How to Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism and Live Longer with Dr William Li #376

Dr William Li returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, Eat To Beat Your Diet: Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism and Live Longer. He describes it as an anti-diet book for people who love food. It’s a ground-breaking look at the latest science around how we can harness the power of food, to activate our innate fat-burning systems and transform our health. We talk about the common foods that are marketed as healthy yet are anything but. We talk about the important role that our gut bacteria play in our metabolism, and we talk about the foods that can damage our gut microbiome, resulting in us processing food less efficiently and potentially contributing to weight gain. That being said, Dr Li is actually really keen not to villainise any food – there are many reasons why humans choose to eat certain foods and drinks, from our innate sweet tooth to cultural, social or religious traditions. He just wants us to be mindful of what we’re consuming, how and why. We also do a deep dive on fat. What exactly is fat? Many of us have negative associations with that word but the truth is that fat is a very important endocrine organ. The problems only start to arise when we start storing too much, of the wrong type of fat, in the wrong places. And one of those harmful types of fat is something called visceral fat - which is a harmful type of white fat, not visible from the outside, that can sit inside us, causing inflammation, hormone disruption and playing havoc with the health of our internal organs. Dr Li explains why an expanding waistline and snoring at night, could be early indicators that you have an issue with internal fat, that needs addressing. As well as being a scientist and medical doctor, Dr Li is really a foodie at heart. And, so of course, we talk about some of his favourite foods which have medicinal properties and fat-burning potential. He also explains why his preferred diet is something that he calls ‘MediterrAsian’ and he is keen to bust some common myths around metabolism – such as, is it true that our metabolism slows down as we get older? This is an episode jam-packed with insights and practical information. Dr Li is an excellent communicator and full of passion. I hope you enjoy listening. Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Thanks to our

Actionable Insights

1. Embrace Mindful Eating

Eat mindfully, make good choices, and consider food volume to work with your body’s natural systems, aligning eating patterns with joy for sustainable health.

2. Extend Daily Fasting Window

Stop eating after dinner and delay breakfast by an hour after waking to achieve a 12-hour daily fasting window, promoting fat burning.

3. Prioritize Quality Sleep

Aim for 7-8 hours of good quality REM sleep for optimal metabolism, immunity, and overall health.

4. Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods

Exclude ultra-processed foods from your diet as they compromise overall health and metabolism.

5. Eliminate Artificial Sweeteners

Avoid diet sodas and artificially flavored/sweetened coffees, as artificial sweeteners damage gut health and metabolism.

6. Combat Excess Body Fat

Understand that excess fat slows metabolism; actively fight extra body fat to allow your metabolism to operate optimally.

7. Increase Physical Activity

Engage in regular physical activity, including at least 30 minutes of walking daily, or even fidgeting, to burn calories and support metabolism.

8. Monitor Visceral Fat Indicators

Pay attention to early warning signs like an expanding belt size or new snoring, as these can indicate problematic visceral fat accumulation around organs or the tongue.

9. Incorporate Fat-Fighting Foods

Adopt a ‘mediterranean’ eating style, combining Mediterranean and Asian culinary traditions, focusing on foods that activate metabolism and fight fat.

10. Eat Fish for Omega-3s

Consume fish like salmon (including skin) or non-oily fish like cod three times a week to aid weight loss and benefit from omega-3s.

11. Vegans: Supplement Marine Omega-3s

If vegan, consider taking a high-quality marine omega-3 supplement to ensure adequate intake for immunity and longevity.

12. Eat Whole Fruit, Not Juice

Eat whole fruit instead of guzzling fruit juice to avoid sugar overload, and always check labels for added sweeteners in store-bought juices.

13. Choose Quality Breads Moderately

Opt for higher quality, whole grain sourdough breads for gut health, consuming them in moderation rather than large quantities.

14. Limit Alcohol Consumption

Be aware that alcohol is a toxin with no health benefits; consume it in moderation, if at all, and avoid using it to mitigate stress.

15. Eat Chili Peppers

Consume chili peppers (containing capsaicin) to activate brown fat, which acts as a space heater to burn harmful white fat.

16. Include Tomatoes & Avocados

Incorporate tomatoes (for lycopene) and avocados (for avocatin B) into your diet to fight white fat and activate brown fat.

17. Add Leafy Greens & Brassica

Include leafy greens and brassica vegetables (e.g., broccolini, bok choy) in your diet, prepared with healthy methods like sautéing with olive oil.

18. Diversify Mushroom Intake

Eat various mushrooms (maitake, button, porcini, morels, enoki) as fat-fighting ingredients, prepared in diverse ways.

19. Consume Legumes & Whole Grains

Incorporate canned beans, lentils, barley, buckwheat, and soba noodles into your diet for fat fighting and overall health.

20. Choose High-Polyphenol Olive Oils

Use extra virgin olive oils with high polyphenol content, looking for specific varietals like Picual, Moraiolo, or Koroneiki.

21. Utilize Self-Monitoring Tech

Consider using tools like continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) or a Lumen device to learn how your body responds to food and optimize your eating habits.

22. Check Ingredient Labels

Always check ingredient labels on packaged foods; if you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce ingredients, question their potential impact on your gut health and metabolism.

23. Be Wary of Food Marketing

Be cautious of marketing messages for ‘healthy’ foods; understand truly healthy choices and exclude those that are not.

24. Eat Meals with Others

Eat with people rather than alone to foster social bonding and potentially encourage portion control.

25. Prioritize Traditional Foods

Choose traditional, time-tested foods over newer, invented ones, leveraging centuries of wisdom for better health.

26. Embrace Joyful Health Changes

Align enjoyable foods that activate metabolism and fight fat with your health goals, taking small, pleasurable steps for long-term health and thriving.