As a functional medicine practitioner, Dr. Will Cole sees countless patients around the world who struggle for years with ongoing symptoms. They go years without getting real answers about their health. According to Cole, the problem is that most people focus on symptom relief rather than looking at the underlying cause of why symptoms exist in the first place. Here he explains that more often than not, health problems start at the most foundational level of our bodies – our cells…

Your body is made up of close to 37.2 trillion cells and produces 25 million new cells every single second! This doesn’t even include the bacteria located in your microbiome which outnumbers your body’s own cells 10 to 1. There are 200 different types of cells which come together to form various parts of your body including your skin, muscles, and bones and have the responsibility of taking in nutrients, converting them to energy, keeping all systems of your body functioning properly, and skin looking youthful. Once you know all of these facts, it is only fitting why your cells are often referred to as “the building blocks of life.” And because you are entirely made up of cells, it makes sense then that optimal health starts at the cellular level.

Therefore, we want to keep our cells as healthy as possible and avoid cellular damage. Our cells can be damaged through the production of free radicals from oxidative stress. There are many things that can increase oxidation that we come across in our daily lives such as toxin exposure, poor diet, and physiologic stress. This should make cellular health a top priority considering these oxidation triggers can’t be completely avoided by anyone. These are my favorite tools for supporting cellular health.

Eat more antioxidant-rich foods

Antioxidants are compounds that fight free radicals in our body produced with excessive oxidation. This oxidation also further depletes antioxidant levels allowing free radicals to run rampant. Vegetables and fruits, berries in particular, contain some of the highest amount of antioxidants, and all ketotarian friendly. Up your intake of blueberries (which are also super detoxifying) and munch on them as a snack or throw them in a smoothie.

Support NAD+ production

As we age our body’s nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels decrease. This coenzyme is crucial for our cells to produce energy and maintain your overall health. Common experiences  such as overeating, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise, along with stressors like alcohol and sun exposure decrease NAD+ levels within the body.

One way to maintain your NAD+ levels levels is to replenish them with outside supplementation. Multiple studies have shown that supplementing with the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR) is extremely useful in supporting healthy NAD+ levels.

Tru Niagen®, a patented and safely tested form of (NR), is the gold-standard for NAD support. The reason why I love it as a practitioner, is that Tru Niagen® is extensively researched and backed by science and successfully notified to the FDA as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). While you can get vitamin B3 in many foods like grass-fed liver, wild-caught salmon, and mushrooms, most Americans don’t eat enough of these foods to compete with the everyday stressors that deplete NAD+ levels.

Therefore, supplementation is helpful. And since not all supplements are created equal in terms of quality, it is important to be choosy when purchasing a supplement – not just any brand will do. Tru Niagen® ensures their ingredients are of the highest-quality, are vegetarian, formulated without nuts or gluten, do not contain caffeine, and contain no artificial flavors, colors, and animal byproducts so you can feel confident that you are taking something that is safe. 

If you are looking to start supporting your health at the cellular level, it’s essential to start with methods and that includes Tru Niagen®. By targeting your body’s cell health with these tips, you are starting on the path to true, long-term health.

Enhance autophagy

Autophagy is a process in which the body clears out any old or damaged cells that are not working properly in order to generate healthy cells. Disease takes root in the body when cells are weak and damaged, but autophagy protects against this vulnerability by removing old, damaged cells that are more susceptible to invasion. This clears the way for younger, healthier, more vigorous cells and a more robust immune system. Think of autophagy as your cellular renewing, anti-aging, anti-disease pathways that you can support and enhance. 

My favorite way for increasing autophagy is through a clean, mostly plant-based ketogenic diet or as I call it, a Ketotarian diet and intermittent fasting. Both fasting and the ketogenic diet enhance autophagy pathways. Taking a break from eating for an extended period of time can enhance this cellular turnover in addition to giving your gut a much needed break from the digestion process. If you are new to fasting, try an 8-6 window plan where you will eat between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. which allows for 14 hours of uninterrupted fasting a day between dinner and breakfast the next day. When I break my fasts I am focusing on nutrient-dense ketotarian foods. I go into a deep-dive in Ketotarian as far as the nutrition science, recipes and meal plans but these are the basic guidelines to follow:

+ Eat real food.

+ Keep your carbs low. Keep your healthy fats high. If you eat a nonstarchy vegetable, add some healthy fats. If you eat a healthy fat, add some nonstarchy vegetables.

+ Eat when you are hungry. Eat until you are satiated.

+ Set yourself up for success by always having a stock of Ketotarian superfoods on hand to fuel your body and brain. As a general rule, I make sure I have something from each category to fulfill my nutrient requirements:

– Olives/extra virgin olive oil
– Coconut cream, milk, and oil
– Sea vegetables (i.e., nori sheets, dulse flakes)
– Dark leafy vegetables (i.e., spinach, kale)
– Sulfur-rich vegetables, like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and asparagus
– Nuts and seeds, like macadamias, almonds, and walnuts
– Low fructose fruits like berries and citrus fruits

There are also vegetarian keto recipe options so you can add in pasture-raised organic eggs or grass-fed ghee (clarified butter), as well as pescatarian keto options. This is where you bring in clean, wild-caught fish, like Alaskan salmon, with their beneficial omega-3 fats. All of these make great snacks by themselves or can be added to delicious, quick salads.

If you are looking to start improving your health at the cellular levels it’s essential to start with proven methods for supporting cellular health, and that includes Tru Niagen®. Not only does it work to help provide more energy to your cells, it has been shown to support cardiovascular health and liver function – just to name a few. By targeting your body’s cell health with these tips, you are starting on the path to true, long-term health.

Ketotarian also has vegetarian keto recipe options so you can add in pasture-raised organic eggs or grass-fed ghee (clarified butter), as well as pescatarian keto options. This is where you bring in clean, wild-caught fish, like Alaskan salmon, with their beneficial omega-3 fats. All of these make great snacks by themselves or can be added to delicious, quick salads.

This story is brought to you in partnership with Tru Niagen®. From time to time, TCM editors choose to partner with brands we believe in to bring our readers special offers. The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs.