Vegetarians vs. Meat-Eaters - Who is Metabolically Correct?

A week or so ago, I received an email from one of my clients. While she was generally happy with the results of her metabolic nutrition profile and her customized food chart, she did have one complaint. "I'm disappointed that there are no provisions for vegetarians in this plan," she said.

Unfortunately, that's a misunderstanding about metabolic typing. There are lots of provisions for vegetarians.

As a matter of fact, of the 24 Real Metabolic Types, the four types marked as "Sympathetic ANS" are the most likely to be able to eat a vegetarian diet. And especially the "Sympathetic ANS/Gonadal" type is probably the best suited of all types to vegetarianism. In addition, the four types marked as "Slow Oxidizer" can also do well on a slightly-modified vegetarian diet.

The problem isn't that "metabolic typing" is incompatible with vegetarianism. There are at least eight types that we can work with to create primarily vegetarian diets. It's not "metabolic typing" but "your personal metabolism" that may not be suited for vegetarianism. Some people are just not metabolically right for a vegetarian diet.

I understand why this frustrates some people. It certainly frustrated me!

As most of you know, I ate mostly modified vegetarian - and sometimes exclusively vegetarian - for 20 years. It was only when I developed serious problems with my weight and health that I was forced to realize that being a vegetarian wasn't working for me.

And when I found out that I was metabolically a Fast Oxidizer, I knew why it didn't work. Fast Oxidizers require animal protein. There were no two ways about that. I needed animal protein to get my weight under control and to solve many of my health problems.

Unfortunately, when I was eating vegetarian, I was eating with my "brain". I had made a conscious mental decision that vegetarianism was healthy, and was eating according to what I "thought".

That's the reason I named one of the reports in your MetaTyping Nutrition Plan, “Eat with Your Body”. Too many of us eat with our "thoughts" or with our "tastebuds", ignoring signals such as weight gain and organ dysfunction that are coming from our body.

Of course, what's true for vegetarians is also true for meat-eaters. A number of metabolic types, such as mine, do extremely well as heavy meat-eaters. But if your metabolism isn't right, then eating meat will cause you health and weight problems as well.

I look at the way most of eat as the result of "brain-washing". We've been brain-washed into thinking a certain way of eating is healthy, or we've brain-washed ourselves through our brain's "pleasure centers" that certain foods taste good. And we eat according to this brain-washing.

If you want to control weight and be your healthiest, you have to get rid of this brain-washing. You have to eat right for your whole body, not for just your brain and your taste-buds.

I understand that some people are vegetarians for socially-conscious reasons. So they often email me before completing their nutrition profile, saying that if their profile says they should eat meat, they won't eat it.

Well, I have to tell them that I'm sorry, but I can't guarantee what their metabolic type is. Your metabolic type is often set at birth. You were born with your type. I know you've decided vegetarianism is good for most of the planet, but it may not be good for one special part of the planet, your body.

I understand and sympathize, because I was vegetarian partially for social reasons as well as for health reasons. And whether you are a confirmed vegetarian or a confirmed meat-eater, well if you are lucky, you can eat contrary to your metabolism for many years before you start developing weight and health problems. But ultimately, like me, you will develop problems if you eat contrary to your metabolic type.

Fortunately, many people are pleasantly surprised with their metabolic type. Often they find that many of their favorite foods are listed as ideal or acceptable for their types.

As one of my clients wrote, "I was pleased to discover that shopping and meals won't be a problem for my husband and me. I was also happy to realize that the program is not as restrictive as I had feared."

Or as one of my other clients recently told me, "I'm eating foods that I love but have avoided for years [as unhealthy] and feeling the best I ever have."

Fortunately, that's more often the case - people are surprised to find what is ideal or acceptable for them. And once you start eating with your body, you may just find those pesky weight problems and those persistent health problems disappearing! Soon you too will be looking and feeling the best you ever have.

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