Constructing a Diet Plan, Part. 3

Part 1 of this series focused on the primary metabolic indicators that we concentrate on when initially assessing an athlete. Part 2 explained the process of metabolic typing and how it influences the foods we choose to consume as individuals. In this installment we will take the food selection process one step further. 

Metabolic Typing explains to us the main foods we should consume. For example, a carb type should focus on leaner, lighter cuts of meat and seafood while a protien type should focus on fattier, darker cuts of meat and seafood. For further information on what types of food to eat for your individual metabolic type, refer to the charts in Part 2. 

Now, simply referring to your metabolic type will cover most of your nutritional bases. However, to know exactly which foods we should consume and which to avoid, we must combine metabolic typing with food intolerance testing. 

Food Intolerance

Food intolerance is a low-level reaction to a food that has adverse effects on the individual. A reaction to a food may take up to one week to appear, but often occurs within one to two days time. These are different than food allergies, as intolerances are low-level reactions that are difficult to track because they occur over a period of time as opposed to allergies where the reaction occurs instantly. 

Some symptoms of food intolerance include:

-       Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

-       Acid Reflux

-       Brain fog

-       Weight problems

-       Fibromyalgia

-       Chronic fatigue

-       Skin eruptions

-      Migrane headaches

-       Many other lingering health problems

There are many suspect foods in our society that a large majority of people have some level of intolerance to. These general food groups include:

-       Gluten Grains

-       Dairy (especially milk and cheese)

-       Sugar

-       Corn

-       Chocolate

-       Soy

-       Citrus Fruits 

Some specific foods that many people may also have intolerance to include Cow's Milk, Gluten, Yeast, Eggs, Cashews, Brazil nuts, Almonds, Corn, Oats, Chili Peppers, Lentils, Kiwi Fruit and Peanuts. If you think you might be suffering from food intolerance and haven’t yet been tested, start by cutting out all of the above foods, as well as the food groups above. 

Food intolerance can be due to a number of factors and is often based on race and genetics. However, a main cause of food sensitivity is also a repetitive consumption of particular foods. Eating the same food daily can often cause sensitivity to that food in an individual. To combat this problem, make sure you are eating as wide a variety of foods as possible and avoid consuming the same foods day in, day out.

Without removing reactive foods from one’s diet, a high level of health can never be achieved. Many health care practitioners and naturopaths offer special blood tests to determine the reactivity of specific foods to an individual. Self-observation can also help one to determine if they are sensitive to a specific food or not. When in doubt, eliminate all of the listed suspect foods and wait one month. Re-introduce each suspect food one by one, at two week intervals. If symptoms appear upon re-introduction, simply eliminate that particular food entirely.

I personally had a blood test done by Rocky Mountain Laboratories this spring to identify food intolerances in my body. This is a screenshot of part of my results: 

As you can see, it is easy to be severely intolerant to foods that would otherwise be considered "healthy." For me, Eggs were very reactive to my body. I used to eat eggs daily and I have now eliminated them completely from my diet. This particular screenshot only reports on the "meat" section. There are other sections in the report such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and others. There are 90 foods in total that are examined. Another interesting food that I was reactive to was Pineapple. The "report summary" screenshot explains all the foods that I tested moderately and severely reactive to. 

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Imagine knowing that every single food you put into your body was perfect for you as an individual. Combining metabolic typing with food intolerance testing makes this possible. 

The next installment in this series will cover the best foods from each macronutrient bracket (proteins, fats and carbohydrates). Stay tuned!

- T