The metabolic diet is based on the point of managing your insulin level, too much insulin over an extended duration of time leads to accumulation of body fat and too tiny leads to a muscle break-down. Neither is good for a healthy life style. The flip side of these negative effects are that higher level of insulin has an anabolic effect, plainly put, it helps you build muscle mass. A lower level of insulin has a catabolic effect, in other words helps you lose weight.
Structured phases
To accomplish the benefits of construction muscle mass and reducing or maintaining body fat the metabolic diet is structured in two phases. A low carbohydrate, high protein phase that lasts for 5-6 days and then a moderate carbohydrate, moderate protein phase that lasts for 1-2 days. The arrival of phasing your diet in a structured way is called structured phase shift diet. Most famous diets such as the Atkins diet, South Beach, Zone are all monophasic diets, in other words they are built on one phase which you have to utter with tiny variation. The monophasic diets may be flourishing but ask anybody who have tried, it's like balancing on knife's edge and while that may be doable for a unavoidable distance of time it is very spellbinding to do so over months, let alone years. The metabolic diet brings you the best of two worlds, you optimize the unavoidable impact of insulin as a muscle manufacturer while minimizing the adverse impact of insulin in body fat And to do so you break up the tough low carbohydrate phase with a short moderate carbohydrate phase to allow for variation.
Those of you who are well-known with the world of bodybuilding will recognize this as it is very beloved among body builders to utter a spoton diet 5-6 days a week and then have one "eating day" when they eat whatever they can get their hands on and in which ever amount they can handle.
Inspired by our ancestors
The phasing is genuinely similar to how are ancestors ate. For most of the human history, all the way up until agricultural society, humans were hunting for meat. They enjoyed this high protein, low carbohydrate diet for a few days and then shifted over to a more carbohydrate rich diet until the next kill. At that time carbohydrate rich meant plainly growing plants, vegetables and berries.
In this way the metabolic diet is very similar to the paleo diet but there are two important differences. The paleo diet is monophasic which, as you know by now, means that you have to utter constant ratio of carbohydrates to protein and fat. Secondly, the shorter moderate carbohydrates phase of the metabolic diet is more liberal than the paleo diet and you will find that the menu typically includes pizza, pasta, rice and bread.
Metabolic diet in modern society
The phases of the metabolic diet are such that it is fairly easy to accommodate a public life. If time the 1-2 day moderate carbohydrate phase to the weekend you can join your friends for supper without the torture of refraining or being heckled by your friends.
The diet of modern community is based on plenty with tiny consideration of nutritional value, impact on hormone levels and body composition. Carbohydrates are easy to furnish in high volume and to store, in Europe it is potatoes and in Asia it is rice.
Since a high carbohydrate diet is such a big part of culture it can be very difficult to break away and implement the 5-6 day low carbohydrate phase.
Getting started
I will get you started on your journey to a healthy life with tips on how to implement the metabolic diet and how to join regular practice in the coming articles but for now I want you to try this for a week: Pick your main meal of the day, let's say it is dinner. For every second supper during the next 7 days replace your "modern community bulk carbohydrates" (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, etc) with vegetables. Try to get fresh vegetables and mix the colors.
This may wish some planning as it takes a bit more work to put in order vegetables than to boil pasta. The easiest way, and to me the tastiest, is to just wash the vegetables, sprinkle them in olive oil and put them in the oven for 45-60 minutes.
It is important that you effect through and have a total of 4 meals with vegetables instead of your typical staple carbohydrate before you evaluate.
So, get started on your journey to a healthier life style and I'll be back with more tips on the metabolic diet soon.
