Metabolism Types

Please complete the Metabolism Type Test to determine your metabolism type —Protein
Type, Carb Type, or Mixed Type. Next, read through the description of (and special considerations
for) your metabolism type in this chapter. You must understand why certain foods are ideal
so that you can then make the best choices for your personal meal plan.
As you learn about your metabolism type in this chapter, remember that each person is unique, so
some fine-tuning may be necessary as you change your eating habits. Pay close attention to your
body’s cues. Most people have fallen out of touch with their bodies and don’t know what true
health feels like. Pay close attention to the one and only source that knows what’s best for you—
your body! http://www.beyonddiet.com/Members/Tools/MetabolismType

                                                    Protein Types

Protein Types typically crave rich, fatty foods such as pizza, sausages, and salty roasted
nuts. If you are a Protein Type, chances are that you love food. You may not feel satiated after a
snack and may often feel hungry, even after eating a large meal. When you have eaten too many
carbohydrates, you tend to crave sugar. And once you start eating sugary foods, you want more
and more and may find it difficult to stop. Sugar often causes you to feel jittery and will quickly
make your energy levels drop.

Protein Types may have tried to lose weight by using extreme calorie-cutting methods,
only to be unsuccessful—and feel miserable in the process. Protein Types cannot successfully
lose weight by drastically decreasing calorie intake.

When Protein Types eat the wrong kind of food, they may notice energy problems—extreme
fatigue or a wired “on edge” feeling. Eating often makes them feel better when they feel
anxious, nervous, or shaky, but then they feel worse soon afterward. These cycles of energy ups
and downs are definite signs of a mismatch between metabolism type and food consumption.

What Does a Protein Type Need?

Protein Types need a diet high in proteins and fats and low in carbohydrates. But think
balance—not the Atkins Diet! Protein Types can eat various carbohydrates in the form of some
grains, fruits, and vegetables, as long as they are adequately balanced with proteins and fats.
Because Protein Types metabolize food more quickly than other metabolism types (which
is why they feel hungry all the time), heavier protein choices such as whole eggs, dark-meat
poultry, beef, and dairy are essential for ideal meal planning. These foods have long been considered
“unhealthy” because of their high fat content, but as you will learn in the Chapter on
Fats,The Truth About Saturated Fat saturated fat is not the cause of disease; refined carbohydrates,
processed foods, and hydrogenated oils are. Protein Types who do not eat heavy proteins
with a high fat content will be hungry all day and struggle with their weight. Even worse, they
will almost always feel fatigued and anxious.

“Must Dos” for Protein Types

• Eat protein at every meal and with every snack. Eating only carbohydrates at a meal
causes your blood sugar to spike and then drop quickly, which will leave a Protein Type
feeling hungry, fatigued, and anxious as well as cause cravings for more carbohydrates
shortly afterward. Eating protein—especially animal protein—at every meal and for
snacks will help to control your blood sugar levels and leave you feeling satiated and
steady throughout the day. Again, remember to listen to your body; pay attention to which
meals and snacks leave you hungry or craving more.

• Eat small meals frequently or healthy snacks between meals. Protein Types need to
eat often; otherwise, they’ll suffer from extremely low blood sugar levels. Going too long
between meals (or snacks) also will create ravenous hunger, which in turn will cause
overeating at the next meal—only to lead to lethargy and an uncomfortable feeling afterward.

• Avoid refined carbohydrates. Foods such as bread, crackers, and pastas—especially
those made from wheat—can be extremely disruptive for Protein Types. Wheat breaks
down into sugar faster than any other grain and causes the rapid release of large quantities
of insulin. That is why sprouted whole grain bread products are the only allowable sources
of bread on the Diet Solution Program. These products are described in the Chapter
on Grains.

• Avoid most fruits and fruit juices. Fruits are a wonderful, healthy food, but Protein
Types need to be extra careful with their fruit selections. Some fruits are quickly converted
to sugar in the bloodstream and cause extreme blood sugar fluctuations. The best
fruit choices for Protein Types are apples and avocadoes (high in fiber and low in sugar).
Some people may be able to eat more of these fruits than others.

Carb Types

A Carb Type tends to have a weak appetite. If you are a Carb Type, chances are that
you’re happy with a minimal amount of food each day. You can get by on small amounts of food
and don’t give food much thought until you feel hungry.

Carb Types tend to eat less often because they “have no time to eat.” These goal-oriented
workaholics will skip meals to do what they need to do each day. They may go for extended periods
without eating, sending the metabolism into starvation mode. Decreasing the metabolic rate
in this fashion can lead to weight management problems and obesity. Carb Types also are more
dependent on caffeinated beverages to get them through the day than other metabolism types are.

This dependency often weakens their appetites even more, compounding their nutritional problems.
Carb Types have a high tolerance for baked goods and starchy vegetables. This can be a bad thing, because they tend to overeat these carbohydrates, which can lead to unhealthy conditions
such as hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes.

What Does a Carb Type Need?

A Carb Type needs a diet composed of more carbohydrates than proteins or fats. But that
doesn’t mean that Carb Types don’t need protein throughout the day. Lighter, low-fat proteins
such as white-meat poultry and whitefish (e.g., tilapia, sea bass) are good choices. Carb Types
can choose from a wide variety of carbohydrates and can eat them in larger quantities than any
other type.

Although Carb Types convert carbohydrates into energy slowly (unlike Protein Types),
it does not mean that they can go on carbohydrate binges. An elevated insulin response is still a
concern, especially if weight loss is the goal. Insulin is a fat-storing hormone, so large quantities
in the bloodstream will make losing weight quite difficult. Remember, excess of any particular
food can lead to weight gain and disease, and always maintain the food portions and ratios recommended
for your type (according to the Ideal Food Ratios For Each Metabolism Type Chart).
Carb Types lose weight and feel well on a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet—the opposite
of what a Protein Type needs.

“Must Dos” for Carb Types

• Choose low-fat proteins. Incorporate a low-fat protein such as white-meat poultry or
whitefish into each meal. Avoid (or eat only occasionally) high-fat proteins, which may
cause lethargy, depression, or fatigue.

• Choose dairy products carefully. Carb Types tend to metabolize dairy poorly. The best
way to learn whether dairy is a wise choice for you is to carefully monitor your reaction
after you have consumed it with a meal. If you feel lethargic or fatigued shortly after,
limit your dairy consumption.

• Choose carbohydrates carefully. Choose plenty of low-starch vegetables, like broccoli
and salad greens, and limit consumption of high-starch foods such as bread, pasta,
and grains. If you feel sluggish, sleepy, or hungry soon after a meal containing a low-fat
protein, a vegetable, and a grain, you may have eaten too much grain. Try increasing the
protein amount and decreasing the grain amount the next time you have this same meal.

• Monitor your response to legumes. Carb Types typically cannot easily digest the type of
protein that most legumes contain. Therefore, eat legumes infrequently. As with all other
foods, monitor your response carefully, and pay attention to your ability to combine them
with certain foods. I have some clients who can eat chicken, beans, and vegetables and
feel great but feel tired and sluggish if they eat beans, rice, and vegetables.

• Limit the nuts and seeds. Carb Types feel best on a low-fat diet, and nuts and seeds add too much fat to a meal. Nuts and nut butters are great protein choices for snacks, but lean
animal meats are better protein choices for meals.

Mixed Types

A Mixed Type requires an equal balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, and
including variety in the everyday meal plan is essential. Of the three metabolism types, this one
is actually easiest to manage, because the food choices are greater. Some meals may resemble
those for Protein Types, and some may resemble those for Carb Types; some may have features
of both.

The appetite of a Mixed Type tends to vary greatly throughout the day—hungry at meals
but not in between; ravenous at times and no appetite at others. Of course, these responses
depend on what foods have been eaten that day. Mixed Types generally don’t suffer from cravings.

However, like the other types, Mixed Types who eat too much sugar or carbohydrates may
develop strong sugar cravings.

Mixed Types must incorporate high-fat and low-fat proteins as well as high-starch and
low-starch carbohydrates into their meal plans. If you are a Mixed Type, familiarize yourself
with the requirements of both types to find your perfect balance.

A Mixed Type may be more of a Protein Mixed Type or a Carb Mixed Type—in other
words, have more qualities of one type than the other. The only way to truly figure this out is by
trial and error: by paying close attention to responses to each meal and then determining which
foods make you feel good and energized and which foods leave you feeling hungry, fatigued,
cranky, or craving more. Finding the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats is the key
to losing weight, feeling great, and achieving optimal health.

Next : Calories