Introduction

Metabolic typing is a subject that I have heard of for the last year or so, but have just given it a passing thought. I never took the time to thoroughly read and assimilate the information.

Although I was totally passionate about health and nutrition and weight loss, I never thought that metabolic or nutritional typing was necessary, or even important. Not until now that is.

What changed my mind you may ask. Well Twitter did. To be more specific, I closely looked at one of my followers. Upon clicking her website URL, I was taken to a video which promised guaranteed weight loss.

Despite the fact that the plan's author promised a loss of 10 pounds in a week--I don't advocate losing any more than 2 pounds per week--the steps were sound. One step listed was eating based on a person's nutritional type.

My website living-a-healthy-lifestyle.com is fairly comprehensive. I have tried to cover all aspects of health, including weight loss. But I didn't have anything on nutritional typing.

I then googled metabolic typing. I found the name William Wolcott. Finding his website, I began reading in earnest about nutritional typing. I then found out that Mr. Wolcott was Dr. Joseph Mercola's mentor for nutritional typing.

I was hooked. I now understand and see the importance of this concept.

What Is Metabolic Typing? The fundamental principle underlying nutritional typing is that everyone's body is different--unique. We all process foods differently. It is all based on our individual genetics and DNA

This typing is based on your rate of cellular oxidation. This is the rate at which your body's cells converts food into energy.

Conventional diet plans all assume that we are all the same. They take a 'one size fits all' approach. That's like saying it doesn't matter what fuel you put in any vehicle. It could be gasoline or diesel--regular, middle, or premium.

This is why the high protein, high fat, and low carbohydrate diet John Doe follows proves disastrous weight-wise for Jane Doe. Or it could be even more serious than weight loss. It could worsen a chronic disease.

The concept of metabolic typing seems to be so obvious. After all, we all have different personalities, likes and dislikes, fingerprints, and physical characteristics. Why not our basic metabolic profile?

The Three Types Nutritional typing falls into three classes: (1) protein type (2) carbohydrate type and (3) mixed type.

Protein type- this type person craves fatty and salty foods; he is frequently hungry, lethargic, and on edge.

Carbohydrate type- loves sweets but have small appetites and difficulties with weight management.

Mixed type- these folks have average appetites but crave sweet and starchy foods; they are often fatigued, anxious, and nervous. Mixed types have relatively little trouble with their weight.

Protein types are fast oxidizers. That means that they have fast metabolisms. They need lots of protein and fat which burns slowly. Carbohydrate types are just the opposite of protein types. They are slow oxidizers. Carbohydrate types need mainly fast burning carbohydrates. Mixed types are a cross between protein and carbohydrate types.

Are you curious as to your metabolic type like I was? Go here and take this relatively simple questionnaire to find out.

My Nutritional Type I took the nutritional test and discovered that I was a protein type. I kind of suspected that I was. My body thrives on a high protein/high fat diet. My carbohydrates should be relatively low, but that's not the case for me. However I haven't noticed any negative effects.

What If I Am Eating Wrong? The ancient Roman philosopher Lucretius said, "One man's food is another's poison." This is a statement of fact in nutritional typing. What is good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander.

What are the consequences of not eating according to your nutritional type? According to Mr. Wolcott a high carbohydrate, low fat diet for a protein type will result in increased fat storage. Insulin levels skyrocket while the metabolism slows down.

This results in the breakdown of muscle tissue due to inadequate protein consumption. The high carbohydrate/low fat diet can also cause impaired adrenal and thyroid functioning.

On the other hand, a high protein/high fat diet for a carbohydrate type can also cause fat storage to increase.

A 40-30-30 diet (Zone) is good for mixed types. But for a carbohydrate type it can lower the metabolic rate by causing a glucose shortage. For the protein type the Zone diet can cause a shortage of protein. In both cases muscle is sacrificed.

Foods For the Protein Type As I mentioned earlier, the protein type requires a high protein, high fat nutrition plan. All foods no matter what metabolic type should be organic, free-ranged as much as possible. Quality still counts.

Meats include beef, red meat, duck, goose, kidney, lamb, liver, the drumstick, thigh, and wings of fowls, sweetbread, veal, and venison.

Up to now I have always avoided the dark meat of chicken and turkey because those parts are high in fat. But I love dark meat and will now include them in my meals.

Vegetables (lower potassium) include artichoke, asparagus, green beans, cauliflower, celery, corn, lentils, mushrooms, peas, spinach, squash, and peanuts. Fruits allowed are avocado, banana, olives, some apples, and some pears.

Fish include mackerel, salmon, sardines, shrimp, and anchovies.

The protein type metabolic typing profile should be about 45-50% protein, 30-35% carbohydrates, and 20% fats (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated.)

Foods For the Carbohydrate Type Meats for the carbohydrate type are chicken and turkey breasts, lean pork, ham, and eggs.

Vegetables are bean sprouts, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, horseradish, kale, leek, lettuce, mustard greens, onion, pepper, potato, scallion, spaghetti, squash, sweet potato, tomato, and zucchini.

Fruit include apple, apricot, berries, cherry, grape, grapefruit, lemon, lime, melon, orange, peach, pear, pineapple, plum, and tangerines. Eat nuts and seeds once in a while. Dairy products are low-fat cheese, cottage cheese, milk, and yogurt. (Avoid all pasteurized dairy products.)

This metabolic typing profile is 15-20% protein, 70-80% carbohydrates, and 5-10% fat.

Foods For the Mixed Type The mixed type is a cross between the protein and carbohydrate types. All foods from both groups are okay. The nutritional profile should resemble 40-45% protein, 50-55% carbohydrates, and 10-15% fats.

Until I made the decision to research metabolic typing, and then embrace it, I was a vegetarian. I basically followed the vegetarian lifestyle for a few years.

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