In the quest for optimal health and well-being, many individuals explore various dietary strategies. Among these, the protein fat efficient (PFE) diet has gained attention as a personalized approach to nutrition. This article delves into the principles, potential benefits, and considerations surrounding the PFE diet, offering a comprehensive overview for those seeking to understand its nuances.
Understanding Metabolism and Metabolic Typing
One of the most influential factors is metabolism. Our metabolism represents a dynamic behind-the-scenes process constantly underway on a microscopic level in your body. This process is responsible for creating, transferring, storing energy (glycogen or fat), and clearing cellular waste. These metabolic cycles happen in the name of homeostasis or to reach a state of balance. It not only regulates energy but also has an impact on weight. Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, dictates how many calories you need for your body to have the energy to perform essential functions at rest. The number of calories (or energy) needed varies between people of different ages, genders, and body compositions. In addition, you are than women with a similar weight and age. As you may already know, the effectiveness of our metabolic processes varies from person to person, meaning the way specific macros convert into energy for me is not necessarily the same for others. The theory is known as metabolic-type dieting.
The autonomic nervous system consists of three divisions, two of which play a critical role in your efforts to reach upper echelon body composition and health. The sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous systems are responsible for how our bodies conserve (store) and consume energy. If you live a fast-paced life, there is a good chance SNS characteristics dominate your body. The daily exposure to acute stress may or may not be suitable for you. It depends on many factors; however, the mountain of scientific evidence suggesting that many critical systems undergo suppression is beyond reproach. PNS dominant people are generally more relaxed and go with the flow compared to the classic A-type personality.
Cellular Oxidation (metabolism) is how your body converts the macronutrients of protein, fat, and carbs into usable energy.
The Core Principle: Metabolic Individuality
The PFE diet is rooted in the concept of metabolic typing, which suggests that individuals process macronutrients differently based on their unique metabolic characteristics. This theory posits that some people thrive on a diet higher in carbohydrates, while others function optimally with a diet rich in protein and fat.
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Defining the Protein Fat Efficient Type
In contrast to carb efficient and mixed metabolic type dieters, those who are fat protein efficient tend to have more substantial appetites, favor salty, savory, or fatty foods and are not satisfied with high-carb meals. This metabolic type is most common in mesomorphs and slightly less so in endomorphs. These dieters are parasympathetic dominant and have higher oxidation rates.
Macronutrient Ratios for the Protein Fat Efficient Diet
The macronutrient breakdown for the PFE diet is 30% carbs, 30% fat, and 40% protein.
Identifying a Protein Fat Efficient Body Type
Determining your metabolic type is the first step to understanding whether or not the fat protein efficient diet is right for your body. It tends to be best for people with high metabolisms. The fast oxidizer type will be the person who feels sluggish or lethargic after going heavy on the carbs. You can also work with a nutritionist or your doctor to answer a series of questions that can guide you towards a metabolic type.
Signs that you could be fat protein efficient include:
- Strong appetite
- Hungry often
- Like to start your day with a solid breakfast
- Crave salty foods more than sweet
- High-carb meals make you feel tired and unsatisfied
Potential Benefits of the Protein Fat Efficient Diet
Understanding your metabolic diet type-fat protein efficient, carb efficient, or mixed metabolic-is vital as no diet is one-size-fits-all. Attempting to live on the wrong diet leads to cravings, irritability, fatigue, excessive hunger, and difficulty reaching your goals. Determining your metabolic type helps you tailor your diet and find what combination of food makes you feel the best.
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- Increased satiety: The higher protein and fat content can promote feelings of fullness, potentially aiding in weight management.
- Stable energy levels: By emphasizing fats and proteins, the diet may help regulate blood sugar levels, preventing energy crashes associated with high-carbohydrate meals.
- Improved nutrient intake: A focus on whole, unprocessed foods can ensure adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals.
Benefits For Females
Let’s review the various benefits women will get from eating a fat protein efficient diet plan. Remember, this diet will work best only if you have a fat protein efficient body type.
- Helps To Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine, & Added Sugars: In large and excessive amounts these things can lead to chronic diseases and health complications. Beer and wine are higher in carb content than liquor, but mixed drinks may contain a lot of sugary additions. Added sugars are hidden in all sorts of packaged foods which are also typically high in carbohydrates. Caffeine and alcohol can also disrupt glucose metabolism and even cause GI side effects. It is important to always check nutrition labels when grocery shopping. Make sure to practice moderation!
- Decrease Your Intake of Refined Carbohydrates & Highly Processed Foods: Highly processed foods and fast foods are going to be very high in refined carbohydrates and other unwanted additives. These convenience foods are tasty and make life easier when time gets away on a busy day. If you calculate how many carbohydrates you consume from these foods you might be shocked. Whole grains or carbohydrates from whole sources such as fruits and vegetables are nutrient packed and provide many more health benefits.
- Increases Intake of Non-Starchy Vegetables & Lower Carb Fruits: By decreasing overall carbohydrate intake you will want to choose foods such as non-starchy vegetables and lower carb fruits. Some fruits and vegetables can be very high in carbohydrates, and even though they are deemed healthier they can still have a lot of carbs and sugar which can affect blood sugar levels. This could be especially beneficial for someone looking to control their blood sugar levels, like individuals with diabetes.
- More Individualized Than Other Diets (Like Keto, Atkins, Paleo): Even though this diet is geared to a certain ‘metabolic type’ it is still more individualized towards a broader group of people than popular diets out on the market. The Keto diet is highly restrictive in carbs (around 5% from daily calories), so as to reach a state of ketosis, and does not focus on specific types of proteins and fats. In ketosis, your body starts using ketones for energy instead of stored glucose, which has negative side effects like headaches, brain fog, nausea, and more. Even though Keto, Atkins, and Paleo are lower carbohydrate diets they are more rigid in structure.
- Helps Avoid High Calorie Restrictive Diets & Very Low Fat Diets: A lot of fad diets focus on being very low in calories and/or very low in fat. These characteristics of diets are not only trending and due to marketing, but not necessarily very good for our health. When we cut lots of calories we deprive our body of the appropriate fuel and nutrients needed to perform daily functions. Fad diets that consist of major restrictions are also not very sustainable. These diets only last for short periods of time, so we quickly falter back to old habits instead of creating lifelong habits. Our bodies are often starved so we overeat to compensate for the energy lost once the diet has ended. Finally, we never tend to fully follow through with the entire diet plan due to the extreme restrictions. A fat protein efficient diet plan for females accounts for individualized calorie needs and adjusts macronutrients accordingly. It fits what is necessary for your body type, making it more sustainable in the long run. It also focuses on eating a well balanced diet and is not telling you to completely restrict certain foods.
Potential Drawbacks and Considerations
- Lack of scientific evidence: The concept of metabolic typing and the PFE diet lack robust scientific validation.
- Nutrient imbalances: Restricting carbohydrates may lead to deficiencies in certain vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Sustainability: Adhering to a restrictive diet can be challenging in the long term.
- Individual variability: Metabolic responses to different diets can vary significantly, making it difficult to generalize recommendations.
Negatives For Females
As with pretty much anything, yes there are also negative aspects of practicing a fat protein efficient diet as a female that need to be considered. Let’s review what they are.
- This diet does not provide a balanced macronutrient intake. The acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges (AMDR) suggest that 45-65% of your daily calories come from carbs, 20-35% from fats, and 10-35% from protein. Balancing macronutrients will look different for everyone and their needs. As previously mentioned, this diet recommends you decrease your carbohydrate intake if you are fat protein efficient. As mentioned earlier you can tell that your macronutrient ranges are going to be far less for carbohydrates and higher for protein and fat. You are not completely cutting out carbs, but it is something to be mindful of. Also a diet with a more balanced macronutrient intake may better support weight loss.
- Metabolic typing is still less individualized than what most people need. Even though this diet can be more individualized than some trendy or ‘fad’ diets you hear about in the media, it still is not very individualized. There are a multitude of factors that contribute to weight that this diet does not consider. Some of those include gut health, genetics, body composition, chronic conditions and diseases, medications, stress, sleep, hydration, physical activity, and so many more.
- You may be eating more foods with ‘unhealthy fats’ in them. This diet requires higher amounts of fat and protein, so naturally and accidentally you may reach for foods with more saturated fat. Saturated fats are found in butter, cakes, biscuits, oils, beef, cheese, bacon, and cured meats. These fats can be inflammatory and cause high ‘bad’ cholesterol. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are better for you and can have health benefits by lowering ‘bad’ cholesterol protecting against heart disease. These fats are found in foods such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish. It is important to be mindful of which fats you are consuming when consuming a diet higher in fats.
- There is not a major amount of research supporting this diet. Even though research is limited, there is no harm from following this type of diet. If you keep your meals balanced by consuming healthy fats, whole grains, and leaner proteins and do not greatly over or under consume your calories in a day, then this diet will be okay. At most you may notice side effects, like tiredness or irritability, if this diet does not cater toward your metabolic type.
Foods to Include in a Protein Fat Efficient Diet
These are the foods you should be eating as a female on a fat protein efficient diet plan.
- Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna)
- Dairy (cottage cheese, yogurt, whole milk, cream)
- Full-fat yogurt (yogurts with whole milk or non reduced fat)
- Pork (tenderloin, sirloin)
- Tofu/Tempeh (firm & extra firm are good for stir frying/grilling)
- Nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, brazil)
- Legumes (chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans)
- Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia seeds, pine nuts, flaxseed)
- Oils (olive oil, canola, avocado, MCT, coconut)
- Low-carb greens (spinach, kale, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers)
- Low-carb fruits (berries, kiwi, oranges)
Sample Meal Plans
It’s probably helpful to have some example meal plans. Let’s review what a typical 2-day fat protein efficient diet plan might look like for women.
Example Day 1
- Breakfast:
- 2 scrambled eggs with spinach (cooked in olive oil)
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- ½ cup full-fat yogurt
- Lunch:
- 4 oz. grilled chicken with pesto sauce
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup balsamic roasted broccoli
- Snack:
- ½ sliced green apple
- ½ cup diced cheddar cheese
- Dinner:
- Cajun shrimp and sausage vegetable skillet
- ½ cup quinoa
- Dessert:
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- Handful raspberries
- 1-2 tbsp dark chocolate chips
Example Day 2
- Breakfast:
- 2 scrambled eggs topped with 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes and mushrooms (cooked in olive oil)
- ½ cup arugula, on top of eggs
- Snack:
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- Lunch:
- Tuna salad: 1 can (4 oz) tuna with mustard and mayo
- ½ cup diced celery and carrots (mixed in with tuna)
- 2 cups spinach
- Snack:
- 1 small peach
- 1 string cheese
- Dinner:
- Glazed salmon with avocado and roasted zucchini
- ½ cup quinoa
- Dessert:
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup full-fat vanilla yogurt
- 1-2 tbsp dark chocolate chips