Feature Article
Which Foods Are Right For You? A Look At Metabolic Typing

Ever wonder why the Atkins diet worked so well for a friend, but not very well for you? Or why when another friend became a vegetarian, he felt so good that he tried to convert everyone into becoming a "veggie". You gave up your meat and became a carrot cruncher, and still didn't fare as well.

Upsetting, because conventional wisdom seems to be that a vegetarian diet is the way everyone should eat. Hold that thought.

Looking at the optimal pH of your blood.

The optimal pH of blood is slightly alkaline, right around 7.46 (7.0 is neutral). Chronic deviation in either direction will result in ill health. For example, toxins from cavitations (see November & December 2003 issues on cavitations) will create a more acidic environment. As long as one's alkaline reserves are adequate and can compensate and keep the pH at the 7.46 mark, everything will be all right. However, if compensation no longer occurs, symptoms can crop up.

So how does one help to keep the pH optimal?

One way is to get rid of toxins. Another way is through diet. But which diet? The Atkins Diet? The South Beach Diet? The Vegetarian Diet? As Dr. Weston Price, DDS, showed many years ago, there is no one diet that is right for everyone, especially here in the United States.

In the 1920's and 1930's, Dr. Price visited many different cultures. He traveled to the Arctic regions, to the Amazon, to the Scandinavian countries, to the Pacific Islands, etc. Wherever he went, if the residents were on their native diet, health prevailed; there were hardly any health issues like tooth decay, periodontal problems, or degenerative diseases. It was only when a person went off his native diet, that breakdown of health occurred. In Dr. Price's book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, he documents the ill effects of being on the wrong diet. He further observed how these ill effects affected the next generation.

What is your native diet?

Today in the United States, this is hard to know. With the intermarriage of many different cultures how is one to know the right diet? This is where Metabolic Typing is so useful. The goal of metabolic typing is to optimize one's blood pH, thereby improving one's health.

Looking at your metabolism

Each individual produces and processes energy at the cellular level from the food they ingest. A person's metabolism is controlled by one of two primary systems; the oxidative system, or the autonomic nervous system.

The oxidative system is responsible for the conversion of nutrients into energy, and the autonomic system governs the use and distribution of this energy. Both systems are always at work, but one will be more dominant.

Are you a fast or slow oxidizer?

Each group is then further subdivided; if the oxidative system is dominant, then you need to know if you are a fast or slow oxidizer- that is, at what speed does the conversion of nutrients into energy occur?

Are you governed by your sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system?

If you are autonomic dominant, then you want to know if you are governed more by your sympathetic or your parasympathetic nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system tends to "speed things up" while the parasympathetic nervous system tends to "slow things down" i.e. your heart rate, digestion, etc.

Why is it important to know your predominate type?

Remember, in health, your blood pH should be slightly alkaline. Let us assume that upon testing, your blood pH is more to the acid side of optimal. Well, the same food in different metabolic types will drive your blood pH in different directions. For example, you and I are both on the acidic side and we both eat green beans. For me, the green beans are beneficial and help move me towards being more alkaline. For you, however, it has the opposite, detrimental effect. "One man's food can be another man's poison".

This principal is the same if your blood is too alkaline. This also applies to supplements. Thus if you have osteoporosis, it is important to know if you are the type that calcium will help, or are you the type that calcium will exacerbate the condition?

Which foods for you will optimize your pH?

Simple in-office testing which is done over a few hours will tell you your metabolic type and help determine which foods and supplements are best to optimize your energy production and utilization. A follow up test in about 4-6 weeks is recommended to monitor your progress.

Metabolic Typing is another great tool in our struggle for optimal health. Our thanks go to Dr. Harold Kristal, and Dr. William Wolcott for the years spent in developing and perfecting its use.

In our office suite located in Trumbull, Connecticut, Whole-Body Medicine provides Metabolic Typing testing. They can be reached at 203.371.8258. For the name of a practitioner near you who does metabolic typing, visit Dr. Kristal's website at www.bloodph.com

© 2005, Mark A. Breiner, DDS

The information presented is for educational purposes only. You should consult a qualified dentist or health practitioner for diagnosis and treatment.