Joseph R. Anticaglia MD
Medical Advisory Board
Have you had the experience of going to the movies or theater soon after dinner and falling asleep almost as soon as the lights go out?
Food should be energizing, a premium fuel which turbo charges our body. It should not make our engine sputter — feel lethargic and sleepy. Could it be that we’re putting either low grade fuels (fast food or processed food) and/or the wrong fuels into our body?
One of the pieces in the healthy lifestyle puzzle is to eat nutritious foods targeted at our unique metabolism. They ought to be taken in the right amounts, at the right times and several times a day to energize us. Our bodies send subtle signals about the right combination of foods we need to keep us healthy.
We need macronutrients such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates to provide nourishment (energy) in order to survive and grow. In addition, we need micronutrients such as minerals, vitamins, trace metals as well as air, water and light for us to function well.
The challenge is to identify our metabolic type and consume the right combination of nutrients on a daily basis for us to feel well 24/7. Many proponents of wellness argue that we need to understand our diet and metabolic type to maximize our energy and health.
Ancestral Diets
Research by Dr. Weston Price, a dentist, reported that people in different cultures, in different parts of the globe, on different ancestral diets, demonstrated a remarkable consistency of good health.
Dr. Price, William Wolcott and others suggest that over the centuries, geographical and evolutionary differences have been encoded into our DNA and have influenced our individual nutritional needs and response to foods. People separated by land and sea needed to adapt to their surroundings to survive and thrive on significantly different diets.
For example, the Eskimos followed an ancestral diet of nearly 100% protein, high in fats, whale blubber with little to no carbohydrates or vegetables. There was virtually no history of heart attacks, cardiovascular disease until their diet became more westernized. The diet of the Quetchua people of South America was nearly 100% vegetarian, high in carbohydrates and low in protein. They too were healthy.
The Aboriginal diet included beetles, berries, insects and kangaroos. They were touted for their strength and fitness. The ancestral Swiss enjoyed a diet of rye bread, milk, cheese, cream and small amounts of meat. The people of these diverse cultures on different ancestral diets experienced robust health.
Metabolic Typing (“MT”)
Proponents of MT, also called Nutritional Typing, suggest to “feel good” every day and all day, one needs to match the food you eat to your unique metabolic type. Just as our fingerprints are unique to us, so are our dietary metabolic types.
MT is the inherited characteristics that program our unique response to foods. Our response to the same foods can be quite different. A high carb meal before the theater may put one to sleep whereas the same meal may energize another person.
Advocates of MT advise us to eat the right foods according to our metabolic type or suffer the consequences of chronic degenerative diseases. William Wolcott writes, “Different metabolic types require different kinds of food, with the right balance of nutrients in the right ratios.” He regards food as medication that we need to take three times a day to supply us with the energy we need to live.
Three metabolic type diets have evolved over time.
- Protein
- Carbohydrate
- Mixed
Protein types feel best with a higher percentage of protein and healthy fats and a lower amount of carbs in their diet. They’re fast oxidizers who are better off not eating white bread, white rice nor simple sugars. Think Atkins diet.
Carb types need a higher ratio of carbohydrates in their diet. They’re slow oxidizers and do better with less protein, less fats and more vegetables and fruit in the diet. Think Vegetarian diet. Mixed types need an almost equal distribution of protein, carbs and fats in their diet. Think Zone diet. This is a broad classification with lots of variations and nuances and I’m not advocating any one diet.
Takeaways
- There is no ideal, universal healthy diet. “One size doesn’t fit all”
- Eat a diet that is in sync with your metabolic – nutritional type.
- Don’t put diesel fuel in a gas tank. Know your metabolic engine.
- Some foods are good for you, others are not. “One man’s food is another man’s poison”
- Books on nutrition are riddled with controversies and contradictions.
- Metabolic – Nutritional Typing itself is a controversial topic.
- Investigate how genetic testing may be a viable option in your case.
- “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” (Hippocrates)
You decide which foods or nutrients energize you. The straightforward concept about metabolic typing is that we are all nutritionally unique. One diet type doesn’t give the most energy to all people. When we coordinate our metabolic type to our food intake, we maximize this aspect of wellness.
Perhaps the best approach is to use your own experience. The ideal diet is the one that keeps you healthy and provides lots of energy throughout the day. Metabolic type is not a panacea, but it may stimulate you to think more seriously about the foods you eat so you can ”fire on all cylinders.”
References
Price, Weston, DDS; Nutrition and Physical Degeneration; Price-Pottenger.
Wolcott, William; Fahey Trish; The Metabolic Typing Diet; January 2, 2002
Mercola, Joseph; Nutritional Typing
This article is intended solely as a learning experience. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options.