EVERYBODY
In 1956 Roger Williams published Biochemical Individuality, asserting that individuality permeates
each part of the human body. This book explained how individual differences in
anatomy, metabolism, composition of bodily fluids and cell structure influence
your overall health. Each person, Williams wrote, “has genetically determined
and highly individualistic nutrition requirements.” This theory influenced some
independent-thinking minds in the nutrition world but is still largely ignored
by mainstream medicine.
One of the major factors shaping bio-individuality is
ancestry. If your ancestors were Japanese, you will most likely thrive on a
Japanese-type diet, high in rice, sea vegetables and fish. If your ancestors
were from India, your digestive system will probably love basmati rice, cooked
beans and curry. If many generations of your ancestors from Scandinavia were
accustomed to eating dairy on a daily basis, it’s natural that your body will
be able to assimilate dairy foods. This theory also applies to foods that you
have difficulty digesting.
For example, many traditional African communities had an
abundance of beans, grains, animal protein, sweet potatoes and green
vegetables. Dairy was not easily accessible or easy to store in hot regions,
and therefore, not a part of the traditional diet. So, it makes sense that a
lot of people of African descent are lactose intolerant. It is a fact that no other animal species, except for
humans,
naturally consumes dairy after infancy.
Your blood type also influences your bio-individuality. Many
people don’t know their blood type, unless they have donated blood or received
a blood transfusion, but the four blood types (A, B, AB, O) have evolved over
thousands of years and offer insight into what foods work best in your body.
Each type can be traced to a certain period of human history with distinct
differences in diet, culture, and social conditions. Each blood type has
developed particular strengths and limitations and knowing them can influence
your health.
Many Type O’s feel energized by eating meat, while Type B’s
are better able to digest dairy. These preferences are based on a chemical
reaction that occurs between the foods you eat and your blood. Some foods are
capable of causing the cells of individuals with a certain blood type to clump
together, while having no impact on the cells of individuals with another blood
type. If you eat a food that is incompatible with your blood type, it could
eventually lead to health problems, demonstrating how one person’s food can be another
person’s poison.
Another aspect of bio-individuality is metabolism, or the
rate at which you convert food into energy. Knowing your personal metabolic
rate is useful when gauging the quantity of food your digestive system can
process. Depending on your metabolic rate, your body may quickly convert
calories to energy, or it may store the extra calories. You may recall that as
a teenager you could wolf down a burger, fries, milkshake and ice cream all in
one meal, without any indigestion or tightening of your jeans. That’s because
young people are still growing, have fast metabolic rates and burn calories
more quickly than adults.
People can be divided into three general types of metabolic
activity. Fast Burners, or Protein types, tend to be frequently hungry and
crave fatty, salty foods and not do well on high carbohydrate or
vegetarian-type diets. Their bodies burn through carbohydrates too quickly, and
a higher protein intake helps slow down their metabolism.
Slow Burners, or
Carbo types, generally have relatively weak appetites, a high tolerance for
sweets and problems with weight control. They require a higher percentage of
carbohydrates to give them energy to speed up their metabolism. Mixed types
generally have average appetites and moderate cravings for sweets and starchy
foods. For them, the ideal diet is a balanced combination of protein and
carbohydrates.
You can determine your metabolic type by answering
questionnaires or taking simple medical tests. Keep in mind that even your
metabolic rate and sensitivity can shift as you age, or as stress levels or
nutrient deficiencies shift in your diet or lifestyle. If this all seems too
confusing and complicated, don’t worry. Just observe how your own body responds
to the food you give it.
People are different, and getting to know your own body is an
essential first step in discovering how to stay healthy.
Metabolic theory
demonstrates that no one diet is right for all of us. You may know people who
can eat processed carbohydrates, such as bread and pasta, and stay very thin
while you gain weight on such a diet. It’s not because carbohydrates are “evil”
or your body isn’t as healthy; it just shows that all people metabolize these
foods differently. You might do better on a high-protein diet with lots of fresh
vegetables and some whole grains.
Knowing what foods you metabolize best will help you to
choose foods that make you feel good and support your individual body. Our
personal tastes and preferences, natural shapes and sizes, blood types,
metabolic rates and genetic backgrounds influences what foods will and won’t
nourish us. So, when the experts say “tomatoes are good for you” or “red meat
is unhealthy,” it’s too much of a generalization. One person’s food is another
person’s poison, and that’s why fad diets don’t work in the long run. They are
not based on the reality that we all have different dietary needs.
Sometimes it takes millions of dollars in funding and years
of research for scientists to prove what we already know. I am certain that
science will soon discover diet needs to be based on bio-individuality. To some
extent, it’s already happening. We see it with the USDA’s new dietary
guidelines and the 12 versions of the food pyramid. These small steps are just
the beginning.
Above Excerpt from “Integrative Nutrition”
Based on what I’ve read here and in other resources
including, “Eat Right for Your Type,” I’ve been aware of this for some time and
have adjusted my nutrition to eliminate foods that are not right for me.
Learning what is right for us requires conscious living and is a part of the
mind/body connection, a key component of being well. Wellness includes all
components of our being, mind, body and spirit/soul. To get well we need to
live in a conscious manner and raise our levels of awareness.
Pay attention to everything you are thinking since our
thoughts become our beliefs and our beliefs are who we are. Have you ever
caught yourself thinking something in a stressful moment that you do not really
believe belongs in your belief system? These are what I refer to as the
implanted beliefs that are hoisted upon us by our influences from our inner
circles. Even though intellectually, we may know these thoughts to be false or
inconsistent with whom we think we are, they will continue to influence how we
think and how we behave.
It is not as hard as it seems but it does take practice.
Connecting the dots of belief, thoughts and actions does take work but until we
do it we cannot clean out the junk. And remember, what another person eats
doesn’t make you fat, and vice versa. Find out what’s best for you. Listen to
your own heart and body about what’s best for you. As you start to pay
attention to what makes you feel good and what does not, you will have the
information you need that is best for YOUR body, mind, and spirit!
Get Up, Get Moving, and Get Well by figuring out what is
right for your wellness and remember,
“CHIT CHAT WON’T BURN FAT
and won’t get rid of the junk holding you back from becoming
the best you possible. Have a great day and Be Well.
