Beyond the Myth of “The Right Diet”

How can someone eat ‘healthy foods’ – salads, fruits and vegetables, exercise diligently, drink enough fluids, take the best supplements that money can buy, and still feel, tired, lethargic and hungry after meals, or just not right? The answer WRONG Fuel Mix for your Unique Biochemistry or Metabolic Typing.

As we live in a world of infoglut – too much information impacting our lives, we come across conflicting advice from leading health authorities. Not only is this overwhelming it is confusing. In addition, our society goes through various dietary trends. For example, in the 90’s soy was touted as the wonder food, now even medical doctors are saying that soy causes cancer. (Sunday telegraph 14th January 2007).Furthermore, soy inhibits the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, the one responsible for your metabolic rate. This is because soy is naturally high in phytic acid, the substance that binds to all minerals in the body, like iodine, calcium and magnesium, creating mineral deficiencies and severe metabolic imbalances. But that is another story as this article is beyond the hazards or benefits of soy, this article is about the science of nutrition – Metabolic Typing (MT)

So, what is MT? MT is based on the fact that that we are all biochemically unique. No two people have the same fingerprints not even identical twins. Just as we are all unique; with different hair colour, skin texture, body shape, eyes, we are also metabolically/biochemically unique. MT goes beyond the myth that there is a single, standard diet that would be ‘healthy’ or ideal for everyone simply because:

Following a ‘one diet’ approach would leave one third of the population feeling good, the other third not any different and the remaining third feeling worse. In some cases, what works well for one person would be completely ineffective and even harmful for another.

As Lucretius (c. 99 B.C.–c. 55 B.C.) summed it up eloquently: What is food to one man may be fierce poison to others.

What are the Benefits of following MT nutrition?

1. MT offers a highly integrated approach to building health.

2. MT relies on the body’s innate intelligence. As all scientists know, nothing we can invent in the laboratory can actually ‘cure’ a degenerative illness or induce a true ‘healing response’ It is the body’s wisdom that controls every authentic healing response.

3. MT eliminates cravings for sweets, hunger and restores energy levels in the body so you can literally kiss fatigue goodbye.

4. MT allows the body to correct its biochemical imbalances, because MT addresses our metabolic ‘uniqueness’ as its first goal.

5. MT helps us correct minor and even some major metabolic disturbances in the long term.

6. MT eliminates obvious symptoms of metabolic imbalances such as indigestion, cravings, mental fatigue, and anxiety literally within days and weeks when following one’s MT plan.

7. As a scientific, validated and proven methodology of identifying your unique metabolic profile, MT helps you pinpoint how any food and supplements will work in your body.

In the end, the only so called ‘right nutrition’ is the one that is based on your unique Metabolic Profile. Otherwise, it is like playing lotto: you might get it right, but chances are that you might not.

How does MT work? It works on the fact, that we have 9 Fundamental Homeostatic Controls (FHC’s)

1. Autonomic Nervous System Type Master regulator of metabolism

2. Oxidative System Type Intracellular energy conversion

3. Endocrine Type Influences food selection relative to weight control

4. Acid/Alkaline Balance Reflects homeostasis through pH

5. Anabolic/Catabolic Balance Intracellular oxygen metabolism

6. Electrolyte Balance regulates circulation and osmotic pressure

7. Prostaglandin Balance Regulates inflammatory and immune response

8. Constitutional Type Links constitutional elements of foods with metabolism

9. Blood Type basis for blood type specific food reactivity

From the 9 FHC’s, the Autonomic and the Oxidative systems are the two most important systems to address because these two FHC’s regulate all the other seven. For this reason, it is very important to establish which one of these two FHC is in fact your dominant factor in your MT profile.

How many MT profiles are there? There are nine possible Metabolic Type combinations involving the pairing of the Autonomic and the Oxidative Systems: Your unique MT would first be identified as one of the nine categories.

Sympathetic Fast Balanced Fast Parasympathetic Fast Sympathetic Mixed Balanced Mixed Parasympathetic Mixed Sympathetic Slow Balanced Slow Parasympathetic Slow

Why is it important to identify your dominant MT factor? By identifying and nutritionally balancing your dominant factor all the other homeostatic control systems (blood types, endocrine types, catabolic/anabolic) will balance in turn, over a period of time. Yet, if your dominant factor is not biochemically addressed, then your whole metabolism will not balance itself and symptoms such as tiredness, sweet cravings, fogginess and feeling mentally scattered results. This is because everything we eat or ingest has an effect on our brain/blood chemistry, which in turn influences our energy levels, moods, thought processes and even emotions.

In essence, MT specifically addresses your Autonomic Nervous System the part of the brain that regulates rate of digestion, elimination, sleep, and stress response.

What is the Autonomic Nervous System type? The ANS, referred to as the master regulator of metabolism, has 2 divisions: the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic. Each works in opposition to the other, yet they work together to maintain homeostasis (metabolic balance and efficiency).

For example, Sympathetic nervous stimulation speeds the heart rate so we can run from danger and run on treadmills, while Parasympathetic stimulation slows the heart rate, so we can digest our food and relax. Together, the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic divisions work to maintain the proper heart rate, as well as the functioning of all the various organs and glands.

Now, certain organs are "switched on" by the Sympathetic system and are "switched off" by the Parasympathetic system, while other organs are "switched on" by the Parasympathetic and "switched off" by the Sympathetic systems. Some people have inherited stronger organs and glands that are stimulated by the Sympathetic division. These are known as the Sympathetic Dominant Metabolic Types. Other people have inherited greater strength in the Parasympathetic organs/glands and are known as Parasympathetic Dominant Metabolic Types. In those whose organs/glands are relatively balanced between Sympathetic and Parasympathetic influences, are termed as Balanced Dominants.

What is the Oxidative System? The Oxidative System deals with the rate at which nutrients are converted into energy within all of our body’s 100 trillion cells. Let’s put this to practice.

Fast Oxidisers vs Slow Oxidisers. Fast Oxidisers are sensitive to carbohydrates, (hence the obesity epidemic). Fast Oxidisers are prone to symptoms such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, hyperness followed by fatigue when they consume the wrong carbs and the wrong Fuel Mix. What is Fuel Mix? Your ideal combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in a meal for your metabolic profile. To date, only Metabolic Typing can really pinpoint that for every person and it is has nothing to do with the Zone diet, where a specific combination is suggested for everyone.

Did you know that food affects your emotions? On the emotional side, Fast Oxidisers tend to become irritable, hyper and unproductive when they consume wrong carbohydrates. Wrong carbohydrates, inadequate protein sources (beans and cheese) and wrong fats cause Fast Oxidisers to become even more unbalanced. Slow Oxidisers on the other hand are prone to lethargic episodes when they consume too much wrong fat and protein and they easily dip into moods of spaciness or even social withdrawal. They can become more lethargic when they consume wrong fat and protein for their MT in their daily fuel mix.

Quite the opposite to Fast Oxidisers, Slow Oxidisers need more specific vegetables with appropriate proteins in order to stay in their metabolic balance so they can enjoy stable energy levels, good concentration and focus throughout the day.

In summary, we are all quite unique and are still unique even within our metabolic category. For this reason, MT is also about fine-tuning your ideal fuel mix over a period of days/weeks based on your dominant Endocrine Type (thyroid, adrenal, pituitary or gonad) biorhythms and your current lifestyle. Therefore there is no universal diet that would suit everyone as everyone is unique. MT nutrition is different in that it specifically identifies your biochemical uniqueness and takes the guesswork out of searching for the ‘right nutritional plan’ for life.

No matter what your lifestyle, whether you work around the clock, have small children, travel regularly or are a professional athlete, Metabolic Typing may help you lose fat or put on muscle, feel more focused, grounded, energetic and balanced. Metabolic Typing also helps eliminate craving for sweets/sugars, a very common phenomena in our society and in the world of fitness. By applying MT nutrition we not only balance our biochemistry we balance our brain chemistry and this helps to lift our moods and improve our thought processes. In essence, MT may is your biochemical platform upon which optimum health and longevity is built.