The Metabolic Typing Diet
One of the most enduring problems that people face is being overweight. Of course, there are also many possible solutions to this problem and what we’ve come to understand is that we have yet to find a single diet solution that works for everyone. Not only that, but the same foods that keep your best friend slim may be keeping you overweight, feeling unhealthy and fatigued. Dr. William Wolcott explains that this is based on each individuals’ metabolism. He and acclaimed Science writer Trish Fahey have created a simple test that we help you determine whether you have a Protein type, a Carbohydrate type or a Mixed type of metabolism. If you go online, you can find the test. It’s a series of questions about how you feel in certain situations. You are given a choice of two responses, A or B, and you must answer all questions.
Once you finish the test, count how many times you selected “A” and how many times you selected “B”. Next, referring to these scores, select your Metabolism classification according to the following criteria:
- If your “A” score is 5 or more points higher than your “B” score (e.g. A=15, B=10), then you are a Protein type.
- If your “B” score is 5 or more points higher than your “A” score (e.g. A=10, B=15), then you are a Carb type.
- If your A and B scores are within 3 points of one another (A=14, B=11), then you are a Mixed type.
One thing that the authors and this diet emphasize is the uniqueness of the human body which translates into the uniqueness of your diet. Keep this in mind as you fine-tune your eating habits.
PROTEIN TYPE
Protein types typically crave rich, fatty foods such as pizza, sausages, and salty roasted nuts. If you’re a Protein type, chances are that you love food. You may not feel satisfied after a snack and may often feel hungry, even after eating a large meal. When you have eaten too many carbohydrates, you tend to crave sugar. Once you start eating sugary foods, you want more and more and may find it difficult to stop. Sugar often causes you to feel jittery and will quickly make your energy levels drop.
Protein types may have tried to lose weight by using extreme calorie-cutting methods, only to be unsuccessful – and feel miserable in the process. Protein types cannot successfully lose weight by drastically decreasing calorie intake.
When Protein Types eat the wrong type of food, they may notice energy problems-extreme fatigue or a wired “on edge” feeling. Eating often makes then feel better when they feel anxious, nervous, or shaky, but then they feel worse soon after. These cycles of energy ups and downs are definite signs of mismatch between type and food consumption.
WHAT DOES A PROTEIN TYPE NEED
Protein types need a diet high in proteins and fats and low in carbohydrates. But balanced with carbohydrates in the form of grains, fruits, and vegetables, as long as they are adequately balanced with proteins and fats. Because Protein types metabolize food more quickly than the other “Types” (Which is why they feel hungry all of the time), heavier protein choices such as whole eggs, dark-meat poultry, beef, and dairy are essential for ideal meal planning. These foods have long been considered “unhealthy” because of their high fat content but saturated fat is not the cause of disease, refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and hydrogenated oils are. Protein types who do not eat heavy proteins with a high fat content will be hungry all day and struggle with their weight. Even worse, they will almost always feel fatigued and anxious.
“Protein Types Must….”
- Eat protein with every meal and every snack. Eating only carbohydrates at a meal causes your blood sugar to spike and then drop quickly, which will leave a Protein type feeling hungry, fatigued, and anxious as well as cause cravings for more carbohydrates shortly afterward. Eating protein – especially animal protein – at every meal and for snacks will help to control your blood sugar levels and leave you satiated and steady throughout the day. Listen to your body, pay attention to which meals and snacks leave you hungry and craving for more and avoid them.
- Eat small meals frequently or healthy snacks between meals. Protein types need to eat often; otherwise, they’ll suffer from extremely low blood sugar levels. Going too long between meals (or snacks) will also create ravenous hunger, which in turn will cause overeating at the next meal – only to lead to lethargy and an uncomfortable feeling afterwards.
- Avoid refined carbohydrates. Foods such as bread, crackers, and pasta – especially made from wheat – can be extremely disruptive for Protein types. Wheat breaks down to sugar faster than any grain and causes the rapid release of large quantities of insulin. There is one type of wheat that does not cause this, Sprouted Whole Grain Bread products.
- Avoid most fruits and fruit juices. Fruits are wonderful, healthy food, but Protein types need to be extra careful with their fruit selections. Some fruits are quickly converted to sugar in the bloodstream and cause extreme blood sugar fluctuations. The best choice for protein types are apples and avocados, both high in fiber and low in sugar. Some Protein types may be able to eat more fruit than others.
CARBOHYDRATE TYPE
A Carb Type tends to have a weak appetite. If you are a Carb Type, chances are that you’re happy with the minimal amount of food each day. You can get by on small amounts of food and don’t give food much thought until you feel hungry. Carb types tend to eat less often because they “have no time to eat.” These goal-oriented workaholics will skip meals to do what they need to do each day. They may go for extended periods without eating, sending the metabolism into starvation mode. Decreasing the metabolic rate in this fashion can lead to weight management problems and obesity. Carb types also are more dependent on caffeinated beverages to get them through the day than other metabolism types are. This dependency often weakens their appetite even more, compounding their nutritional problems.
Carb Types have a high tolerance for baked goods and starchy vegetables. This can be a bad thing, because they tend to overeat these carbohydrates, which can lead to unhealthy conditions such as hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes.
WHAT DOES A CARB TYPE NEED
Carb types need a diet composed of more carbohydrates than proteins or fats. That doesn’t mean that Carb Types don’t need protein throughout the day. Lighter, low-fat proteins such as white-meat poultry and whitefish (e.g. tilapia and sea bass) are good choices. CarbTypes can choose from a wide variety of carbohydrates and can eat them in larger quantities than any other type. Although Carb Types convert carbohydrates into energy slowly (unlike Protein Types), it does not mean that they can go on carbohydrate binge. An elevated insulin response is still a concern, especially if weight loss is the goal. Insulin is a fat-storing hormone, so large quantities in the bloodstream will make losing weight quite difficult. Remember, excess of any particular food can lead to weight gain and disease, and always maintain the food portions and ratios recommended for your type (Ideal Food Ratios For Each Metabolism Type Chart). Carb types lose weight and feel well on a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet – the opposite of what a Protein Type needs.
“ Carb Types Must…”
- Choose low-fat proteins. Incorporate a low-fat protein such as white-meat poultry or fish into each meal. Avoid (or eat only occasionally) high-fat proteins, which may cause lethargy, depression, or fatigue.
- Choose dairy products carefully. Carb types tend to metabolize dairy poorly. The best way to learn whether dairy is a wise choice for you is to carefully monitor your reaction after you have consumed a meal. If you feel lethargic or fatigued shortly after, limit your dairy consumption.
- Choose carbohydrates carefully. Choose plenty of low-starch vegetables, like broccoli and salad greens, and limit consumption of high starch foods such as bread, pasta, and grains. If you feel sluggish, sleepy or hungry soon after a meal containing a low-fat protein, a vegetable, and a grain, you may have eaten too much grain. Try increasing the protein amount and decreasing the grain amount the next time you have the same meal.
- Monitor your response to legumes. Carb types typically cannot easily digest the type of protein that legumes contain. Therefore , eat legumes infrequently. As with all other foods, monitor your response carefully, and pay attention to your ability to combine them with certain foods. There are people who could eat chicken, beans, and vegetables and feel great but feel tired and sluggish if they eat beans, rice and vegetables.
- Limit the nuts and seeds. Carb types feel best on a low-fat diet, and nuts and seeds add too much fat to a meal. Nuts and Nut Butters are great protein choices for snacks, but lean animal meats are better protein choices for meals.
Mixed Types
A Mixed Type requires an equal balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, and including variety in the everyday meal plan is essential. Of the three metabolism types, this one is actually the easiest to manage, because the food choices are greater. Some meals may resemble those for Protein Types, and some may resemble those for Carb Types; some may have features of both.
The appetite of a Mixed Type tends to vary greatly throughout the day, hungry at meals but not in between; ravenous at times and no appetite at others. Of course, the responses depend on what foods have been eaten that day. Mixed Types don’t generally suffer from cravings. However, like the other types, Mixed Types who eat too much sugar or carbohydrates may develop strong sugar cravings.
Mixed Types must incorporate high-fat and low-fat proteins as well as high-starch and low-starch carbohydrates into their meal plans. If you’re a Mixed Type, familiarize yourself with the requirements of both types to find your perfect balance.
A Mixed Type may be more of a Protein Mixed Type or a Carb Mixed Type – in other words, have more qualities of one type than the other. The only way to truly figure this out is by trial and error: by paying close attention to responses to each meal and then determining which foods make you feel good and energized and which foods leave you feeling hungry, fatigued, cranky, or craving more. Finding the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats is the key to losing weight, feeling great, and achieving optimal health.
Sources: Dr. William Wolcott, Trish Fahey
