term “treatment”:

• Nourish with whole, unprocessed foods: Focus on quality proteins, healthy fats, and high-fiber foods as the source of carbohydrates (such as berries) to fuel your microbiome and stabilize blood sugar. This is so incredibly important. 

• Move your body daily: Regular activity improves insulin sensitivity, circulation, and mitochondrial (remember the power house of the cell) function.

• Prioritize restorative sleep: Deep sleep allows your body to repair, balance hormones, and reduce inflammation.

• Manage stress effectively: Chronic stress drives up cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar and fat storage. Practices like breath work, meditation, or yoga help regulate it. 

• Support gut health: A diverse gut microbiome influences metabolism, inflammation, and even weight balance.

• Reduce toxins: Limit exposure to processed foods, alcohol, and environmental toxins (Ex: fragrances, BPAs, etc) that can strain your liver and metabolic pathways.

Example of breathing that can help combat anxiety and stress. This is called "Box Breathing" where you inhale for 4 seconds, hold it for 4 seconds, then exhale for 4 seconds and then hold it for 4 seconds. This can also be helpful when trying to close your mind down and go to sleep.

The Bottom Line

As Americans, we are not aging the way we were intended to due to many factors. Metabolic health isn’t just about avoiding disease or being “young”—it’s about creating resilience, energy, and mental clarity and aging gracefully, the way we were meant to. From a functional medicine perspective, supporting metabolism means addressing root causes and building daily habits that empower your body to thrive for the long term.

At Elevate Health we look at all the crucial aspects of health with metabolic health along with nutrition being at the forefront.