In this article, I am going to share with you a snapshot of one of my lessons from my Metabolic Typing Nutrition Program I teach each week. This would be the MOST IMPORTANT lesson I go through in my 6 lesson course and basically is something you never cease to do. Like anything the more often you practice, the better you get. Or should I say, the better you get at listening to your body’s needs and therefor better equipped to make the right choices. All too often people say to me “just give me a plan to lose weight and I will follow it”. This is impossible for anyone to know exactly what foods YOU are going to need each and every day, as we all so completely different. You can give you a basic plan to work from but the real art of getting the results you are looking come from having a great understanding of your body's needs in with vitamins and minerals needed to sustain life.

Nutrition Is More Than Just Calories

A big mistake people have with food is looking at it as just calories or energy. Our food is intended as the "fuel" for our body’s cells, our internal organs and it runs the engines of our metabolism.

Our cells in turn convert the fuel to energy to be used in all the life-supporting processes of metabolism that keep us alive and healthy. Every time you eat or drink something your body will have a hormonal response, that is either good or bad.

For example, drinking a can of soft drink will set off a chain reactions of hormones going crazy due to the high levels of sugar entering the body. When this happens you will be given signals such as feeling wired up, jittery and unable to think clearly. If you pay attention to this and know how to balance these signals your body will return to a happy and healthy state. If left unattended you will now be forced into damage control which will come at a cost to other systems later on.

I highly encourage you to read our articles below on Hormones and Sugar and the damaging effects it has on the body so you are 100% clear on why you must eliminate this from your diet as soon as possible.

• How To Control Hormones & Fix Thyroid Dysfunction
• Sugar Is The Killer Of All Health & Fitness Plans
• Eliminate Hidden Sugars In Your Diet To Be Fit And Healthy
  

These are just some of the major topics that we cover in our Nutrition program and also in our Book that we provide all of our clients with on their first day when training with us! You can download an instant PDF copy of this book by CLICKING HERE or on the image below.

There is also a stack of FREE Recipes you can access by visiting our recipes page.

Now that we have established some of the biggest saboteurs to many health and fitness plans let's expand on how we use 9 Simple Tests to fine tune your body's metabolism and determine what foods are best for you!

Eat According To Your Metabolic Type

For those unfamiliar with Metabolic Typing below is very quick summary. You can take a simple test to find out what type you are if you read the Metabolic Typing book or also take the test from Paul Chek's "How To Eat, Move & Be Healthy" Book. 

Okay let's get started. Firstly there is 3 basic types you need to be familiar with. There is no good or bad, only what is right for you.

1: Protein Type

If you are a protein type it means your cells tend to burn carbohydrates too quickly, or the your body's automatic stress response system draws out too much power from your body, basically it works too hard. This means you need a high-protein intake in order to slow you down and also strengthen your body's stress system. Protein types do very well on a diet that includes plenty of high-density, high-fat proteins known as "high-purine" proteins. These include foods like red meat, dark meat chicken and turkey, and various kinds of seafood such as salmon, tuna. Most protein types can also eat freely of whole fat foods in the form of cheese, eggs, cream and milk. It's especially important for protein types to include a significant amount of protein at every meal, and to moderate their intake of carbohydrates (grains, vegetables and fruits), especially the carbohydrates that are high in sugar and starch.

2: Carb Type

Generally speaking, if you're a carbo type you need a higher percentage of carbohydrates in your diet in order to speed up your naturally slow cellular metabolism or oxidative rate, thereby bringing it into balance by acidifying your too-alkaline metabolism. Carbo types typically do well on a low-fat, relatively low-protein diet -- one that includes diet pills good amounts of carbohydrates in the form of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. However, carbo types need to remember that a "low-protein" diet does not mean a "no-protein" diet. In fact, most carbo types will find that they need to include protein at most meals, but they need to focus on leaner, lighter meats, seafood and poultry than protein types. They should restrict their consumption of red meat in favour of light meat chicken and turkey and lighter seafood such as haddock, cod, perch, sole, catfish and flounder.

3: Mixed Type

If you're a mixed type, it means you're somewhere in the middle of the other two types, which have more pronounced or clear-cut metabolic imbalances.

Mixed types need to consume relatively equal ratios of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. They also need to eat a mixture of high-fat, high-purine proteins and low-fat, low-purine proteins. The same applies to all of the other foods contained on the protein type and carbo type diets -- including grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits.

Okay, so now we know what the different types are how do you go about getting it right for you? Well this takes a little bit of time to get it exact but I  guarantee if you follow each of the next 9 steps you will look and feel great for the rest of your life!

STEP 1:

Eliminate the following: all grains, cereals, breads, desserts, fruits, “below ground” vegetables, corn, and coffee.

STEP 2:

Eat freely of any Proteins and Fats: meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, butter, coconut butter, olive oil, etc.

STEP 3:

Eat until you are full but not to the point of feeling stuffed. Wait twenty minutes if you feel you might want more food and see how you feel.

STEP 4:

Have snacks between meals only if you must, using the same food choices. Making sure you include a mix of protein and carbohydrate. For example an apple on its own is a bad choice as it has no protein.

STEP 5:

At any point during the process, if you start to feel a little cranky, short tempered, irritable, tired, if you crave sweets, feel unsatisfied after eating, or feel hungry again too soon after a meal, it means that your “fuel mix”(ratio of proteins & fats vs. carbs) is not correct. If or when this occurs, add in a small amount of non-starchy vegetables. Starchy vegetables are foods like potatoes, corn, carrots. Continue to add more non-starchy vegetables until symptoms resolve.

STEP 6:

If no amount of non-starchy vegetables resolves the issues, then begin to add a little starch into your meals, starting with only 1 tablespoon of a starchy vegetable. Continue to increase the amount until the symptoms resolve. If no amount of starchy vegetable resolves the issues, then add a small amount of grain (cooked whole grain bread, cereal, etc.).

STEP 7:

Repeat this process at each meal. Note that the amount of carbohydrate (non-starch and/or starch) that works best may be different at different meals.

STEP 8:

In this manner, you can continue to slowly increase your carbohydrate intake. At some point, you’ll move beyond your Ideal Fuel Mix and begin to notice a reappearance of your “old” symptoms — fatigue, depression, mood swings, sweet cravings, digestive problems, and so on. When that happens, you’ll know you need to start decreasing your carbohydrate intake. Your goal is to find your optimal fuel mix at each meal. Think of the process as being like tuning in a radio station.

STEP 9:

Remember, too many or too few carbohydrates in relation to protein & fat will produce the same adverse reactions (sweet cravings, hyper or hypo energy, anger, irritability, anxiety, depression, drowsiness, poor focus and concentration, constipation, etc.).

Conclusion

These are the 9 steps I use myself and with my clients. There is obviously a lot more to it for each individual person but I have really tried to simplify nutrition as much as possible. Far too many diet books, diet plans and nutrition advice requires so many things to be done that people become so overwhelmed and defeated that they just give up trying. When really it is very simple. If you at least just start drinking water and only eat meats and vegetables you are well on the way to achieving your goal.

These 9 steps will help you to get the overall "mix" of foods right and the good news is once you know the secrets to you, you will never need a diet book or advice ever again because you know what you need. You must be patient as it takes time and a bit of trial and error but well worth it. If you stick to the plan you will find EXACTLY what are the right foods for YOU!

For more ideas and information on specific topics I may not have covered in detail be sure to check out our INDEX PAGE on the website that has over 300 of our best articles. These are all sorted into categories for quick reference so you can find what you are after more easily.

If you would like to know more about our Nutrition Coaching Program fill in the form below and I will get back to you within 24 hours to get you on the road to your best health ever!