What is Diet Type?
Did you ever wonder why some people appear to have really fast metabolisms, enabling them to eat everything and never gain weight, where others’ metabolisms are so slow that they eat like birds and never lose weight? Some people wake up ravenous in the morning, and others grab a cup of coffee and do not feel hungry until the afternoon.

The answer lies in the manner in which each person extracts energy from his or her food.  Lions, for instance, will get more energy out of protein and fat sources of food than vegetarian sources.  Giraffes are the opposite.  In other words, a lion will eat meat because the lion is able to obtain more energy from protein (meat) than carbohydrates (fruits, for example). Thus the lion naturally eats more meat and is what we call a “carnivore” or meat-eater. These and other interesting facts occur because of Individual Diet Type.

After years of testing patients’ diet types at Caring Medical we determined that people fit into five categories. Kerri Slivka, Nutritionist, Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois, helped us determine where these diet breakdowns fit into the animal kingdom:

The Hauser Diets:
Hauser Diet #1: “Lion” - 85% protein/fat and 15% carbohydrates
Hauser Diet #2: “Otter” - 75% protein/fat and 25% carbohydrates
Hauser Diet #3: “Bear” - 50% protein/fat and 50% carbohydrates
Hauser Diet #4: “Monkey” - 35% protein/fat and 65% carbohydrates
Hauser Diet #5: “Giraffe” -  20% protein/fat and 80% carbohydrates

Ask The Expert: When asked what would happen if an animal were to eat the wrong type of diet, Kerri answers, “For horses (this would apply to captive zoo equids as well), excess starch (grain compared to hay) can decrease the pH of the GI tract, which can lead to gas which can lead to lactate absorption and metabolic acidosis.  This can cause colic, diarrhea and laminitis.  In domestic cats, high carbohydrate (cereal) diets increase blood glucose and insulin.  It can predispose cats to obesity and diabetes.  In domestic dogs (and I would apply this to some bear species) high fat diets are associated with pancreatitis.”

“Nutrition can also affect reproduction as well.  Weight issues for the females can lead to difficulties in getting pregnant, giving birth or laying eggs.  In males, if they are too chubby to mount the female, weight is an issue too.  Beyond the physical, imbalanced nutrients (low vitamin E, carotenoids, fatty acids, for example) can reduce fertility.  Viability of eggs can be affected by any number of nutrients.”

So as you can see, eating the appropriate diet for your Diet Type can significantly alter your health.