According to a dietician, if you want to stay in shape, you must eat right for your body type. In a new interview, a Sydney-based nutrition expert explains the three body types and what you should be eating for each one.
Susie Burrell, from Sydney, Australia, told The Daily Mail that different bodies have "different calorie and nutrient requirements," making it crucial to determine your eating based on it.
The first body type is the ectomorph, which is described as slim-boned, long-limbed, and lithe with very little body fat and muscle. Sometimes, this body type is called "vata" in Ayurvedic medicine.
"Long and lean best describes ectomorphs who are better able to handle carbohydrates and good fats than the other two body types"' Burrell told the Mail. "Small regular meals will best suit this body type with a higher proportion of carbs and fats than endomorphs or mesomorphs." A good daily diet for this body type might start with eggs and avocado with potato hash for breakfast and then a brown rice and mixed vegetable bowl for lunch. "Dinner is salmon and vegetable curry with cauliflower rice which has just the right amount of carbs to keep you satiated as an ectomorph," she says. Fruit and yogurt and mini corn on the cob are ideal snacks.
Ectomorphs will benefit from weight lifting if they want to change the shape of their body, Burrell says.
The second body type Burrell considered was the endomorph body type. "This is a more curvy body type in which excess body fat is more likely to be stored in the lower half of the body, including around the waist, hips and thighs," Burrell said. This body type gains weight more easily and has a harder time losing weight, due to a slower metabolism, a soft physique and an ease with putting on muscle.
"This body type may be more likely to be predisposed to insulin resistance, in which carbohydrate metabolism is impacted and weight gain is more likely," Burrell explains. She recommends a moderate or reduced carbohydrate diet in which "lower carb options are chosen to help keep insulin levels controlled." Burrell recommends muesli for breakfast, corn thins with peanut butter and banana as a snack, stuffed potato and salad for lunch and salmon and vegetable stir fry with cauliflower rice for dinner. Greek yogurt with berries and nuts is another snack she suggests.
The ideal workout for this body type involves light cardio like jogging, swimming, walking, or HIIT.
Mesomorphs are defined by an athletic, strong, compact and naturally lean body, explains Burrell, and many athletes fall into this category. "The best way to describe mesomorphs is as strong with an athletic frame and relatively more muscle mass than endomorphs," she added. "Mesomorphs are likely to maintain a smaller waist or hourglass figure compared to endomorphs."
This body type should focus on eating high amounts of protein and good quality carbs to "strike a balance between energy requirements and fuelling the muscles," she says. Burrell recommends a veggie omelet for breakfast, fish and roasted vegetables for lunch, and a naked burrito for dinner. Protein yogurts and/or nut bars are good snacks.
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Mesomorphs are naturally athletic, so she doesn't recommend a specific type of exercise for them.
