- Autonomic Nervous System Dominance
- Rate of Cellular Oxidation
- Fat Protein Efficient Diet
- Carbohydrate Efficient Diet
- Mixed Metabolism
- Fat-Protein Efficient Meal Plan
- Carbohydrate Efficient Meal Plan
- Mixed Metabolism Meal Plan
- Pros
- Cons
Metabolic Typing Diet, What Is It And The Theory Behind It?
As I’ve mentioned above, the concept of the Metabolic Typing Diet is based on Metabolism (the procedure the body utilizes to change the food you’ve eaten to energy), varies from person to person. This means your Metabolism is unique to you.
The Diet further claims that 03 unique metabolic types separate everyone, and all should eat according to their unique types.
Metabolic Typing Diet’s theory was developed in 1939 by Weston Price, dentist and the founder of Canada’s National Dental Association.
In the early 1930s, throughout his years being a dentist, Weston experienced more than usual patients arriving with gum disease and cavities.
Weston then started to feel that Diet and nutrition are the significant influencers to all these oral-related problems. So to clear his doubts, Weston decided to go on a tour around the world to study more about oral health and diets of remote cultures.
After ending the journey, in 1939, Weston summarized everything he found out in a research book called the Nutrition and Physical Degeneration: A Comparison of Primitive and Modern Diets and Their Effects.
He wrapped up the study by pointing out that people worldwide have different dietary requirements, and the Diet’s effects on health are based on that particular person’s genetics and body type. He even confirmed that the area, climate, and culture could also play a huge role.
Three researchers George Watson, Roger Williams, and William Kelly decided to expand the theory put out by Price. And they are the ones who came up with the idea that dietary needs and Metabolism varies from person to person, and each person’s Metabolism depends on two factors.
Autonomic Nervous System Dominance
The Autonomic Nervous System Dominance is divided into 02 branches. But, before we take a look at that, You should know that The Autonomic Nervous System is what controls many of your body’s processes: such as heart rate, digestion, breathing, and blood pressure.
Coming back to the 02 branches, they are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
- Sympathetic Nervous System: is what controls your actions, thoughts, and reactions. Basically, it is referred to as fight or flight.
- Parasympathetic Nervous System: is accountable for your body’s rest and digestion response when resting, relaxed, or feeding.
By the way, according to the three researchers, each person is predominant in one branch over the other.
Rate of Cellular Oxidation
Cellular Oxidation is the procedure your cells use to convert the food you eat into energy at different rates. According to Metabolic Typing, an individual is considered as a fast or a slow oxidizer depending on how swiftly their cells transform foods into energy.
For instance, If you’re a fast oxidizer, you’re recommended to consume foods rich in protein and fat, which takes time to burn. On the other hand, suppose if you’re a slow oxidizer, Metabolic Typing Diet Suggests you’ll need to eat foods that are fast-burning carbs.
In 2001 the Diet was made as a weight-loss plan in the form of a book named “The Metabolic Typing Diet.” It was done by science writer Trish Fahey and researcher William Wolcott.
The Three Different Metabolic Types
Earlier, I mentioned that 03 unique metabolic types separate everyone; these are those three.
Fat Protein Efficient Diet
People with Fat Protein Efficient body type are considered to be fast oxidizers and are parasympathetic dominant. This symbolizes that the rate of cellular oxidation in this body type is typically high.
These individuals have a large appetite and burn through the foods eaten quickly. Because of this, they’re recommended to eat a high protein, high fat, low-carbohydrate diet.
Folks with the Fat Protein Efficient body type frequently get hungry, especially when carbs are consumed. They’re also known to crave sweet, fatty, and salty foods.
This group of individuals is known to struggle and most often fail with low-calorie diets. They also tend to suffer from persistent fatigue, anxiety, and nervousness. Because of the frequent hunger, they tend to eat more too.
Carbohydrate Efficient Diet
Carbohydrate Efficient Diet is entirely the opposite of the Fat Protein Efficient Diet. This group of people is considered to be slow oxidizers and sympathetic dominant. This means, here carbs are more coherent and break down much faster.
With that, Carbohydrate Efficient folks are known to have a lesser appetite, plus they tend to burn through foods much slower. They get hungry less often too.
People with Carbohydrate Efficient body type are recommended to follow a diet that is primarily high in carbs, low in fat, protein, and oils. Unlike the fat protein efficient folks who tend to enjoy a diet based on fat and protein.
Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are also perfect for folks with the Carbohydrate Efficient type. Other foods great for this body type include Turkey breast, chicken breast, and low-fat dairy products.
Finally, the downside of having a Carbohydrate Efficient body type is that they most probably struggle to maintain a healthy weight. The main reason for this is that if they get hungry, they tend to go for something high in sugar. They love having desserts and candies.
They are also dependent on caffeine and have a “type A” personality more often than not.
Mixed Metabolism
Mixed Metabolism Type is entirely different when compared to Fat Protein and Carbohydrate Efficient Diets. They are not fast oxidizers or even slow oxidizers; they tend to be a mix between both. Also, they are not dominant in either of their nervous systems.
Mixed Metabolism folks get hungry less often, and when it comes to their Diet, they’re able to have salty, fatty, and sweet foods. So even though it does not look like a healthy diet, these guys can maintain a healthy weight pretty much every time.
One downside is if Mixed metabolism people consume too much protein, fats, and carbs, they’re most likely going to struggle with fatigue and anxiety.
To maintain a balanced diet, it is recommended that folks with Mixed type consume a mixture of high-fat, high-purine proteins and low-fat, low-purine proteins.
How To Find Your Metabolic Type?
It’s straightforward to know your metabolic type. There are many quizzes available online that’ll help you predict your unique metabolic type. All you have to do is just type in “Metabolic Type Quiz,” and you’ll come up with a variety of quizzes.
Basically, All the quizzes usually ask the same questions, such as your eating habits, cravings, mood, health issues, and some other basic questions.
You can know your metabolic type by visiting a nutritionist or a doctor who supports metabolic typing too. They’ll suggest you take blood or urine tests before figuring out your actual type. They might also analyze your hormones, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and metabolic health in some situations. Some even recommend measuring your blood pH too.
Keep in mind that different doctors and nutritionists use different methods to figure out your metabolic type.
Is It Important To Know Your Metabolic Type?
Knowing your metabolic type can be beneficial in some ways.
First, it helps you understand the foods that particularly work for you.
Second, it helps you know the unique and suitable diet for your body type and Metabolism.
All these combined will not only help in losing weight but also save time because you’ll not be following a diet that’ll fail to work for you.
Meal Types For Every Metabolic Typing Diet
Metabolic Typing Diet provides 03 ways to eat, and all of them recommend keeping simple carbs and limiting refined carbs, which is reliable advice. However, some aspects of the diet plan don’t seem to be healthy or sustainable long term (more on this below).
Anyways, if you’re thinking of trying out this Diet, the food lists below can help you determine the foods you’re able to add to the Diet.
Fat-Protein Efficient Meal Plan
Fat-Protein Efficient Meal types require high protein and fat with low starch carbs. And when it comes to the macronutrient ratio, this eating plan should contain a 20% fats ratio, 50% protein, and 30% carbs, which seems to be in the same ballpark as keto or other low-carb diets.
Fat Protein Efficient Foods:
- Fatty Fish (Salmon, Mackerel)
- Beef
- Pork
- Red Meat
- Oils (Olive oil, MCT Coconut)
- Bacon
- Organ Meats (offals) like liver and heart
- Low-carb Vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower)
- Low-sugar Fruits (Oranges, Grapefruit, Avocados)
- Dairy (Whey Protein, Cream, Yogurt, Butter, Cheese)
Carbohydrate Efficient Meal Plan
The Macronutrients for this eating plan are 20% protein, 20% fats, and 60% carbs.
Carb Efficient Foods:
- Rice
- Lean Chicken
- White Fish
- Quinoa
- Sweet potatoes
- Potatoes
- Beans
- Squash
- Green Veggies
- Fruits
Mixed Metabolism Meal Plan
The Macronutrients for Mixed Metabolism is 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbs.
Mixed Metabolism Foods:
And other similar foods listed in the Fat Protein Efficient and Carb Efficient Meal Plans.
The Problems With The Metabolic Typing Diet
All the diet plans, as you can see above, are based on proper nutrition. However, many nutrition experts point out that metabolic typing is not accurate because it does not seem to keep up with the things taking place in your body.
Along With that, there are some downsides to this program too. One is the Fat Protein eating plan; this Diet is rich in organ meats, red meat, and butter, which is considered unhealthy and unsustainable long term.
In addition, the Macronutrient portion of the Fat protein type is not considered a well-balanced one. Because too much priority is put on one type of macronutrient (such as protein) at the cost of others.
Finally, pointing out the elephant in the room, this Diet, basically, has no proper scientific research to back it up. There has not been a single clinical proof confirming the idea of 03 metabolic types. Also, there’s zero evidence proving that your Metabolism relies on the nervous system.
Is Metabolic Typing Diet Healthy?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it is recommended that you should eat a wide range of nutrient-dense foods. They also suggest that the macronutrient intake should range from 20% to 35% for fats, 10% to 35% for protein, and 45% to 65% for carbohydrates. In addition, the saturated fats should be less than 10%.
But if you take a look at the protein type plan in the metabolic Diet, you can see that it encourages way more protein and fat but considerably fewer carbs. The carb efficient plan suggests the recommended range. However, the mixed plan is similar to the Fat protein type. It advocates less carbs when compared to what USDA recommends.
Factoring in all this, the Diet is considered unhealthy according to the federal dietary guidelines.
Next is saturated fat, those are somewhat high in all 03 diet plans, especially in the protein type. According to the American Heart Association, overconsumption of foods high in saturated fats can prove costly. It can increase the chances of heart disease and can lead to weight gain.
One health benefit of this diet is that all of the 03 diet plans recommend limiting refined carbs. This is a healthy choice because these foods are known to be high in calories and lack vitamins and minerals.
Because of being a suggested metabolic diet, it helps you make changes to your dietary and lifestyle habits, which in turn has the possibility to promote weight loss. But the thing is that there’s still a lack of evidence.
Pros And Cons Of Metabolic Typing Diet
There are some Pros and Cons that you need to know about Metabolic Typing Diet.
