The recognition of different Metabolic Types began with the observations of a dentist, Weston Price, who travelled all over the world in the 1930s and was amazed at the huge differences in diet that he witnessed.
Even more fascinating was the fact that where a tribe or people had been relatively isolated and had developed a very specific diet, incidences of most degenerative diseases and illnesses were almost unheard of.
Prolonged good health was very much the norm.
However he soon realized that it was not simply a case of dictating that, "we must all eat like the Inuit for health and longevity!" The high fat and protein diet of the hardy and healthy Inuit was in total contrast to the fruit, vegetable and grain rich diets of the long lived, sharp and active Mediterranean villagers, or the rice and vegetable diet of the East Asians.
In fact, he recognized that there were many factors that differentiated the various tribes and peoples.
But one thing he identified and which has been proven time and again ever since, is that our modern western diet goes hand in hand with all sorts of health problems and issues.
His observations intrigued other scientists, like George Watson, Roger Williams and William Kelly, who all continued to research this area.
They came to the conclusion that there are two main factors that determine how our bodies react to the food we eat, and that these are mainly determined by our genetic inheritance: 1.
Which autonomic nervous system is dominant - There are two branches to this system, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
The first gives us our "fight or flight" instinct, burns energy rapidly and suppresses the digestive system.
The parasympathetic system on the other hand helps to calm us down, save energy and digest food thoroughly.
The scientists came to the conclusion that whichever of these two systems was dominant would have a major influence on how our bodies process the food we put into them.
2.
The rate of cellular oxidation - in other words the speed with which our cells tend to turn food into energy.
If we are fast oxidizers, then our bodies convert food quickly into energy.
It's recommended that fast oxidizers eat plenty of heavy proteins and fats which take longer to break down and release energy.
Slow oxidizers on the other hand require a diet based more on carbohydrates which release their energy more quickly.
Although these are the two main factors under consideration, metabolic typing supposes that we are each a unique mixture of these and other factors, in an individual biochemical blueprint.
William Walcott and Trish Fahey, in their book "The Metabolic Typing Diet" include a simple test to determine broadly where we fit on the metabolic spectrum.
The outcome of the test places us all to varying degrees in one of three main metabolic types: The Protein Metabolic Type - frequently hungry, craves salty, fatty foods and has problems managing energy levels - either hyped-up or listless.
The Carbohydrate Metabolic Type- rarely really hungry and can go for a long time on relatively little food.
Craves sweets and sugary foods.
Often has weight management issues.
Mixed Metabolic Type - as the name suggests, this metabolic type is somewhere in between the other two, with some characteristics from each of the other types.
Often has low energy and high anxiety.
Once you know which broad metabolic type you fit into, a generally beneficial diet can be planned, but for the most effective results a far more detailed analysis will determine exactly what mixture of nutrients and food types will have you functioning at optimum efficiency.
To find out more about matching your diet to your own unique needs, investigate "Metabolic Types" in your local library or visit: www.
davidel.
com