Believe it or not, the one thing that makes the biggest impact on your health and longevity, happens to be one of the smallest things in your body.  This thing I’m talking about is called the Mitochondria, and when they said big things come in small packages…they were talking about this.

What is Mitochondria?

“Mitochondria” have often been called the “powerhouse” of the cell.  It exists within your body, and helps with producing energy and managing the respiration functions of the body.  A mitochondria is microscopic… about the same size as a single bacterium.  They are known as “organelles,” which work like a tiny little organ within each cell in your body.  There may be anywhere from several hundred to a few thousand mitochondria inside a single cell.

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.  It has also been found that mitochondria plays a role in the cellular cycle, including cell growth and death.  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.

Benefits of Having More Mitochondria

Doctors are beginning to understand 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 that are chronic in nature.

Your goal should be 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 and changing your physical activity.

How to Increase Mitochondria

As mentioned earlier, mitochondria converts sugar into energy, which means that certain types of foods that you are feeding your body can impact your energy levels.  Think about it this way: when you eat a bite of food, the body isn’t able to access the energy and use it right away so that you can move throughout your day. Instead, the food is broken down in the digestive system, and the mitochondria works on a cellular level to convert the glucose within the food into a usable form of energy within the body.

Next, that 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 include:

• Increasing consumption of leafy greens, such as spinach, chard, and kale

• Decreasing consumption of processed foods

• Decreasing consumption of commercial dairy products

• Decrease carbohydrate intake

• Increase consumption of omega-3 essential fatty acids, such as fish and organ meats

Exercise is another very effective way to increase mitochondria.  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.  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 here’s the basic take away…

• Eat a low carb diet composed only of high quality whole foods

• Protein should come from high quality meat (organ meat is preferred) or fish (...make sure it has no toxins such as mercury.)

• 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