Metabolism is more than a mystical ability to eat what you like and not gain weight.
What is Metabolism?
The most common issue I find among health enthusiasts, both seasoned health seekers or newcomers, is they often struggle with their “metabolism.” This is an interesting idea for me because of the difference between the cultural concept and what our metabolism actually is. Many people only know it as what allows one person to eat as much as they want and never gain weight while another has to watch everything they put into their mouth. The truth is, our metabolism is a finely tuned network within the body that dictates hormone regulation, body temperature, digestion, body mass composition, cognitive function, detoxification channels, and much more.
Equally interesting is that each human being has their own unique metabolic cycle. This is why generalized diets and meal plans often fail early on. It’s not always because someone didn’t “try” hard enough, it’s usually because they tried too hard. Attempting to fit ourselves into the right diet for one but the wrong diet for ourselves is like forcing a square peg in a round hole. We will always get stuck!
In order to master our metabolism, we must first understand how our body works. Few of us were properly educated on the dynamics of our bodies, let alone how to properly fuel it for maximum efficiency. One simple way to begin solving this riddle is to identify dominant food groups you naturally gravitate towards.
Metabolic Typing
Metabolic typing is predicated on foods and food groups that are most agreeable for the individual. For example, a large portion of the western population gravitates towards moderate to high fat containing foods. In many of my conversations with long term raw foodists, vegans, vegetarians, and ex-vegans this theme arises often. According to Dr. George Watson this group would be classified as fast-oxidizers. They metabolize or burn fatty-acids as fuel more efficiently than carbohydrates. A lesser percentage appears to metabolize carbohydrates (sugars/starches) as their dominant fuel source. This group is considered slow-oxidizers.
I found myself swinging from one end to the other over the years and am happy to say I’ve found my balance point near the center. It is my opinion that those who discover longevity in their preferred food path either rest near the middle (sub-oxidizers) or are closer to fast-oxidizers who have a dynamic balance of fat-protein-carbohydrate ratios. This is taking into account an individual’s activity level, physical fitness, ability to transmute stress, and other lifestyle factors that influence their metabolic range. Begin investigating common food groups you lean towards most and consider upgrading your options at any time possible.
Metabolism and Nutrition
Please consider this excerpt from my book The Life Food Peak Performance System:
"The most basic principle of health and success is the law of efficiency. This means the goal for nutrition is to provide the body building blocks for which it is capable of producing an equal or relatively equal output of energy for the input of fuel. This understanding serves as a foundational premise for which each person must investigate further. No two people are exactly alike. No two cultures eat the same diet yet they can still produce similar results. This is dependent on ones own uniquely pre-registered metabolism which is, often times, rooted in their ancestral background and climatic region of current living and origin."
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