Your Mitochondria Are As Important As Your Microbiome. Here's How To Optimize

The mitochondria are power plants in the cell that turn your food and oxygen into energy in the form of ATP. These mitochondria power the biochemical reactions in your cells. To me, they are the Western equivalent of chi, or energy. I believe the mitochondria are often the mechanisms by which a lot of our lifestyle changes, like supplements, sleep, exercise, etc., work.

Think of them as energy factories—when a factory slows down its production or there aren't enough raw materials to produce everything, you'll get less production from the factory. If your mitochondria aren't working properly, you're going to get less from your body and brain, and you're going to feel more tired. You'll age quicker. Mitochondria are also thought to play a role in a lot of the age-related diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, and neurogenerative diseases. If your mitochondria aren't functioning optimally, you'll feel like you're aging too quickly and you'll feel tired.

There's no real measurement of mitochondrial function yet, although there will be soon. I always say, though, that it's similar to your gut bacteria. Everyone can benefit from taking care of their gut health—in the same way, everyone can benefit from taking care of their mitochondria. The microbiome and mitochondria are the two key areas to improve function, because those are two major areas where function decreases and it leads to all sorts of symptoms but also leads, down the road, to various diseases. I recommend all people focus on improving their mitochondria and microbiome.

The No. 1 thing is to quit eating sugar and grains, because they turn to sugar in the bloodstream. Mitochondria do better functioning off healthy fats, like sardines, walnuts, avocado, coconut oil, and MCT oil. You want to eat high-fat and low-carb, because the mitochondria use fatty acids or carbohydrates to create the ATP, but if you give them more fat and less carbohydrate, you'll have less free radicals formed. You also want to eat lots and lots of colorful vegetables, because the more phytonutrients you have to nourish your body, the more you will nourish your mitochondria as well. We also know some veggies, like sulfur-rich veggies (cauliflower, cabbage, etc.), are good for producing glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that's good for the mitochondria.

If you're eating both high-fat and high-carb, your cells are going to go for the carbs first, so you're going to have excess carbs or insulin and excess fat, leading you to actually become heavier. If you don't have the carbs, your body will process the fats. The mitochondria do better on fatty acids than carbohydrates, but they will go for the carbohydrates first if given the option.

My whole philosophy is that health is not just about what you eat—it's about your community, the love in your life, spending time in nature, how you're moving, and more. If you go on vacation, enjoy your vacation! If you're in Italy, eat pasta. Being obsessive about your food is not healthy, but being healthy about it most of the time is important. Actually creating long-term daily habits is the most important thing.

Exercise, especially HIIT, and strength training has been shown to increase the number of mitochondria. Sleeping is also important. We have a glymphatic system, a waste-removal system of the brain, and it only works when you're sleeping—if you're not sleeping, it's not working, so you'll build up more toxins, which will inhibit mitochondrial function. Meditation improves mitochondrial function, as does being in the sun, intermittent fasting, taking cold showers. Supplements can be really helpful for mitochondria: I like coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, glutathione, magnesium, fish oil or krill oil, and PQQ. I take almost everything I mentioned—as we're getting older, our mitochondrial numbers decrease. I'm a big believer in the mitochondria and microbiome as the two key functions for longevity.