Wellness 2020: Eating for Your Body Type

When someone asks you what your body type is, what do you say? Short? Tall? Stocky? Lean? But in fact, that person may be referring to your somatotype. Say what? There are three body types, aka, somatotypes:

• Ectomorph
• Mesomorph
• Endomorph

And once you gain a better understanding of what type you fall under, you may be on the right path to:

• eat the right foods to fuel your body
• meet your fitness goals
• lose weight (should you desire)
• maintain weight

  So are you an ecto, meso or endo?* Read on.

Ectomorph

• Characteristics: thin,smaller bone structure, long, lean, lanky
• Examples of ectos: supermodels (Kate Moss), basketball players and celebs like Kate Middleton and Taylor Swift
• Diet should consist of: Higher carbs and lower fats. Moderate protein.
• Why: Ectomorphs have a high metabolism and may find it difficult to put on weight or gain muscle. They might lack muscle mass, so protein intake is key. They can consume and handle a higher amount of carbs than mesos and endos.

Mesomorph

• Characteristics: athletic, muscular build, medium-size bone structure, hourglass figure
• Examples of mesos: gymnasts
• Diet should consist of: Balanced intake of carbs, proteins and fats.
• Why: With their naturally muscular and strong nature, mesomorphs tend to lose and gain weight easily.  

Endomorph

• Characteristics: larger bone structure, curvier or stockier
• Examples of endos: Beyoncé, Marilyn Monroe, Oprah, Jennifer Lopez, football linemen, power lifters
• Diet should consist of: High fats and proteins. Low carbs.
• Why: Losing weight may be a struggle. Endomorphs cannot burn off excess calories as quickly as ectomorphs, and those calories are more likely to be stowed away as fat.[1] Endos are usually sensitive to insulin and carbohydrates—converting high-carb foods into sugar in the bloodstream and storing them as fat rather than burning them for energy.[2]

*Note: The majority of people are a combo of characteristics from one or two of the three body types.

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[1] https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-body-type-eating

[2] https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/5078/how-to-eat-and-train-for-an-endomorph-body-type