Why Identifying Your Metabolic Type is Important

met•a•bol•ic (m t -b l k)

adjective

Of, relating to, or resulting from metabolism.

You may be wondering what all this talk is about metabolic typing. As an Integrative Nutrition Counselor and Holistic Health Coach, one of my most important services I offer my clients is metabolic typing. This means, in layman terms, finding out what diet works best for them. One person may feel great on one diet, such as one high in carbohydrates, while another person may feel awful when they consume a lot of carbohydrates.

There are categories that people generally fit into for what foods their bodies metabolize best. We can simplify these categories into the following three diets:

• High in carbohydrates, low in animal fats and proteins

• High in protein, a moderate amount of animal fats

• Mixed diet: a moderate amount of carbohydrates, animal fats and proteins

Holistic nutrition looks at the whole person, and all the factors that contribute to their overall well-being. One of these factors is obviously diet and how the body as a whole uses food. Therefore, it makes sense to me the importance of identifying the types of foods a person should eat to feel their best and be the most high-functioning. And that is what the metabolic typing process does.

Metabolic typing consists of three tests:

• A physical trait test, to see where you tend to hold your body fat;

• Diet traits, to see where your appetite is throughout the day and what your eating habits are;

• Psychological traits, to determine your personal characteristics (for example, are you punctual, organized, an overachiever, do you exercise regularly).

Through these tests, we can tell what part of your body systems are strong and weak. This indicates what areas we need to address and feed differently to become more metabolically balanced.

For a more critical article on the science of metabolic typing, please refer to my article on this site, “Metabolic Typing, the Basis for Individualized Nutrition Theory.”