Fast Metabolism Food Rx, Haylie Pomroy

“Want to feel great, disease-proof your body, and live at your ideal weight?” So begins the the introduction for Fast Metabolism Food RX, by Haylie Pomroy. Now, I’m pretty sure everyone’s answer to this question is going to be a resounding, “YES!” I was certainly intrigued enough to keep reading. As I read further, I learn that the basic premise of Pomroy’s book, is that many of our major discomforts and illnesses such as, GI distress, chronic fatigue, diabetes, high cholesterol, and auto immune disorders; can be treated, even cured with food. 

I think we mostly look at food in conjunction with health as a preventative measure. Don’t eat too much sugar and you won’t get diabetes. Watch your fat intake to keep your cholesterol from getting to high. But we rarely approach food as a potential cure for the diseases we already have. As Pomeroy points out: we turn to drugs to treat the symptoms of our health problems, which does nothing to fix the root cause of the problems. And you’ve gotta say, she’s got a point. Plus, as I can personally attest to the side effects of some medications can often be nastier then the problems they are meant to treat. Using food as a cure for disease instead of turning to medication turns everything on it’s head. 

It sure sounded good to me. But, I’ve got to admit, I was also pretty suspicious of such a big claim. I should mention at this point I am generally skeptical about the idea of eating food in certain combinations, and at certain times of the day, etc. will make us any healthier. I don’t think carbs or gluten is evil (unless you are allergic/have celiacs, then I’ve gotta admit they pretty much are evil). Nor do I believe a whole host of other health claims out there. The skeptic in me wants research, numbers, science! I want something concrete to prove to me that following the guidelines in Fast Metabolism Food RX can really heal disease. So, I researched. 

The conclusion I finally came to in this case is that the volume of research I want to see is just not there yet. Do I mean that Pomroy’s claims are not true? Not necessarily at all. On the contrary, I think Pomroy has seen her methods work in her own life and those she treats; and she offers us the best research she can (there seven pages of references to pretty credible sounding sources and you can google much of what Pomroy tells you and verify it). But, over all in this whole area research is still limited (probably because most of the funding goes to finding new drugs instead). While I actually value antidotal evidence quite a bit I still think we need more scientific study before we can say, “yes you can absolutely heal irritable bowel, or diabetes, purely through diet.” 

That being said, I don’t at all think trying out Fast Metabolism Food RX is a bad idea. (In fact I’m giving one of the prescriptions a go myself.) One way or another we do know how we eat affects our health in major ways, even if what we know is more focused on the preventative powers of food (i.e. the don’t eat too much sugar or you’ll get diabetes thing). It’s not that crazy of an idea that we might be able to cure ourselves with our food as well. There clearly is power in our food, but enough to reverse major damage already done to our bodies? I don’t know for sure. But, if it does work? Wow. So why not try? And at the very least Pomroy certainly steers you towards better health with her prescriptions, so even if you don’t end up cured of your ailment a healthier body overall is still a win. 

So moving on, a little more details about how the whole food prescription thing works. The book begins with some introductory info and a master food list of things that are good for everyone following any of the prescriptions to eat. Then there are the 7 different “prescriptions” or food plans each addressing a different issue (G.I., fatigue, hormones, mood, cholesterol, diabetes, and autoimmunity).  Each prescription has: 

• A power food lists of the very best foods to eat for the problem you are trying to correct.
• Food ‘map(s)’ which tell you what type of food you should eat and when you should eat it.  For example to follow the diabetes/pre-diabetes  prescription you would eat:
  • Breakfast- complex carb, protein, and healthy fat
  • Morning Snack- protein and a vegetable
  • Lunch- protein, vegetable, healthy fat, and a low GI fruit
  • Afternoon Snack- protein and a vegetable 
  • Dinner- complex carb, protein, healthy fat, vegetable
  • Bedtime Snack- protein and a healthy fat
• There is sample food map for each prescription as well, to give you an idea of what that might look like. (i.e. a protein and a vegetable snack might be something like sardines and spinach)
• There is a bit of info about what’s going on in your body because of the disease, and the rational behind the prescription for each disease. 
• Plus there are a few recipes in the back of the book from the sample meal maps. 

Some of the prescriptions have more complicated regimens then then the example I just shared above, but that’s about the basics of it. I should probably also mention that caffeine, alcohol, and refined sugar is a no no for all of the prescriptions.

As far as I can see the major cons of Fast Metabolism Food RX are:

1. Some of the prescription can get kind of complicated.
2. The plans are pretty darn regimented and not especially flexible.
3. Most of the ‘naughty’ foods you probably love aren’t going to make the cut. But that’s pretty typical of most diets/eating plans so I doubt I’m surprising anyone by point that out. 

Of course, those things make a plan hard to stick with and maintain long term. Honestly, while I think it’s worth giving it a try I don’t think someone just casually looking to eat a little better has a high chance of sticking with any of the plans permanently. However, if you’re really suffering from an auto immune disease or on the verge of getting diabetes, well, you might just be committed enough to stick with it and hopefully get some help with your problem. From here I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to whether or not Fast Metabolism Food Rx is right for you. But, let me pose a question for you before I conclude. Back to that whole antidotal evidence thing. Have you ever experienced some type of healing or relief from pain as the result of diet? Please leave a comment and share your experience, I’d love to hear about it! 

 

I received a free review copy of Fast Metabolism Food Rx from Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. The link included in this article for Fast Metabolism Food Rx is an affiliate link. I will receive a small percentage of the sale should you choose to purchase after following the link. I appreciate your monetary support of Feed Me I’m Hungry.