Metabolic
Health doesn't begin with deprivation, but with metabolism
What if fatigue, skin problems, and energy crashes had less to do with discipline and more to do with biology?
You can flip the switch to more well-being. It's time to rethink healthy eating today.
Why healthy eating must be viewed differently today
After intense phases like Christmas or other holidays, many people report similar symptoms:
Fatigue, weight gain, digestive problems, skin impurities, blood sugar fluctuations.
These symptoms are not an exception, but indicators of an unbalanced metabolism.
At the same time, research terms like insulin resistance, metabolic diseases, and mitochondrial energy efficiency are increasingly coming into focus. Insulin resistance is now considered one of the central causes of modern diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's.
Healthy eating is not a matter of ideology, but of biochemistry.
Insulin resistance: the silent cause of modern diseases
Insulin is a vital hormone. It transports glucose from the blood into cells, where it is used as energy. However, when this system is permanently overloaded—for example, by a continuous high intake of sugar and fast-absorbing carbohydrates—the cells lose their sensitivity.
Insulin resistance develops.
Typical consequences are:
permanently elevated blood sugar levels
increased fat storage
chronic inflammatory processes
disrupted energy production in the mitochondria
These processes affect not only weight or energy levels but also skin, hormonal system, and regeneration. Skin is not an isolated organ. It reacts sensitively to inflammation, insulin spikes, and oxidative stress.
In addition to food composition, the timing of food intake also plays a decisive role in insulin levels. Our metabolism follows a circadian rhythm, which is strongly controlled by natural daylight.
Studies show that insulin sensitivity is significantly higher during the day—especially in the morning and early afternoon—than in the evening. Food intake during daylight, ideally outdoors, supports this natural regulation.
In the evening, however, when light stimuli decrease and the body switches to regeneration mode, insulin levels rise significantly more with the same meal. Late eating can therefore additionally burden metabolic balance.
For a stable metabolism, this means: eat when it's light and give the body rest in the evening.
In a controlled human study, people with type 2 diabetes under natural daylight spent significantly more time in the normal blood sugar range and showed more stable glucose values than under artificial lighting, even with identical meals and lifestyle habits. - Harmsen, J., Habets, I., Biancolin, A. D., et al. (2026). Natural daylight during office hours improves glucose control and whole-body substrate metabolism.
Leptin, insulin & metabolic clarity
However, insulin does not act in isolation. It is in close interaction with other hormonal regulation systems—especially with the hormone leptin.
Insulin regulates blood sugar in the short term and responds directly to food intake.
Leptin, on the other hand, acts long-term. It signals to the brain whether sufficient energy is available, regulates satiety, and plays an important role in regeneration and nighttime rest.
Chronically elevated insulin levels can disrupt this finely tuned interaction. They:
inhibit leptin's effect in the brain
promote the development of leptin resistance
keep the body permanently in "energy intake mode"
This explains why factors like:
late eating
frequent snacks
lack of eating breaks
can throw metabolism off balance in the long term—even with overall moderate calorie intake.
Metabolism & brain: an often overlooked connection
The brain also depends on a stable energy supply. In research, Alzheimer's is increasingly discussed as a form of insulin resistance in the brain—often referred to as "type 3 diabetes."
These findings underscore how central metabolic health is for long-term clarity, concentration, and neurological stability.
"Alzheimer's disease may represent a form of diabetes that selectively involves the brain." - Suzanne M. de la Monte
The new food pyramid: progress with limitations
The revised food pyramid from the USA shows that a rethinking is taking place. Positive is the greater emphasis on:
Proteins
Healthy fats
High-quality animal foods
These nutrients provide stable blood sugar levels, satiety, and a constant energy supply.
Vegetables and fruits remain part of the pyramid but should be consumed consciously and individually. Especially fruit contains high fructose levels today and, with existing insulin resistance, is more the exception than the base.
Whole grain and cereal products should be viewed critically, as they trigger strong insulin reactions and burden digestion and metabolism through gluten and other plant proteins.
Fat, bile, and digestion: a central physiological key
In research, it is known that tumor tissue often exhibits an altered, locally acidic environment associated with disrupted cell energy and chronic inflammation. A functioning digestion, stable metabolic processes, and good regulation of the acid-base balance at the digestive level are therefore important foundations for metabolic health.
Fat stimulates bile release through the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK). Bile is alkaline (basic) and essential for:
fat digestion
absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
neutralization of the acidic chyme from the stomach
Without sufficient fat intake—for example with a very low-fat or purely plant-based diet—this regulation does not occur. Especially raw food without fat can promote fermentation processes, bloating, and irritation.
"Postprandial gallbladder contraction is mainly regulated by cholecystokinin (CCK)... The pure fat meal caused the highest CCK release and maximal gallbladder contraction compared to mixed and fat-free meals." - Froehlich F., Gonvers J.-J., et al. (1995)
In clinical practice, it is also increasingly emphasized that many modern diseases are less related to calorie amounts than to hormonal dysregulation.
Dr. Guillermo Navarrete, known as Nutrillermo, physician, trainer, and communicator of complex content, points out in this context that insulin plays a central role in the development of metabolic imbalances. In his work, he repeatedly emphasizes that stable blood sugar and insulin levels are a fundamental prerequisite for long-term health—regardless of the specific form of nutrition.
Why ketogenic nutrition makes metabolic sense
The ketogenic diet drastically reduces carbohydrates and uses fat as the primary energy source. The body begins to produce ketone bodies—a very efficient form of energy for brain and muscles.
Typical effects are:
stable blood sugar levels
low insulin secretion
constant energy
reduced inflammatory stimuli
Keto is not a short-term trend but an evolutionarily known metabolic state. For many people, it can be a tool to relieve metabolism long-term, stabilize it, and efficiently reactivate it.
Paleo & Carnivore: a brief classification
The Paleo diet is oriented toward evolutionary nutritional patterns with meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, and healthy fats.
The Carnivore diet is a highly reduced, purely animal form of nutrition that is used especially for severe inflammatory processes, autoimmune diseases, chronic intestinal problems, or pronounced insulin resistance.
By completely eliminating plant irritants, gluten, lectins, and fermentable carbohydrates, the digestive system can calm down in many cases. At the same time, meat provides a high density of bioavailable nutrients such as amino acids, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and choline—without significant insulin load.
Due to the strong reduction, this approach should be individual and accompanied.
Both approaches generate a low insulin load and offer a high nutrient density.
Vegan nutrition: an objective consideration
Veganism is often ethically motivated. Biologically, however, it brings potential challenges:
possible deficiencies in vitamin B12, iron, zinc, DHA, choline, and carnitine
high fiber load with bloating and irritable bowel symptoms
low fat intake with reduced bile secretion
The human digestive system is not primarily designed for large amounts of unprocessed plant food without fat.
Especially with existing inflammatory processes or sensitive digestion, a permanently high load of hard-to-digest plant components can additionally destabilize the local intestinal environment.
Quality over quantity: why organic is decisive
Not only what we eat, but also in what quality, influences metabolism. Conventional foods can contain residues of pesticides, hormones, or medications that burden the body.
This is especially relevant for animal products. Meat from factory farming or farmed fish contains pro-inflammatory residues. Organic foods, meat from ecological agriculture, and wild-caught fish significantly reduce this burden.
Fewer toxins mean less detoxification work for the body, and therefore more energy remains for regeneration.
My experience: metabolic relief instead of deprivation
Everything I've built professionally and personally arose from introspection, observation, and conscious experimentation. Perceiving, testing, analyzing—and honestly observing how my body reacts.
In 2018, I began consistently eliminating corn, wheat, and rice and increasing my protein intake through eggs, meat, and fish. Additionally, I strategically used potassium, magnesium, Q10, omega-3, and seawater or alternatively Celtic salt dissolved in water. Both provide a natural mix of electrolytes important for the regular function of nerves, muscles, and organs—especially since many processes in the body rely on electrical signal transmission.
Additionally, I integrated daily coconut oil and 16:8 intermittent fasting and strategically used amino acids for migraine attacks, which drastically reduced over the years. I replaced long running sessions with short, intensive strength training units—for more energy and muscle building with less time investment.
Currently, I'm consciously switching my diet to ketogenic. Not out of ideology, but out of curiosity: to observe whether my body can use energy even more efficiently.
Fasting as metabolic and mental reordering
In addition to diet composition, consciously skipping meals also plays a central role in metabolic health. Fasting allows the body to withdraw from the permanent digestion and insulin mode and reorder energy processes.
However, fasting doesn't just work on a physical level. Mentally, it can also promote a form of reordering. Periods without food intake create space for clarity, focus, and a conscious perception of inner processes.
From personal experience, fasting is most effective when done consciously and with inner calm. Fasting periods accompanied by stress, restlessness, or constant distraction had significantly fewer positive effects than those approached mindfully and clearly.
Fasting is therefore not mere deprivation, but a path—both physical and mental—to give the metabolism orientation, the mind rest, and the entire system regeneration time.
A stable metabolism, a functioning digestion, and a balanced internal environment form the foundation for regeneration—at the cellular level as well as for energy, clarity, and skin health.
Leptin & fasting: a central connection
In addition to insulin, the hormone leptin also plays a decisive role in fasting.
Fasting and clearly defined eating windows can help:
lower insulin levels
make leptin signals more perceptible again
stabilize the natural day-night rhythm
Many people report in the context of intermittent fasting:
less hunger
improved sleep quality
more mental clarity
more stable energy throughout the day
Not because they simply eat less, but because leptin can work again and the body learns to distinguish between energy intake and regeneration.
More on the topic of fasting in our article.
Metabolic health & naturally beautiful skin from our perspective
At Barau, we see conscious nutrition and attention to the metabolic nature of humans as the basis for a healthy lifestyle—and for healthy skin.
Skin reacts to blood sugar, inflammation, and hormonal signals. External care develops its full potential when the body is not internally working permanently in stress mode.
Conscious care is for us an interplay of lifestyle, nutrition, regeneration, and high-quality skincare. Only in this way does true balance emerge.
Conclusion
Healthy eating doesn't mean always eating less—but eating the right things at the right time. A stable metabolism is the foundation for energy, clarity, inner balance, and healthy skin.
Carbohydrates are not a foundation but an option. Fat and protein provide constant energy and relieve the organism when you show it how to derive energy from fat again.
Skin impurities, redness, recurring rashes, or allergy-like reactions are related in many people to a disturbed intestinal and metabolic balance. In particular, gluten intolerance can promote inflammatory processes that manifest not only in the digestive system but also through the skin.
In many cases, these reactions can be significantly alleviated through conscious dietary adjustments. Less sugar and grains, more healthy fats and nutrient-rich foods can relieve metabolism and reduce inflammatory stimuli.
Dare to listen to your metabolism. Observe mindfully what changes when you allow your body a transition. Share your experience with us—as part of a conscious lifestyle and care that works from within.
Sources:
Suzanne M. de la Monte, Jack R. Wands - Alzheimer's disease is type 3 diabetes, Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, 2008
Froehlich F. et al., 1995 – Role of nutrient fat and cholecystokinin in regulation of postprandial gallbladder contraction and CCK release in humans