If you are basically healthy, these questions will give you a very rough idea of what your metabolic type might be. If you have food allergies or digestive difficulties, the answers may be misleading. For a more detailed analysis, read The Metabolic Typing Diet by William Wolcott, or contact me for a personalised nutrition plan.

How important is food to you?

A. I don’t even think about it till it’s put in front of me
B. I enjoy my food, but don’t think about it much
C. Very important

How often do you need to eat?

A. 2-3 times day, if that
B. 3 good meals is usually ample
C. Definitely 3 meals, and maybe a snack or two

If you had a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice, or a large coffee first thing in the morning, and then didn’t have chance to have breakfast, would you feel:

A. Fine
B. Hungry, but OK
C. Like you were about to go mad

If you had an all fruit breakfast, would you:

A. Feel satisfied till lunchtime or maybe later
B. Feel quite hungry and definitely want some morning tea
C. Be ready to gnaw your arm off by 9.30am

If you went to your in-laws for lunch and were given a huge steak, a small dollop of mashed potato and a bunch of broccoli with lots of butter, then cheesecake with cream for dessert, would you feel:

A. Sick as a dog
B. A bit heavy and I might not need much dinner
C. Fantastic!

If you wake up in the middle of the night, and feel hungry, would your reaction be:

A. I never feel hungry in the middle of the night
B. No problems, I’ll just go back to sleep
C. Where’s the food?

Mostly A’s – you’re probably more down the Carbo end of the scale. Extreme Carbo’s are the only types who would suit a vegetarian diet or the kind of diet where you eat nothing but fruit before noon. You like lots of fruit and vegetables, but it still isn’t good to overeat heavy carbs such as grains and legumes. And although you don’t need as much fat and protein as the other types, you still need some. You feel better on the lighter proteins such as fish and chicken breast.

Mostly B’s – Like most people, you’re a Mixed type. Aim for a wide variety of different foods. You need a balance of protein, fat and carbs at each meal. Start with roughly equal categories of each, and experiment till you find the balance you feel best on.

Mostly C’s – You’re a Protein type, and if extreme would do well on an Atkins style diet. But the original Atkins diet, not the kind with soy protein powder and Splenda. And make sure you eat plenty of fat (so it’s not a high protein, low fat diet – that would stress your kidneys). Plenty of meat and fish, eggs, and good fats; unlimited low carb veggies; some nuts and seeds; a little fruit; and go very easy on the starchy carbs.

Now you’ve got a very rough idea of what type you might be. If you’re still confused, assume Mixed for now, and go from there.

If you are an extreme type, you may need to choose different foods with each macronutrient group. A Mixed type would have a mixture.

	Protein	Mixed	Carbo
Protein	Organ Meats Red meat Dark Poultry Shellfish Dark Fish	A Mixture	White fish Light poultry Red meat & pork sometimes Small amounts eggs & dairy
Fats	Animal fats Olive oil Avocado Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds	A mixture	Small amounts: Butter Olive oil Nuts & seeds
Veges	Asparagus Beans Cauliflower Celery Mushroom Spinach	A mixture	Salads Greens Capsicum, eggplant, zucchini, tomato Onions, garlic
Carbs	Apples & pears Carrots, turnips, swede Legumes	A mixture	Most fruits Beetroot Parsnip Pumpkin Grains – pref non-gluten, don’t overdo

Each type also needs different ratios of the macro nutrients.

	Protein	Mixed	Carbo
Rough ratio	Carbs – 30% Protein & fat – 70%	Carbs – 50% Protein & fat – 50%	Carbs – 60% Protein & fat – 40%

A typical day may look like:

	Protein	Mixed	Carbo
Breakfast:	Chicken liver pate Carrot sticks	Eggs Toast with butter	Fruit salad Yoghurt
Lunch:	Cold meat Celery and apple salad with mayo	Cold meat Bean salad	Green salad Nut roast
Snack:	Handful of walnuts	Apple with nut butter	Herb tea
Dinner:	Large salmon fillet Spinach cooked with butter	Roast chicken Roast vegetables	White fish Mediterranean style veges

These are rough guidelines, and you will need to fine tune.

Note also that your metabolic type may shift a bit between seasons. An extreme Protein type, for example may find that he needs to be very careful in winter, but in summer can eat a wider variety of foods. Carbo types may be able to tolerate more meat in winter than summer.

Fine Tuning

IF YOUR LAST MEAL WAS IN BALANCE, your short term response (straight after eating, and up to 4-5 hours later) will be:

• No cravings
• Can last between meals with good energy
• Happy
• In a normal state of well-being
• Good mental focus and clarity of thought
• Capacity to handle stress
• Optimal response to exercise
• Optimal health

IF YOU ATE TOO MUCH CARBOHYDRATE, your short term responses (1-2 hours after eating) are likely to be:	IF YOU ATE TOO MUCH FAT OR PROTEIN, your short term responses (straight after eating) are likely to be:
Don’t feel satisfied May crave fat or protein Get hungry quickly Nervous energy Anxiety Tired but wired, jittery Jumpy mind ADHD behaviour Headache	Heavy gut ** Feel full, but hungry ** May crave sweets (in isolation, this could be a sugar addiction) May crave coffee or tea Lethargic, sleepy Mentally sluggish or slow Dull or depressed mood
For a quick fix: Eat a snack high in fat/protein – cheese, nuts, meat, coconut oil slice Avoid further stimulating foods or drinks	For a quick fix: ** Use digestive enzymes with protease & lipase to aid digestion Eat some more starchy carbs – eg. extra serve starchy veges, fruits, or a light dessert if out at dinner Coffee, espresso or tea will lift (but these are not recommended as a habitual fix)
For future meals: Increase your protein & fat (or have heavier proteins like meat instead of chicken) and decrease your starchy carbs (starchy veges, fruit, grains, legumes)	For future meals: Have less protein/fat or lighter proteins, and/or increase your carbs