Light Meat or Dark Meat? What’s a LOST GIRL to do?: Metabolic Typing and the Fae

Lost Girl is a Canadian sci-fi TV show that occurs within the world of the Fae (or fairy-folk). The heroine, Bo, is introduced to the world of Fae when finds out she isn’t human, but is actually a succubus. The world of Fae that she discovers she’s a part of is made of two courts: the Light and the Dark.

The Light Fae are more like the goody-two-shoes type who respect the lives of humans and follow certain “accepted” rules. The Dark Fae, on the other hand, have no rules, and don’t have any particular respect for human lives. They blatantly disregard the Light Fae's rules.

If you haven’t seen it yet, Lost Girl has a great mythology of its own, fully-developed characters and awesome sidekicks (my favorite character is Kenzi who is portrayed as Ksenia Solo who has a tendency to tweet incredibly inspiring tweets, constantly. You can follow her here). The show is just finishing it’s third season, and has two seasons available on Netflix Streaming. 

Metabolic Typing

Metabolic Typing is founded on the principle that everyone’s metabolism is unique and based on individual heredity and genetic makeup. According to William Linz Wolcott in his work The Metabolic Typing Diet, The general population usually falls into one of three metabolic groups: Protein Types, Carb Types and Mixed Types, with each type having a recommended percentage of proteins, carbs and fats. According to Metabolic Typing, by identifying which type you are, the more you can tailor your own diet towards your metabolism and at the same time:

*Achieve and maintain your ideal weight

*Eliminate sugar cravings

*Conquer indigestion, fatigue and allergies

*Bolster your immune system

*Overcome anxiety, depression and mood swings

And my opinion on Metabolic Typing? Do I think it works? YES. Why? Because my personal experience with Metabolic Typing has been nothing short of a success, and everyone I've met who's tried Metabolic Typing has also been successful. Metabolic Typing is what got me started on the path to both where I am today both in terms of my diet and in terms of my weight. Before I tried Metabolic Typing, I was a size 12-14, now I’m more of a size 8. But that’s not even the best part. The best part is that in general, I feel better all the time. I have more energy. I don’t crave sweets that are bad for me, such as candy, cookies or cakes. If I’m craving sweets, it’s usually fruit, if I’m craving sweets all. Sweet, huh?

So what’s Lost Girl got to do with Metabolic Typing? 

Well, let me tell you. The similarities between the dichotomies found in both Metabolic Typing and Lost Girl are quite extraordinary, and, well, fun. 

Bo, the Neutral Succubus

In Metabolic Typing, you either fall into the category of Carb Type or Protein Type. Not either one of these, then you’re a Mixed type.

In Lost Girl, you either fall into the category of Light Fae or Dark Fae. Not either one of these, you’re human. Or you’re Bo the Succubus, who refuses to pick a side.

The laws of Metabolic Typing categorize the “ideal” foods for Carb Types as those that are generally accepted to be good for you: light meats (chicken, turkey, light fish), low fats, lots of vegetables and an adequate amount of grains. Protein Types on the other hand have recommended foods that completely ignore or go against generally accepted norms of whats good for you: dark meat, full fats, and starchy vegetables. If you don’t fall into either of these, you’re a Mixed type, with a suggested diet of food from both categories.

In Lost Girl, as I mentioned above, Light Fae follow the rules. Dark Fae, well, they blatantly ignore the rules at whim.

So in a nutshell: Light Fae = Carb Type

                         Dark Fae = Protein Type 

                          Human = Mixed Type (or Bo the Succubus)

And here’s my next question... Where does YOUR allegiance lie? Are you Light Fae (Carb Type?) or Dark Fae (Protein Type). In Lost Girl, the Fae get to choose which side to swear fealty to. However in real life, your heredity kind of chooses for you.  A sort of “preview” if you will of what determines where your fealty is can be seen in the following chart:

If Column A describes you the most, you’re most likely a Carb Type Light Fae, and this is your recommended food list:

If Column B answers are a little bit more your speed, then you’re probably a Protein Type Dark Fae, and this is your recommended Food list:

If you’re best described by both columns and bit of both, you’re a Mixed Type Human. Your suggested "ideal" diet is mixed between both recommended food lists.

BUT READER BEWARE this chart is just the tip of the ice berg. The questions included in this chart are just ten questions out of the original Wolcott questionnaire which has over 60 questions. This is not a comprehensive assessment! If you’d like to know more you can purchase Wolcott’s book here. If you think for the briefest of seconds that Metabolic Typing might help you improve your life like it did mine, it’s worth the buy.

But that’s not the only place where you can get a real questionnaire.  Paul Chek (a hero of men) also has a 14 question questionnaire in his book Eat, Move and Be Healthy, which can be purchased here. And if you’re only going to buy one fitness/health book in your entire lifetime, this is the one to buy. 

Chek also has the questionnaire available here for free (scroll down on the left for the link, although this site does require setting up a username and password.) For this questionnaire, Chek has also developed new names for the types such as Equator Type (Carb Type),  Polar Type (Protein Type), and Variable Type  (Mixed Type), but everything else is the same. But more on Chek at a later date... but boy is he interesting....

And the FINAL QUESTION... What type of Fae am I?

Well, before my creative connections and lateral jump from Metabolic Typing to Types of Fae, I would have told you that no matter how bad ass I would want to be, I’d probably be a Light Fae. However, as my hereditary background would have it, I’m Dark Fae all the way baby! And I LOVE it! Bring on the red meat and the full fat dairy! I got lucky this time around, because I got to lose weight and shrink sizes eating all the good stuff. Yum!

So that about wraps it up for Metabolism and Fae, but if you have any questions, or would like to know more, feel free ask.  I’d be more than happy to point you in the right direction, although I can’t promise I won’t be as mischievous as any of the Dark Fae.

***The Recommended food lists for this post were taken from Paul Chek's Eat, Move and Be Healthy.***

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

The Houston Zoo held a Bear Awareness Day this weekend, and as a volunteer there, I signed up for a shift at one of the tables for the event. The purpose of the event was to make Texans aware that Black Bears are starting to migrate into East Texas, and homeowners, hikers, and campers alike should take certain precautions for their safety, and for the safety of the bears.

However, being the nerd that I am, not even 5 minutes after arriving at the Bear Awareness Day tables, I couldn’t help but think of NBC’s The Office and the scene where Jim imitates Dwight making the comments “Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica”  and “Bears eat beets. Two statements that are generally instantly recognizable by The Office fans. If you haven’t seen this before, or would like to see it again, here’s a clip: 

Then I saw the tray the Houston Zoo keepers had out to show what kind food the Houston Zoo feeds all of its bears in residence. As it turns out, bears are known to have a sweet tooth, (which explains Pooh and his hunny).

 

But what I discovered from talking to the bear keepers, was that the bears are fed mostly produce, and about a cup of biscuits a day, which can be seen in the picture on the left. Most bears are also given fish every other day or so, and are also given honey as  a treat.

After hearing and seeing this I had two thoughts.

My first thought was that these bears eat so much healthier than the average person, and while the average person should probably be eating as many, or almost as many fruits and vegetables on this tray daily, most people shy away from them. And if people have a sweet tooth, they’ll eat candies, cookies, and cakes, many of which are filled with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup, which is equivalent to a highly refined unnatural sugar. 

So take it from the bears, if you have a sweet tooth, try switching out candy with fruit, or refined sugar with all natural honey, or agave nectar. You will be amazed at the difference between eating natural simple sugars found in fruits and vegetables and honey. And while any types of sugars in excess are bad for you, you’re much better off eating too much apple or too much honey, than too much cake or candy.

So what was my second thought you ask?  Bears DO eat beets. Or at least in the zoo they do. This thought of course initiated a domino effect of considering all relationships between bears, beets, and Battlestar Galactica. I had made the connection between bears and beets, but what about bears and Battlestar Galactica? Then I remembered a PETA campaign with Jamie Bamber (who portrays Lee Adama in BSG) and BAM!

Small world, no? Then I thought about it some more (because two hours volunteering can sometimes offer time to think). Bears, Beets and Battlestar Galactica are a trifecta of sorts, so is there any what that all three are connected? And then I impressed myself with my own creative and analytical abilities which could only be fueled by organic foods:

If you modify “beets” to “beats”, then yes, Bears, Beats and Battlestar Galactica are inseparable, because the composer for the re-imagined series of Battlestar Galactica is indeed named Bear McCreary.

Crazy, I know. But it still gets better. Every five years, there is an anniversary convention to celebrate Battlestar Galactica in Houston (where I just so happen to live), and this year, Galacticon 3 will be held in the George R. Brown Convention center in Houston, Texas. (For more information click here). ANNNNDDDDD... one of the panels that will be held is actually called “BearTrek: Bear, Bears & Battlestar, a panel hosted by Shawn O'Donnell" (full description can be found here). Needless to say, I will be in attendance.

So just remember, even if you have a bear-sized sweet tooth, steps towards a healthier lifestyle, such as replacing refined sweets with fruits and refined sugars with natural sweeteners like honey, agave nectar and stevia can be quite simple. But simple, doesn’t always mean easy, so when you debate whether you should give up and give in to refined sweets when a healthy alternative is available, take a few seconds and ask yourself: 

Did the remaining members of the crew of Battlestar Galactica ever give up in their fight for survival and their search for Earth? 

No, they did not. 

So say we all.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY 10th DOCTOR!!!

As it turns out, yesterday was David Tennant’s birthday. Hurrah! I meant to post this much sooner, but time got a little wibbley-wobbley on me and before I knew it the 10th Doctor’s birthday was through. I had every intention of being timely, but if you pay close attention, the Doctor isn’t usually on time either. Rather than get to exactly when and where he plans to go, he usually ends up where’s he’s needed, and I’d like to think that life works that way too. Plans don’t always come out as you plan them, and in my personal experience is that when my plans don’t always go as planned, I usually end up doing something that needed to be done, or end up being somewhere where I was needed, and well, everything usually works out. And remember:

Everything comes out alright in the end. If it’s not alright, then it’s not the end.

Anyways, I digress. In celebration of the 10th Doctor’s birthday (He’s 42 this year, a rather significant number: read here),  I’ve decided to share a recipe for banana daiquiris. :)  And as many Whovians are quite aware, it was the 10th Doctor who invented them (400 years early to be exact) and so I find it appropriate for the occasion. It also turns out that most banana daiquiris are completely gluten free, as rum is generally gluten free. (Although a caveat to the gluten-sensitive nerds out there: Beware of flavored rums as they could be harboring wheat, barley or malt).

So, to answer Jack’s timeless question: Why is all the rum gone?! Because it’s practically gluten-free, so even us gluten-free nerds can drink it. 

Now on with the recipe.

INGREDIENTS 

(This recipe serves two, a glass for the

 Doctor, and one for his companion.)

3 oz light rum 

2 tbsp triple sec

2 bananas

3 oz. lime juice

2 tbsp sugar

2 cherries

DIRECTIONS 

Combine all the ingredients (except for the cherry) and 1 cup of ice in an electric blender. Blend on a low speed for five seconds, then blend at high speed until firm. Pour contents into 2 cups/glasses. Garnish each with a cherry. 

And Allons-y!

Welcome!

Hi there!

Welcome to Holistic Health Nerd, where Health, Happiness and Nerdom unite! 

So what’s going on here? How does this work? 

As a nerd, I have always valued my brain and what I put in it (high-quality sci-fi material of course!). In a nutshell: I love my brain; and I want it to last forever while functioning at warp speed. A couple of years ago, I discovered the world of holistic health. And even while playing Scully to most holistic health Mulders, I was won-over by some of several holistic principles, theories and beliefs. I have also discovered that if you put some of this stuff together, something amazing happens: an increase and happiness and well-being. And Chief, you have no idea what that really means until you experience it for yourself. Like Batman? Who doesn’t? Want to FEEL as great as Batman? Now we’re talking.

Why Holistic Health and Sci-Fi Nerdom? 

Let’s just say I’m a fan of both worlds, and almost everything I’m obsessed with falls into one of these two categories. And while many people normally wouldn’t associate these traditionally separate realms, I can’t help but interpret and associate life and holistic health principles into sci-fi concepts with my nerd brain. For example, take the two pictures below. Most people look at life like this:

But like Dr. Ian Malcom suggests in Jurassic Park “Life finds a way...”. I interpret this more  as: “Life finds a way to make things much more complicated.” Such as transforming visiting a theme park into visiting a theme park while running for your life from dinosaurs. Smart ones.  And consequently, I view life in a more entropic and wibbly wobbly timey-wimey perspective as is suggested by the Doctor Who timeline:

And of course, as a nerd (a Whovian in particular), this makes complete sense, maybe even more sense than the first timeline. In a way, I think it’s more real. I’m pretty sure, to me, at least, my life seems more like a Doctor Who episode than what theoretically happens...

I have the same outlook on health. Most people would probably say that health comes from working out, and eating right, and well, that’s it. They would also argue probably a simple theoretical formula: start off healthy, eat well, work out to train or keep off weight = BAM! Great Health! They would also probably say great health and mental well being can be explained by boiling down things to this: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (not to knock Maslow, he’s awesome)

However, in my opinion there’s a couple of kinks in all this normal timeline business, and the generally accepted outlook... What if you didn’t start off healthy?  What if what society has determined as healthy and nutritious, well, really isn’t? Where’s the mental, spiritual, or awareness of self aspects of things? And what, exactly does Maslow’s hierarchy look like on the ground level? For analyzing someone else Maslow’s got it dead on. But when I’m looking at my own life, what does it all mean?

From my experience, holistic health on the ground level, looks a little more like this:

Where overall and holistic health both results from and has impact on  ALL of  its components. This concept also happens to cause a completely reinforcing cycle which can be shown in the really cool diagram above that my nerd brain translates into this:

Or, if you’re not so familiar with the Winchester brothers.  Maybe this:

***Disclaimer: Although holistic health is a powerful force, there is no direct proof that it can protect one from demonic possessions or cylons.***

So what’s in it for me?

Well Maslow got it right when he said that man is a social animal. 

And this is can be seen directly in nerd behavior and obsessions with cons.

However, I have yet to find a subset of nerds that are as obsessed with and enthusiastic about holistic health as I am, which is not to say they don’t exist, just that we haven’t declared ourselves yet.  So like Klaus from TVD (except without the vampire status, but as an original none the less), in the absence of a “perfect” family, I hope to create my own hybrids who care about their holistic health just as much as they obsess over all things in their respective nerd realms. Look what nerds have done around the world to show their love and fandom. Now imagine what they could do for themselves, and the universe if they could unite in taking an interest in themselves, both in mind and body. And they’d also get to feel like Batman. All the time.

So happy reading, nerd on, and may the force of holistic health be with you!

Allons-y!

Sama