Many people are confused as to what type of diet is the "healthy one." While there are some dietary principles that would benefit the majority of people, such as eliminating grains and sugar, the truth is that no one diet is right for every person.

If you are already feeling good, eating should, at the very least, help to maintain your energy level. But if you feel worse in some way an hour or so after eating, such as:

• You still feel hungry even though you are physically full
• You develop a sweet craving
• Your energy level drops
• You feel hyper, nervous, angry or irritable
• You feel depressed

... then it might be due to an improper combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates at your last meal. You might be eating the perfect foods for your metabolism, but having too much of one type of food in place of another can easily produce the symptoms listed above.

Many people come to my office eating very high-quality nutritious foods and are still quite sick. They haven't touched sugar or junk food in ages and still suffer with many health problems. There are a number of reasons for this, but one of the major physical ones is related to the fact that they are not eating appropriate foods for their Metabolic Type.

If you haven't yet read the book The Metabolic Typing Diet I would strongly encourage you to do so as it reviews these topics extensively. The story that follows was contributed by a doctor in Japan who wrote to William Wolcott (the author of "The Metabolic Typing Diet") to tell him about his success with Metabolic Typing. When you read his story, you will get a feel for the significant impact this method can have on health.

Dear William Wolcott,

I greatly appreciate your book "The Metabolic Typing Diet."

I am a Japanese medical doctor who, five years ago, succumbed to illness of a flu infection, and I could not work for one year due to my poor physical condition. Before that, I had been aggressively working as a chest surgeon (I work as a primary doctor at the present.).

I have experienced trauma and have been afflicted by tinnitus, anorexia, headache,
urinary disturbance and other various autonomic imbalances for a long time.

At that time I was disappointed in modern medicine, but I had hopes for oriental medicine and I knew of diet therapies like macrobiotics.

Soon, I got started on the macrobiotic diet. I stopped all animal foods and dairy products. In 1999, I consulted Michio Kushi [one of the founders of macrobiotics] when he visited to Japan. He was gentle and advised me sincerely. In 2000, I visited the Kushi Institute [a well-known macrobiotic educational center] for three months because I wanted to study macrobiotics and know the real situation of macrobiotics in Americans.

Frankly speaking, I was discouraged. People who stuck closely to macrobiotics were barebones, not healthy and looked ghost. They were always irritated. Some teachers were nice and were good advisers, however almost all macrobiotic women had hard personalities and were not calm. On the other hand, almost all macrobiotic men were feminine.

Why? Macrobiotic people do not eat animal foods--they eat grains and vegetables.

In Japan there is a similar phenomenon. People who stick to George Ohsawa-style diet [a macrobiotic-type diet] are thin, aging and not calm. Most of his successors were not long-lived.

After flying back to Japan, I adhered to macrobiotics consistently because I believed that "Yan repels Yan," so Yan human should not eat Yan animal foods.

(Certain Japanese brown rice-diet authorities affirm that eating animal food is against the universe law, so if you eat animal food, you are sure to end your life.)

However, I began to feel sick when I ate much more brown rice. So, I ate
more vegetables. After doing this, my brain became sharp unlike before, but I could not gain strength. I got tired easily; I always felt hungry and my body became rigid.

All this time, I had repeatedly asked myself a great question: whether humans
should eat animal foods.

One month ago, I learned of your book through Dr. Joseph Mercola's Web site. Soon I read "The Metabolic Typing Diet" and learned that I am a "Protein Type" right on.

At last I figured out the mystery.

Now I know why certain people feel refreshed when eating brown rice, but certain people do not.

I learned that I should consume animal protein and fat. No, I MUST consume them.

Lastly, I abandoned being a so-called macrobiotic vegetarian and started eating fish and eggs and taking flaxseed oil.

The transitional period was short, and I now feel refreshed. I have no doubt that I was lacking protein and fat.

I appreciate knowing www.mercola.com and "The Metabolic Typing Diet." I am not yet in perfect condition, but I am relieved from anxiety and distress. I believe that I will return to health increasingly.

Japanese have eaten animal foods from ancient days. People living on the seacoast have eaten oceanic fish, shellfish and seaweed; people living in the mountains have eaten wild game and freshwater fish. Naturally they have eaten various grains and seasonal vegetables, and the Japanese have been active and sharp.

However, Japan has been westernized, and therefore we have forgotten our traditional diet.

Nowadays, poor-quality animal foods and vegetables, processed foods and junk
foods penetrate down to the streets. Almost all fish are contaminated, and there are few organic animal foods. Many Japanese people are sick, and there are a lot of crimes--absolutely regrettable.

Now is the time to recover a proper diet in Japan, but most Japanese physicians play down the role of diet in health. In the future, Japanese physicians must study the relationship between diet and disease.

Sincerely,

Yasumasa Takeda, MD
Chiba, Japan

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