| Metabolic Typing: The Key To Improving Metabolism
Metabolic Typing is the science of
discovering the fundamental way in which your body
produces energy from your food, in other words, the explanation of
why "one person's medicine is another’s poison."
One of the basic principles of Metabolic Typing is that
protein,
carbohydrates,
fats,
vitamins and
minerals, which are
transported by the blood, are best absorbed and utilized by the
cells in your body at the ideal blood pH level of 7.46.
Below this figure the blood is too acidic, above this figure the
blood is too alkaline. The more your pH deviates from the ideal, the
less efficient will be the conversion of food to energy.
The second principle of Metabolic Typing is that any nutrient can
be acidifying or alkalizing, stimulating or inhibiting, depending on
your
metabolic type.
The benefits of eating according to your metabolic type are not just
weight loss. Metabolic Typing is used by
healthcare practitioners to help many conditions, including the
following: weight problems, chronic fatigue, allergies, chronic
pain,
diabetes,
heart disease,
and rheumatologic disease, just to name a few.
Determining individual
metabolic type:
These variables are
analyzed to determine your individual metabolic type:
-
 Oxidative
Rate- This is generally the most important dominant variable. This
tells us how quickly or slowly you metabolize (or oxidize) food. A
modified glucose tolerance test is done. After fasting for 12-15 hours,
you will be given 50 grams of carbohydrate in the form of a fruit drink.
Your blood sugars are then taken with a fingerstick test every half-hour
for ninety minutes. The extremes of oxidative rates are seen in diabetes
(slow oxidizer) and hypoglycemia (fast oxidizer).
-
Blood, Urine, and Saliva pH- Protein,
carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, are transported by the
blood, are best absorbed and utilized by the cells in your body at the
ideal blood pH level of 7.46. Below this figure the blood is too acidic,
above this figure the blood is too alkaline. The more your pH deviates
from the ideal, the less efficient will be the conversion of food to
energy. A reduced ability to feed the body on a cellular level causes
cascading imbalances and eventually an breakdown that a doctor can hang a
diagnosis on. The hip bone is indeed connected to the thigh bone.
-
Autonomic Nervous System Dominance-
The ANS is the part of the nervous system that controls everything that
occurs automatically, from blood pressure and blood flow to breathing and
blinking. For instance, you do not tell yourself to breathe or increase
your
heart rate during exercise. Your body just performs these functions
automatically. The extremes of ANS dominance are the Type A personality
who is always on the go (sympathetic or adrenaline dominant) versus the
Type B personality, laid back person who needs a boost to get them out of
bed (parasympathetic or acetyl-choline dominant).
-
Blood Type -Most people know the
importance of blood typing with regards to receiving a blood transfusion.
Likewise, foods can cause agglutination because of the presence of lectins
on their cell surfaces. Lectins are sugar-binding proteins that
agglutinate or clump cells. Foods contain different lectins. Your blood
type will help determine what foods may not be beneficial for you because
of lectin incompatibility. This is usually the variable responsible for
not being able to eat
 certain foods that
might otherwise be considered very healthy.
-
Body Type -Body Type refers to where
you tend to gain weight. Certain hormone systems are considered dominant
depending on your Body Type. The four Body Types are classified as gonad,
thyroid, adrenal, or pituitary. This is the reason why some people gain
weight in the
hips, while others are extremely skinny, but have that little pouch around
the middle. Sometimes Body Type can be determined just by appearance. For
example:
|
Area of Weight Gain
|
Body Type |
|
Hips |
Gonad |
|
Abdomen |
Thyroid |
|
All over athletic
build |
Adrenal |
|
"Baby fat"
|
Pituitary |
-
Candida Infection -
Candida fungus is present in soil, therefore it is on the food that is eaten
every day. When you take an antibiotic, not only are the bad bacteria
destroyed, but the good bacteria in the intestines that protect you from
candida infections are also destroyed. This is why so many people have
candida infections. This is often why so many people have candida
infections. This is often the first condition that needs to be corrected
when trying to regain your health. Candida or fungus feeds on sugar and
simple carbohydrates. For this reason, people with this condition often have
uncontrollable cravings for
sugar and
carbohydrates. Therefore it is imperative that the "food source" for the
candida is limited in order to get rid of the condition. Presence of candida
is determined by a blood test.
How many metabolic types are
found among people? The number ranges from two to ten types. The most
commonly used theory among researchers, however, is that there are three
metabolic types: slow, fast, and mixed.
Define your own metabolic type using the questionnaire in the Table below .
Highlight the characteristics that fit you most closely and count the total
score under each column. With any particular entry, if you fall between fast
and slow metabolism, highlight both. In choosing the answers, keep in mind
that you are assessing your current actual condition, not a past or desired
one.
Self-Assessment of your
Metabolic Type:
Body build, appearance, and physiological functions
|
Nos. |
Fast Metabolism |
Slow Metabolism |
|
1 |
Broad shoulders, full-chest,
and good strength |
Pear-shaped, curvy, with
weaker upper body or small and very slim |
|
2 |
Ears are pink or red, darker
than the skin of the face |
Ears are pale, lighter than
the skin of the face |
|
3 |
Eyes are very moist, even
tears appear |
Eyes are dry |
|
4 |
Eyes are often itching, even
though there is no cold or allergy |
Eyes are rarely itching, if
there is cold or allergy |
|
5 |
Face color is pink, ruddy,
flushed |
Face color is pale, sallow |
|
6 |
Face complexion is bright,
shiny, radiant |
Face complexion is pasty,
chalky, dull |
|
7 |
Nose often is too moist, even
tends to run |
Nose often is too dry |
|
8 |
Pupil’s diameter is equal to
or smaller than the width of the iris ring around it |
Pupil’s diameter is larger
than the width of the iris ring around it |
|
9 |
Fingernails are thin, even
weak and brittle, can be easily bent over |
Fingernails are thick, strong,
and hard |
|
10 |
Skin, more often in the
winter, especially on fingertips and heels, cracks for no reason |
Skin on fingertips and heels,
even in the winter, never cracks |
|
11 |
Skin itches often, especially
the scalp, arms, or calves |
Skin itches rarely, even the
scalp, arms, and calves |
|
12 |
Goosebumps, even on the arms
and legs, rarely appear |
Goosebumps, especially on the
arms and legs, appear easily and often |
|
13 |
Dandruff on the scalp often
forms, especially after eating animal fats |
Dandruff on the scalp never
forms, even after eating animal fats |
|
14 |
Weight is usually gained in
the upper body |
Weight is usually gained in
the belly |
|
15 |
Saliva in the mouth is too
much in quantity, with a tendency for drooling |
Saliva in the mouth is too
little in quantity, often dry mouth |
|
16 |
Dislikes the heat, does best
in cool or cold weather |
Often feels cold, does best in
warm or hot weather |
|
17 |
Coughs easily and often,
especially soon after eating or at night, even when not sick |
Does not cough, unless when
sick |
|
18 |
Strong reaction to insect
bites or stings, including swelling, pain, itching, bruising, redness, and
takes long time to go away |
Weak or mild reaction to
insect bites or stings, and goes away quickly |
|
19 |
Easily and often gags |
Rarely or never gags |
|
20 |
Brief sneezing attacks,
especially after eating, not associated with colds or allergies |
Almost never sneezes, unless
having cold or allergies |
Psychological characteristics and behavioral traits
|
Nos. |
Fast Metabolism |
Slow Metabolism |
|
21 |
Hard-driving, hyperactive, and
ambitious personality |
Laid back, even-tempered, and
easy-going personality |
|
22 |
Often is impatient, irritable,
anxious, in a state of nervousness, excitability |
Often experiences depression,
apathy, fatigue, exhaustion |
|
23 |
Deals with many things at once |
Approaches problems one at a
time |
|
24 |
Extroverted, socializes easily
with people, loves company |
Introverted, feels awkward at
social gatherings, prefers being alone |
|
25 |
Loves to eat; food is a big or
central part of life |
Rarely thinks about food; eats
more because has to than because wants to |
|
26 |
Eating sweets before bed
interferes with sleep or even causes insomnia |
Eating sweets before bed does
not interfere with sleep or cause insomnia |
|
27 |
Eating heavy food like meat,
fowl, and cheese improves sleep |
Eating heavy food like meat,
fowl, and cheese disrupts or worsens sleep |
|
28 |
Has insomnia caused by the
need to eat something before going to bed or after waking up in the middle
of the night |
Rarely or never experiences
that kind of insomnia |
|
29 |
Skipping meals causes negative
symptoms like feeling worse, getting irritable, jittery, weak, tired, with a
lack of energy |
Skipping meals does not bother
much, can easily forget to eat |
|
30 |
Often wants to snack between
meals (typically three meals a day) |
Rarely or never wants or needs
snacks |
Dietary preferences and food reactions
|
Nos. |
Fast Metabolism |
Slow Metabolism |
|
31 |
Strong appetite, out of
control |
Poor appetite, under control |
|
32 |
Does not feel thirsty, unless
after eating salty foods |
Gets thirsty easily and often,
even if salty foods were not eaten |
|
33 |
It is hard to fast on juice or
water |
It is easy to go a long time
without food, even fast |
|
34 |
Loves salty foods, even craves
them |
Foods salted only lightly are
best |
|
35 |
Loves sweet foods, even craves
them |
Sweet foods seem too sweet,
eating them may even throw out of balance |
|
36 |
Likes sour foods such as
pickles, sauerkraut, lemons, yogurt, even craves some of them |
Generally does not care for
sour foods |
|
37 |
Going four hours without food
results in a jittery or weak feeling |
Can easily go more than four
hours without food |
|
38 |
A high-protein meal gives a
sense of increased energy and well-being |
A high-protein meal results in
a sleepy or lethargic feeling |
|
39 |
A high-carbohydrate meal with
fruits, vegetables, pastry, or candy results in feeling worse and does not
satisfy |
A high-carbohydrate meal with
fruits, vegetables, pastry, or candy satisfies and gives sustained energy |
|
40 |
Prefers fatty foods over
sweets |
Has aversions to fatty foods |
|
41 |
Drinking coffee results in a
jittery, nervous, hyper, nauseated, and shaky feeling |
A cup of coffee starts the
morning off just right |
|
42 |
Feels good or better after
eating red meat |
Eating red meat decreases
energy and well-being |
|
43 |
Gaining weight is due to
eating many carbohydrates like bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables |
Eating meats and fatty foods
leads to weight gain |
|
44 |
Eating sweet foods gives a
quick lift followed by a sudden drop of energy |
Eating sweet foods gives a
feeling of sustained well-being and lasting energy |
|
45 |
Fruit juice between meals can
make light-headed, jittery, shaky, and hungry soon after |
Fruit juice between meals
satisfies and nourishes well until next meal |
|
|
Total score: |
Total score: |
Add the two totals,
subtract the lower score from the higher one; then divide the result
by the number of questions answered and multiply by 100 percent. If
the result is less than 33 percent, your metabolism is moderate, if
you come up with more, it is either fast or slow, depending on which
score was higher.
Article contributed by
WF
Team on 3rd June, 2004
Related
Article
and
Top 10
:
|
