Metabolic Nature Assessment | Detective Health

01 Energy and Vitality Patterns ▼

How your energy behaves throughout the day, after meals, and in different circumstances reveals a great deal about your oxidative rate and autonomic tendency.

Q1How would you describe your general energy level through the day?

High and sustained — I have good energy from morning through evening with no significant crashes Moderate and steady — not particularly high but consistent, without dramatic highs or lows Variable — good in some periods, noticeably low in others, often tied to what I've eaten Reliable but not exceptional — I rarely feel very high energy but am generally functional Inconsistent — varies significantly day to day without obvious pattern

Q2How do you feel approximately 1–2 hours after a meal?

Energised and clear — a good meal of the right foods gives me noticeable energy lift and mental clarity Comfortably satisfied — I feel full and calm but not particularly energised or particularly sleepy It depends entirely on what I ate — the right meal is great, the wrong one makes me sleepy or gives me cravings within the hour Slightly sleepy or sluggish — I often feel a dip in energy after eating, particularly after larger meals Unpredictable — sometimes great, sometimes poor, even with similar meals

Q3What happens if you skip or delay a meal?

I become irritable, anxious, shaky, or get a headache — I do not function well without regular food I feel hungry but can manage reasonably well — I don't experience dramatic symptoms I get a noticeable energy crash or mood change — blood sugar feels like it drops quickly I can go quite a while without eating — I don't get strongly hungry or symptomatic when fasting I tend to not notice hunger until I'm very hungry, then it hits suddenly

Q4How is your energy first thing in the morning?

I wake easily and feel alert quickly — mornings suit me well I wake well enough and warm up within 30 minutes — no particular difficulty Variable — some mornings good, others difficult, often linked to the previous evening Slow to get going — I need time to warm up and feel functional Consistently difficult — I feel tired on waking regardless of sleep duration

02 Macronutrient and Food Responses ▼

How your body responds to protein, fat, and carbohydrate — both immediately after eating and over time — is one of the most direct indicators of Metabolic Nature type.

Q5How do you feel after a high-protein, high-fat meal (e.g. steak, salmon, eggs with butter, meat with vegetables)?

Excellent — sustained energy, mental clarity, satisfaction lasting 4–5 hours, no cravings Good initially but sometimes feel heavy or sluggish later Good at some meals but not others — depends on how much fat and protein specifically Not ideal — I feel better with lighter protein and more carbohydrate Poor — heavy protein and fat leaves me feeling tired, bloated, or sluggish

Q6How do you feel after a high-carbohydrate meal (e.g. pasta, rice, bread, potatoes with minimal protein)?

Poor — I feel sleepy, brain-fogged, or get sweet cravings shortly after Fine — I feel satisfied and maintain good energy from carbohydrate-rich meals It depends — small amounts of carbohydrate work, large amounts cause energy crashes Generally good but I need some protein alongside or I get hungry quickly Variable — I can't predict how I'll respond

Q7What best describes your appetite and eating pattern?

Strong appetite, get hungry quickly, eat frequently and prefer substantial meals with protein and fat Moderate appetite, can manage well on 3 regular meals, not strongly driven by food Appetite varies — sometimes strong, sometimes absent, prone to sugar cravings between meals Low-to-moderate appetite, comfortable eating smaller and lighter, not urgently food-driven Don't notice hunger much until very hungry — tend to eat less overall

Q8What do you crave when your energy is low or you're stressed?

Protein and fat — meat, cheese, nuts, or fatty foods Fruit, bread, starchy foods, or something light Sugar, sweet things, or refined carbohydrates Salt and savoury foods more than sweet I lose my appetite when stressed and don't crave anything particularly

Q9After eating, how long before you feel hungry again?

2–3 hours — I get hungry relatively quickly even after a full meal 4–5 hours — a decent meal keeps me satisfied for most of the morning or afternoon Depends on the meal — protein and fat keep me satisfied longer, carbs lead to hunger quickly 5+ hours — I'm often not hungry until well past a typical mealtime I don't reliably notice hunger — I sometimes forget to eat

Q10How do you respond to eating fatty foods like cream, butter, oily fish, avocado, or nuts as a primary component of a meal?

Very well — these foods sustain my energy and I feel best when fat is a significant part of my meals Fine in moderate amounts but I don't need large quantities to feel satisfied Good sometimes — I can handle fat well at some meals but not others Moderate — I prefer lighter preparations and don't crave fatty foods particularly Not well — rich or fatty foods feel heavy and may cause digestive discomfort

03 Stress, Mood and Emotional Patterns ▼

The autonomic nervous system — sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) — significantly influences Metabolic Nature. How you respond to stress and pressure is a key indicator.

Q11How would you best describe your dominant emotional tendency when under pressure?

Anxious, reactive, or impatient — I tend toward stress and urgency more than calm Calm but can become withdrawn or flat — stress tends to make me quieter rather than reactive Variable — sometimes anxious, sometimes flat, often related to blood sugar and what I've eaten Generally steady — I don't react strongly to most stressors Hard to categorise — my response to stress varies significantly

Q12How does stress tend to affect your digestion?

Strongly — stress causes stomach upset, loose stools, or digestive discomfort relatively quickly Mildly — I notice some digestive changes under stress but it's not dramatic Significantly — stress disrupts my digestion and is clearly linked to my gut symptoms Minimally — stress doesn't strongly affect my gut in most circumstances Stress tends to suppress my appetite and slow my digestion

Q13How do you handle cold temperatures?

I feel the cold strongly — I am frequently colder than others in the same environment I tolerate cold well and don't particularly feel the cold Variable — sometimes I run cold, sometimes warm, it changes I tolerate both cold and heat reasonably well I tend to run warm and am rarely particularly cold

Q14How do you respond to caffeine?

Sensitive — caffeine makes me noticeably anxious, jittery, or wired even in moderate amounts It works well — I feel alert and functional with caffeine without significant side effects Mixed — good in small amounts, too much causes anxiousness or poor sleep Don't respond strongly — caffeine doesn't particularly stimulate or bother me I metabolise it quickly — I need caffeine to feel alert but it wears off fast

Q15When you are in a poor mood or feeling emotionally flat, what tends to help most?

Eating a good protein and fat-rich meal — my mood is strongly tied to food quality and macronutrient balance Rest and something light to eat — I tend to need quiet rather than stimulation Eating something — when I'm low I usually need food and it often improves with a balanced meal Light exercise or walking — movement helps more than food in most cases Social connection or distraction — food doesn't reliably shift my mood

04 Sleep and Recovery Patterns ▼

Sleep quality, sleep duration needs, and how you feel on waking all reflect HPA axis function, melatonin-cortisol rhythm, and autonomic balance.

Q16How long do you typically need to sleep to feel properly rested?

7–8 hours — I wake feeling refreshed on a good night's sleep of this duration 8–9 hours — I tend to need more sleep than average to feel my best 6–8 hours but quality varies — the quantity isn't as important as whether I actually sleep deeply 7 hours is enough — I don't tend to need long sleep Variable — my sleep needs change significantly from week to week

Q17How does your diet affect your sleep?

Significantly — eating the wrong foods or too late clearly disrupts my sleep Minimally — I sleep similarly regardless of what I've eaten Noticeably — sugar or carbohydrates late in the evening affect my sleep and I wake in the night Somewhat — a heavy late meal can affect sleep but diet generally doesn't strongly impact it Stress affects my sleep more than diet does

Q18Do you wake during the night? If so, when?

I wake between 1am–3am and find it difficult to get back to sleep — my mind is often active I rarely wake during the night and sleep through consistently I wake around 3am–4am, often with a racing heart or anxious feeling I might stir but usually go back to sleep without difficulty I have difficulty falling asleep initially but sleep through once I'm off

Q19How do you typically recover from physical exertion or illness?

Quickly — I tend to bounce back fast from exercise and illness when eating well Slowly — I need significant rest and recovery time and feel depleted for longer than average Variable — depends strongly on my diet and stress load at the time Steadily — I recover at a moderate, predictable pace Inconsistently — sometimes fast, sometimes very slow, no clear pattern

05 Physical Characteristics and Body Type ▼

Physical tendencies — body composition, weight response to diet, exercise tolerance, and physical stamina — reflect metabolic rate and tissue-level energy production efficiency.

Q20How does your weight respond to dietary changes?

I gain weight easily and lose it with difficulty — particularly if I eat carbohydrates or processed foods My weight is relatively stable and I don't gain easily — but I also find it hard to build muscle Responsive to diet — when I eat right I maintain well, when I eat wrong I gain Stable — I don't tend toward significant weight gain or loss I tend to find it difficult to gain weight — I remain lean even on high calorie intake

Q21How do you respond to different types of exercise?

I thrive on intense exercise — high intensity training suits me and gives me energy I prefer lower intensity, longer duration exercise — high intensity wipes me out more than it energises Depends on my blood sugar and what I've eaten — exercise performance is closely tied to diet Moderate exercise at consistent intensity suits me best — I have good endurance I adapt reasonably well to different exercise types without a strong preference

Q22How would you describe your digestion overall?

Fast — food moves through quickly, I can eat frequently and feel that I need to Slow to moderate — I digest slowly and can feel full for extended periods Variable — can be fast or slow, bloating is common, digestion is inconsistent Steady — digestion is regular and consistent without much variation I'm not strongly aware of my digestion — it doesn't cause me much attention

Q23What best describes your body composition tendency?

Stockier build — I put on both muscle and fat relatively easily and need to watch dietary composition Lean or ectomorphic — I don't put on weight easily and have difficulty building bulk Middle — I can go either way depending significantly on diet Moderate — stable body composition that doesn't change dramatically either way Varies in different life phases — my body composition changes with stress, lifestyle, and season

06 Mental Clarity and Cognitive Patterns ▼

Cognitive function — mental clarity, concentration, drive, and how the mind responds to different dietary inputs — is a reliable indicator of neurotransmitter balance and metabolic type.

Q24How does your mental clarity relate to what you eat?

Strongly linked — a protein and fat-rich meal gives me noticeable mental clarity and focus I think most clearly on a lighter, carbohydrate-moderate diet — heavy protein makes me foggy Very linked to blood sugar — if I eat too much sugar or starch I become foggy or distracted quickly Relatively consistent regardless of diet — my mental function doesn't vary dramatically meal to meal I find it hard to identify a clear dietary pattern that affects my mental clarity

Q25How would you describe your motivation and drive generally?

High drive — I am goal-oriented, motivated, and prefer to keep moving Moderate and steady — I work consistently but don't tend toward high urgency or intensity Variable — when my blood sugar is stable and my diet is on track, drive is good. When it's not, motivation drops quickly Patient and methodical — I prefer a steady pace over bursts of intensity Inconsistent — I have periods of high motivation and periods of flatness without clear pattern

Q26How do you feel after a completely plant-based meal (vegetables, grains, legumes, no animal protein)?

Unsatisfied and hungry quickly — I need animal protein to feel genuinely full and energised Fine — I can feel good without animal protein at every meal Dependent on the meal — some plant-based meals work, others leave me craving protein within 2 hours Good for lunch or lighter meals, less satisfying if it's my only substantial meal I can do well without animal protein as long as I have adequate protein from other sources

07 Post-Meal Body Feedback ▼

Your body communicates clearly after every meal. These questions assess the signals your body gives after eating — the foundations of the fine-tuning process that makes the Metabolic Natures system self-correcting.

Q27After a meal, what do you most commonly feel?

Energised and clear — a good meal leaves me better than before I ate Full and comfortable but not particularly energised Unpredictable — sometimes great, sometimes sleepy or bloated, hard to know in advance Slightly heavy — I often feel a little tired after meals, particularly substantial ones Usually fine — I don't notice strong post-meal effects in either direction

Q28How quickly do sweet cravings appear after eating?

Very quickly — within 30 minutes of a carbohydrate-heavy meal I want something sweet Rarely — I don't tend to get sweet cravings in the hours after a meal Within 1–2 hours if the meal was carbohydrate-heavy or the macronutrient balance was wrong Occasionally — if I eat poorly but not consistently after meals I crave sweet things generally rather than specifically after meals

Q29How does your mood relate to whether you've eaten well?

Very directly — my mood is strongly affected by food quality. Good food = good mood. Wrong food = irritability or anxiety Weakly — my mood is mostly independent of specific food choices Clearly — when my blood sugar is unstable I become flat, irritable or anxious regardless of other factors Moderately — better food contributes to better mood but isn't the dominant factor Hard to separate — I'm not sure how much my mood is diet-driven versus other factors

Q30If you eat more animal protein and fat than usual (e.g. a larger meat-based meal with butter or cream), how do you feel?

Better — more energy, greater satisfaction, and no digestive difficulty Heavy or sluggish — too much fat or protein makes me feel uncomfortable Good at one meal but not if I eat like that consistently across multiple meals Fine — I handle it well but don't feel noticeably better than on lighter eating Variable — sometimes better, sometimes worse, I can't predict it

08 Health History and Functional Context ▼

Your health history and functional test results (if available) add important context to type identification. Answer based on your general tendencies — not a single acute episode.

Q31Which best describes your cholesterol pattern (if you know it)?

Elevated total and LDL cholesterol, often despite decent diet Low or low-normal cholesterol — I tend toward the lower end Variable or moderate — not strongly elevated or low Don't know or not significantly abnormal High triglycerides relative to HDL — metabolic pattern more than LDL alone

Q32Which conditions or symptoms do you most commonly experience or have history of?

Anxiety, insomnia, irritability, hypertension, blood sugar instability, or strong sweet cravings Low mood, fatigue, slow metabolism, difficulty losing weight, feeling cold, or sluggish digestion Blood sugar swings, mood instability, brain fog, energy crashes, or PCOS Joint issues, slow digestion, tendency toward fluid retention, or endurance sports history Fatigue that doesn't clearly correlate with diet or sleep — often described as adrenal or chronic fatigue

Q33How well do you handle periods of caloric restriction or fasting?

Poorly — I feel weak, anxious, or shaky quickly when I restrict calories Reasonably well — I can go longer without food without dramatic symptoms Not well — my blood sugar drops noticeably and my mood and energy deteriorate Fine — fasting or caloric restriction doesn't dramatically affect my function Variable — depends on my stress load, sleep, and recent dietary history

Q34How do you respond to alcohol?

Stimulating — small amounts of alcohol give me a noticeable energy lift or euphoria Sedating — alcohol makes me sleepy quite quickly even in small amounts Blood sugar destabilising — alcohol disrupts my sleep and blood sugar significantly Moderate effect — I tolerate it reasonably and don't have a strong response either way I rarely drink and can't reliably assess my response

Q35If you have had functional blood testing done (OAT, blood chemistry, DUTCH), which patterns were most prominent?

High cortisol, elevated stress markers, or fast oxidation markers Low cortisol, thyroid issues, or slow metabolic markers Insulin resistance, blood sugar dysregulation, or HbA1c concerns Balanced results generally — no strongly dominant pattern I haven't had functional testing / don't know my results

Q36How do you generally respond to dietary change — for example, starting a new eating approach?

I respond quickly — positive changes show within days when I eat right for my body Slowly — I take several weeks before dietary changes produce noticeable effects Reactively — I feel the effects of dietary changes (positive or negative) quite quickly Steadily — I adapt to dietary changes without dramatic early effects Unpredictably — my body doesn't follow a consistent pattern in responding to dietary change

09 Lifestyle, Preferences and Practical Context ▼

Practical information helps us build your menu plan and recipe library around your actual life, not an idealised version of it.

Q37How much time do you typically spend cooking?

I enjoy cooking and spend 30–60 minutes on main meals regularly I cook but prefer simpler, quicker meals — 15–30 minutes maximum most days I batch cook on weekends and need quick assembly meals on weekdays Minimal — I need very fast, simple options and rely on grab-and-go a lot I travel frequently and need portable, out-of-home options regularly

Q38Are there any foods you do not eat (by choice or intolerance)?

No restrictions — I eat everything Gluten-free Dairy-free Vegetarian or vegan Multiple restrictions (please note in your name/notes field below)

Q39What is your primary goal from the Metabolic Natures programme?

More sustained energy throughout the day Weight management and improved body composition Better mood, mental clarity and reduced anxiety Improved digestion and gut health General health optimisation and longevity

Q40Is there anything else about your health, diet history, or lifestyle you would like Stephen to know before he reviews your results?

Identify Your Metabolic Nature