What Is The Best Diet For Me? Nothing Is Working!
Know Thyself: Why One Diet Does NOT Fit All! Time and time again it happens.
Some doctor, celebrity, celebrity trainer, or quack job with a good PR firm comes out with a book.
And it has all the answers to everyone's prayers about how to lose weight and stay fit.
It's the perfect diet.
The solution to your problems.
Well, it might be.
But only for a certain percentage of the population.
Not for everyone.
Why? Because we all have different body chemistries.
Preaching To The Choir So I feel for you if you've had a friend who did great on a certain program, but it didn't work for you.
I get what it's like to go low carb and then crash and burn.
Been there.
Done that.
And a whole lot more.
Sure.
We all benefit from not eating trans fats, eating organic, and avoiding processed foods and simple sugars.
What To Think...
What To Eat? But who should eat animal protein? And who shouldn't? Who needs lots of fat? And who needs more carbs? What about grains? Gluten? How about whether or not we cook our food, or eat it all raw? Does it depend on the food? And on and on we go..
...
So What's Up Doc? Who's The Boss? These are all questions that are not best answered by a doctor who lives and practices in another state, whom has never met you or done any of your blood work.
Nor is it a question that is appropriately answered by a best friend...
or me...
or anyone else on the internet.
Your genetics make the final call.
You have your own requirements.
And that is a beautiful thing.
Your Body's Unique Profile - A Snapshot What I would like to do is point out just a few of the factors that can impact how your very own personal body processes different foods.
I'm not here to diagnose you.
Just to point out a few areas of interest to me that I feel you might share.
So here we go.
Blood Type Our blood type determines a lot about what our bodies can best process.
You can get a kit at your local pharmacy to find your own blood type and then use that information to start bearing down on the foods that are most beneficial to you.
A word of caution: There are books and diets out there that highlight blood type as the only factor to consider.
I advise against that.
Although I do think there are correlations to blood type in regards to what we should eat, I don't think its the only factor.
Ignoring other factors would be less than optimal.
Oxidization Type This refers to how fast your body converts carbs and fasts into energy.
Excess proteins are given the same end goal before they are relegated to fat.
This factor is very important in determining how you should eat and the scale is measured, in simple terms, from slow to fast.
And that scale is VERY wide with most people falling somewhere in the middle.
A great system that combines Oxidization Type with Blood Type and Alkalinity tendencies is Metabolic Typing.
That may or may not be the end all be all for you, but it is definitely very interesting.
Acid/Alkaline Balance Tendency Our bodies have a net acid/alkaline balance where they function most efficiently.
On average, the optimal balance for the human body is between 6.
0 and 7.
0 depending on a) the time of day you are testing b) the method of testing c) who's guidelines you are following and d) your own personal chemistry.
Did that clear things up for you? Not for me either.
I wrote that somewhat in jest given all the factors involved.
My point? Your own personal PH is, well, personal.
But it is a factor.
And an important one that no one can predict.
So a book written by someone that dictates what your PH should be and the best way to get there, isn't necessarily the best approach.
But there are some good lessons to be gleaned from them.
Hormonal Factors There are general blood markers and other ways to measure different hormones in the body.
But those markers have a range for a reason.
Because...
you guessed it...
everyone is different.
It stands to reason then that nutritional requirements from person to person change as well.
I Don't Have All The Answers This article wasn't meant to be an exhaustive scientific dissertation on all the factors that effect nutritional requirements from person to person.
But I hope it gets you thinking about the importance of recognizing your own personal chemistry and how that effects what food your body needs.
You don't need to get down and dirty in all the details about how your body functions on every level to figure out how to eat.
Curious About Some Details? But if you've run into trouble trying different ways of eating, there are methods available to help you find out how what kind of diet you may need.
This is a great book that walks you through how to determine your own metabolic type: The Metabolic Typing Diet: Customize Your Diet to Your Own Unique Body Chemistry It's a different way of thinking.
And again, even that book is not a one size fits all.
But I think its a great book and an excellent system to help you learn what your body needs and should avoid.
At the end of the day, your body will tell you what it needs.
The best thing we can do, is learn to listen.
Some doctor, celebrity, celebrity trainer, or quack job with a good PR firm comes out with a book.
And it has all the answers to everyone's prayers about how to lose weight and stay fit.
It's the perfect diet.
The solution to your problems.
Well, it might be.
But only for a certain percentage of the population.
Not for everyone.
Why? Because we all have different body chemistries.
Preaching To The Choir So I feel for you if you've had a friend who did great on a certain program, but it didn't work for you.
I get what it's like to go low carb and then crash and burn.
Been there.
Done that.
And a whole lot more.
Sure.
We all benefit from not eating trans fats, eating organic, and avoiding processed foods and simple sugars.
What To Think...
What To Eat? But who should eat animal protein? And who shouldn't? Who needs lots of fat? And who needs more carbs? What about grains? Gluten? How about whether or not we cook our food, or eat it all raw? Does it depend on the food? And on and on we go..
...
So What's Up Doc? Who's The Boss? These are all questions that are not best answered by a doctor who lives and practices in another state, whom has never met you or done any of your blood work.
Nor is it a question that is appropriately answered by a best friend...
or me...
or anyone else on the internet.
Your genetics make the final call.
You have your own requirements.
And that is a beautiful thing.
Your Body's Unique Profile - A Snapshot What I would like to do is point out just a few of the factors that can impact how your very own personal body processes different foods.
I'm not here to diagnose you.
Just to point out a few areas of interest to me that I feel you might share.
So here we go.
Blood Type Our blood type determines a lot about what our bodies can best process.
You can get a kit at your local pharmacy to find your own blood type and then use that information to start bearing down on the foods that are most beneficial to you.
A word of caution: There are books and diets out there that highlight blood type as the only factor to consider.
I advise against that.
Although I do think there are correlations to blood type in regards to what we should eat, I don't think its the only factor.
Ignoring other factors would be less than optimal.
Oxidization Type This refers to how fast your body converts carbs and fasts into energy.
Excess proteins are given the same end goal before they are relegated to fat.
This factor is very important in determining how you should eat and the scale is measured, in simple terms, from slow to fast.
And that scale is VERY wide with most people falling somewhere in the middle.
A great system that combines Oxidization Type with Blood Type and Alkalinity tendencies is Metabolic Typing.
That may or may not be the end all be all for you, but it is definitely very interesting.
Acid/Alkaline Balance Tendency Our bodies have a net acid/alkaline balance where they function most efficiently.
On average, the optimal balance for the human body is between 6.
0 and 7.
0 depending on a) the time of day you are testing b) the method of testing c) who's guidelines you are following and d) your own personal chemistry.
Did that clear things up for you? Not for me either.
I wrote that somewhat in jest given all the factors involved.
My point? Your own personal PH is, well, personal.
But it is a factor.
And an important one that no one can predict.
So a book written by someone that dictates what your PH should be and the best way to get there, isn't necessarily the best approach.
But there are some good lessons to be gleaned from them.
Hormonal Factors There are general blood markers and other ways to measure different hormones in the body.
But those markers have a range for a reason.
Because...
you guessed it...
everyone is different.
It stands to reason then that nutritional requirements from person to person change as well.
I Don't Have All The Answers This article wasn't meant to be an exhaustive scientific dissertation on all the factors that effect nutritional requirements from person to person.
But I hope it gets you thinking about the importance of recognizing your own personal chemistry and how that effects what food your body needs.
You don't need to get down and dirty in all the details about how your body functions on every level to figure out how to eat.
Curious About Some Details? But if you've run into trouble trying different ways of eating, there are methods available to help you find out how what kind of diet you may need.
This is a great book that walks you through how to determine your own metabolic type: The Metabolic Typing Diet: Customize Your Diet to Your Own Unique Body Chemistry It's a different way of thinking.
And again, even that book is not a one size fits all.
But I think its a great book and an excellent system to help you learn what your body needs and should avoid.
At the end of the day, your body will tell you what it needs.
The best thing we can do, is learn to listen.