On Sun, 20 Sep 1998, Aaron D. Wieland wrote:

> Todd Moody wrote:
> >How does one determine whether one is a fast or slow oxidizer,
> >and is this a fixed fact or something that changes according to
> >environmental demands?
>
> This is a long-winded way of saying that venous blood plasma pH is a
> reliable means of determining whether someone is a fast or slow oxidizer, as
> long as he or she is eating a fairly average diet (a fast or slow oxidizer
> who eats an appropriately extreme diet will have a balanced pH).  For most
> people, it is more practical to simply experiment with a range of diets, and
> determine which one makes them feel better; since each diet will profoundly
> affect one's metabolism (notably energy production), only a few days are
> needed to make an assessment, typically.

Would it also make sense to try pyruvate supplementation and see
if one felt better or worse?

This theory is an interesting adjunct to the hypothesis of
divergent adaptation, since it seems that fast and slow oxidizers
would be suited to different niches.

In my own case, to the extent that I can discriminate, I seem to
feel most energetic on a mixed low-carb but not ketogenic diet.
In ketosis, I eventually (not right away) get that heavy-limbed
feeling, although I haven't stayed in ketosis for more than
month.  Maybe more time is required for adaptation.  I felt good
on the Zone, and equally good with rather less carbs and more
fat.

In terms of specific foods, I enjoy beef and fowl.  I remember
back when I experimented with D'Adamo's type A diet and then fell
off the wagon and had a large steak at Outback steak house.  It
felt *wonderful*, like a dietary kiss!  Of course, that could
just be a rebound effect from the type A diet, but having that
steak certainly felt like a family reunion.  I enjoy chicken and
turkey as well.  Fish tastes good but is not generally
"satisfying", in some way that I can't quite describe.

I have no clue what all this means, in terms of metabolic type.
It would be interesting, though, to attempt to correlate points
on the paleodiet spectrum with metabolic types *and* evolutionary
niches.

Todd Moody
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