How to optimize your metabolism on a whole-food, plant-based diet

• What is a whole-food, plant-based diet?
• The role of diet in metabolism
• Boosting your metabolism on a WFPB diet
• How to customize your WFPB-diet

The whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet has gained popularity over the past few years as it’s a way to nourish your body with nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods. Whether you’re aiming to balance your energy levels, reduce inflammation, or prevent metabolic disorders, tailoring your WFPB diet based on your unique metabolism can ensure you meet your nutritional needs while staying true to whole-food, plant-based principles. 

Let’s explore how.

What is a whole-food, plant-based diet?

A whole-food, plant-based diet is a dietary approach that emphasizes consuming natural, minimally processed plant foods. The main staples of a WFPB diet center around whole, unrefined plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

A WFPB diet can reduce metabolic disorders, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease [1, 2] due to the diet’s nutrient-dense and low-inflammatory profile  [3]. Because plant-based foods are fiber-rich, they can also regulate bowel movements, which reduces inflammation and promotes healthy gut bacteria growth [1]. A healthy gut microbiome is essential for proper nutrient absorption, immune function, and overall health. 

The role of diet in metabolism

Diet plays a crucial role in metabolism, the process by which your mitochondria, your cells’ powerhouses, convert carbs and fat into energy to power various physiological processes. 

How easily your mitochondria can switch between using carbs and fats for fuel based on availability and energy demands is known as metabolic flexibility. This adaptability is crucial for weight management, balanced energy levels, and preventing metabolic disorders.

Shifting between carbohydrate and fat metabolism also depends on key physiological mediators such as insulin sensitivity and glycogen stores, which we’ll discuss further below.

“Metabolic flexibility is an important factor behind health, weight loss, energy, and performance. Exercise, nutrition, and intermittent fasting can help improve metabolic flexibility.”

Marine Melamed, RD at Lumen

How to boost your metabolism on a WFPB diet

If you’re currently on a WFPB diet, read on to find out how you can boost your metabolic health.

Balanced ratio of macros

Eat a balanced ratio of complex carbs, healthy fats, and quality protein to prevent an over-reliance on carbs for energy. This helps manage blood glucose levels and glycogen—your body’s carb stores.

Eating more carbs than you can store as glycogen forces your body to convert the excess into fat [4]. At the same time, this overworks your mitochondria, causing oxidative stress that damages their membranes. Plus, chronically high glycogen levels can make your mitochondria overly reliant on carbs and reduce their ability to burn fat effectively, hampering weight loss and body recomposition efforts.

When fat cells become hypertrophied due to excess fat storage, they attract macrophages that release proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-α. Encouraging fat burn and improving insulin sensitivity helps reduce the infiltration of these inflammatory cells, lowering systemic inflammation and decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers [5].

When your glycogen stores are just full enough, they can fuel your mitochondria quickly to provide energy boosts as needed, such as when weightlifting or sprinting [6].

“Now I’m not prediabetic anymore. I reversed that diagnosis. After a couple of months of using Lumen, my blood levels got back to normal.”

Sandra, Lumen community member

Carb cycling

A metabolic tracker can help you determine how many carbs to eat on your WFPB diet based on your metabolic measurements. Alternating between high-carb and low-carb days based on your real-time results will help to deplete and replenish your glycogen and encourage your mitochondria to shift between carb and fat burn. When your mitochondria can efficiently convert fat into energy, you’ll enjoy more balanced energy levels, so you won’t feel the energy drops that increase cravings.

Smart food timing

Food timing can significantly impact your metabolism. Research shows that eating carbohydrates earlier in the day aligns with the body’s natural insulin sensitivity peaks, supporting efficient glucose metabolism [7].

On the other hand, consuming high-carb meals later in the evening can hinder the overnight shift to fat burn, potentially impairing sleep quality. Eating an earlier dinner also supports mitochondrial function, allowing a more effective transition to fat burn during sleep.

Timing carbohydrates around exercise is another effective strategy to boost metabolism. You’re more insulin sensitive post-workout, and the carbs you eat can promote glycogen replenishment, recovery, and building muscle mass [8]. When insulin sensitivity is high, your cells can efficiently absorb glucose from the bloodstream and use it for energy. Moreover, improved insulin sensitivity ensures the body can efficiently convert glucose into glycogen rather than fat. 

Slow-digesting carbohydrates

The type of carbohydrates you consume can play a critical role in metabolism. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, provide a steady release of glucose into the bloodstream, helping maintain blood glucose stability, enhance insulin sensitivity, and reduce cravings. High insulin sensitivity means your body needs only a small amount of insulin to help glucose reach your mitochondria and support energy production for daily activities. Simple carbohydrates, however, can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin [9], leading to energy crashes and increased hunger. 

Food pairing for satiety and balance

Consuming “naked carbs” (simple carbohydrates without accompanying proteins or healthy fats) can also result in rapid blood sugar fluctuations and increased insulin release. Over time, this can lead to insulin resistance, which occurs when your insulin cannot efficiently shuttle glucose from your bloodstream to your cells [5]. This impairs energy production, making it harder for your mitochondria to use glucose for energy when you need it.  

To offset this, pair carbs you eat with healthy protein and fat sources. For example, instead of eating a plain piece of toast, eat it with some avocado mash and an egg on the side. Not only can this slow digestion and enhance satiety, it also prevents increased hunger that can contribute to overeating and weight gain.

“After decades of yo-yo dieting, I’m finally undoing the damage I did to myself. Lumen has been my lifeline, and I’m all in for the long term! The lessons I’ve learned about myself and the real-time insights are a game changer.”

Amy, California

Customizing your whole-food, plant-based diet

You can customize your WFPB diet by using Lumen to measure your metabolism. Based on your real-time metabolic measurements, Lumen provides tailored nutrition plans with precise macros and meal suggestions so you can do what’s best for your body.

Measuring your metabolism in the morning can help you determine how your WFPB diet is impacting you. Occasionally waking up in carb burn can be a normal response to specific dietary or lifestyle choices that affect your mitochondrial state, such as eating too late or getting poor sleep. If you consistently wake up in carb burn, it may be an early indicator of metabolic syndrome—a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. This also can suggest that your body is not efficiently utilizing fat for energy, which can signal the need to adjust your lifestyle choices [10]. 

To ensure you receive only plant-based meal recommendations, you can choose the vegan or vegetarian option in your dietary preferences in the Lumen app.

“Finding protein options doesn’t need to be difficult when avoiding animal products. Just ensure you get the adequate amount of protein your body needs.”

Coach D'Andre, Metabolic Expert at Lumen

These are some whole-food, plant-based foods you can eat daily:

1. Carbohydrates

Whole grains (e.g., quinoa, brown rice, oats, barley, etc.)

Starchy vegetables (e.g., sweet potatoes, potatoes, butternut squash, etc.)

Fruits (e.g., bananas, apples, berries, dates, etc.)

Legumes (e.g., lentils, chickpeas, black beans, etc.)

2. Protein

While plant-based diets are sometimes thought to lack protein, you can easily meet protein requirements by focusing on various plant sources.

High-protein sources:

• Legumes (e.g., lentils, black beans, kidney beans, edamame, etc.)
• Soy products (e.g., tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc.)
• Seitan (a high-protein meat substitute made from wheat gluten)
• Quinoa (a grain with a complete protein profile)
• Nuts and seeds (e.g., hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.)

A standard recommendation is to eat 0.8–1.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight, depending on your activity levels. Mix legumes, soy products, and seeds to cover your protein needs.

3. Fats

Healthy fat sources:

• Avocados
• Nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc.)
• Seeds (e.g., chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, etc.)
• Nut butters (e.g., almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, etc.)
• Olives and olive oil 

People also asked: 

What are 6 high-protein plant-based foods?

All of these protein-rich foods are staples in a plant-based diet:

Lentils: Lentils are rich in protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. They are versatile and can be used in various dishes – from soups and salads to main courses. 250g (1.5 cups) of lentils contain 25g of protein. 

Quinoa: Quinoa is considered a whole grain and is one of the few plant foods that contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. It’s also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and antioxidants. 1.5 cups of cooked quinoa contain 12g of protein.

Tofu: Tofu is made from soybeans and is a popular protein source for vegetarians and vegans. It’s also a good source of calcium and iron. 250g (1 palmful) has 25g of protein.

Edamame: Edamame is the immature version of a soybean and is a complete protein, with 250g (1.5 cups) of edamame containing 25g of protein.

Tempeh: Tempeh is a fermented soy-based product and contains about 15g of protein per 100g. Its firm texture and nutty flavor make it great for sautéing, grilling, or adding to salads and sandwiches.

Chickpeas: Chickpeas offer about 15g of protein per cooked cup. They’re great in dishes like hummus, salads, and curries, or roasted as crunchy snacks.

Make the most of your WFPB diet by measuring your metabolism

If you’re on a WFPB diet, you can take it a step further by improving your metabolic flexibility. For people seeking a tailored approach, measuring your metabolism can help you fine-tune your WFPB diet based on your unique biology and real-time results and improve your metabolic health over time.

Sources

[1] Clem, J., & Barthel, B. (2021). A Look at Plant-Based Diets. Missouri medicine, 118(3), 233–238.

[2] McMacken, M., & Shah, S. (2017). A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Journal of geriatric cardiology : JGC, 14(5), 342–354. https://doi.org/10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.009

[3] Wang, Y. B., Page, A. J., Gill, T. K., & Melaku, Y. A. (2023). The association between diet quality, plant-based diets, systemic inflammation, and mortality risk: findings from NHANES. European journal of nutrition, 62(7), 2723–2737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-023-03191-z

[4] Freeman, A. M. (2023, August 17). Insulin resistance. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507839/ 

[5] Song, D. K., & Kim, Y. W. (2023). Beneficial effects of intermittent fasting: a narrative review. Journal of Yeungnam medical science, 40(1), 4–11. https://doi.org/10.12701/jyms.2022.00010 

[6] Jensen, J., Rustad, P. I., Kolnes, A. J., & Lai, Y. C. (2011). The role of skeletal muscle glycogen breakdown for regulation of insulin sensitivity by exercise. Frontiers in physiology, 2, 112. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2011.00112 

[7] Lopez-Minguez, J., Gómez-Abellán, P., & Garaulet, M. (2019). Timing of Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Effects on Obesity and Metabolic Risk. Nutrients, 11(11), 2624. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112624

[8] Kerksick, C. M., Arent, S., Schoenfeld, B. J., Stout, J. R., Campbell, B., Wilborn, C. D., Taylor, L., Kalman, D., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Kreider, R. B., Willoughby, D., Arciero, P. J., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Ormsbee, M. J., Wildman, R., Greenwood, M., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Aragon, A. A., & Antonio, J. (2017). International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4

[9] Holesh JE, Aslam S, Martin A. Physiology, Carbohydrates. [Updated 2023 May 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459280/

[10] Palmer, B. F., & Clegg, D. J. (2022). Metabolic Flexibility and Its Impact on Health Outcomes. Mayo Clinic proceedings, 97(4), 761–776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.01.012