What does it mean to be an Otter?
Otters are sea mammals that primarily eat proteins such as fish and small animals, as well as some vegetables. You would not feed an Otter a diet it made 100% of grain.

Hauser Otter Diet Types' protein sources should come primarily from animal-based products, such as beef, pork, chicken, fish, lamb, eggs, and the like. Fat sources should be included in every meal, such as oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, and butters.

The Otter Diet is recommended when Hauser Diet Type results reveal a fast oxidative rate and normal blood pH, or a balanced oxidative rate and acidic blood. Now what does this mean?

When you come to our office for Hauser Diet Typing, part of our testing is a Modified Glucose Tolerance Test. This test tells us how well your body handles carbohydrates. Before coming in we ask you to fast for 10-12 hours. Then we take a sample of your blood. After the initial blood draw, we ask you to drink a serving of fruit juice, which is the simplest form of carbohydrates (sugar). Your blood is drawn again, every 30 minutes for 90 minutes, to check the response to the juice. The results are graphed out and compared to the normal range.

When the blood sugar drops too low, the person is said to be a fast oxidizer. This means the person breaks down (oxidizes) food too quickly. The recommended diet for this person is one that contains larger amounts of foods such as proteins and fats that are broken down slowly. This will help keep the person’s blood sugar stable.

In contrast, when the blood sugars stay too high on the Modified Glucose Tolerance Test, the person is a slow oxidizer. Slow oxidizers break down food too slowly so the blood sugars stay too high. The recommended diet for this person needs to contain plant based foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables to keep the person’s blood sugar stable, since these foods are broken down the easiest.

FIGURE 1. The Modified Glucose Tolerance Test demonstrates how well a person handles carbohydrates.




It is designed to help balance blood sugar and maintain or raise blood pH into the normal range. The foods that help you accomplish this are protein and fat, not sugar or excessive fruit and carbohydrates. Thus, the Otter Diet leans toward the high protein/fat, low carbohydrate end of the Diet Type spectrum. It is very similar to what an otter would eat, and that’s how we came up with the name!

What Does It Mean To Have Acidic Blood?
We describe your blood pH as acidic, normal, or alkaline. We test your blood pH using a CLIA (laboratory governing body) approved machine that is used in most Intensive Care Units in America.

Venous Blood pH below 7.364
Our pH machine at Caring Medical is calibrated so that if your blood pH reads below 7.364 you are considered acidic. Be aware that this may vary if you are reading literature, or getting tested from another source or institution. Also, we are talking about VENOUS BLOOD pH…not urine or saliva pH. Keep that in mind if you are researching pH.

Effects of Acidic Blood
Low Energy
When you are outside of the normal range for blood pH, the amount of ATP you produce will decrease. ATP is a chemical compound that stores a lot of energy. Produce little ATP, you feel tired.

What to do
Fats and proteins, meaning meat, eggs, oil, and nuts just to name a few, are foods that will help increase, or alkalinize an OTTER's blood pH. However this is not always the case due to other factors that we test.

Don’t forget the effect that temperature has on your blood pH. People with acidic blood tend to be cold. So they crave hot weather. Heat will alkalinize the blood pH. So sitting in a hot tub or sauna is always an option!

General Guidelines to Following the Otter Diet

Below is a pyramid that you can use as a guideline for which foods are most important in following the Otter Diet. Your meals should be primarily meat, accompanied by some fat, vegetables, and a very small amount of complex carbohydrates. A great example of an Otter meal is a pork chop with a side salad topped with an oil-based dressing, and a small side of buttered sweet potato. You have protein coming from the pork, vegetables coming from the salad, fat coming from the dressing and butter, and complex carbohydrates coming from the sweet potato. Notice there is no room for simple carbohydrates or sugars.

Key Points
• Otters get maximum energy from protein and fat.

• Otters need to eat a large breakfast, then eat every 3-4 hours through the day, including a small evening snack.

• No simple carbohydrates are allowed daily, and no more than a single fruit serving.
 

10 Guidelines to Being an Otter
You just found out you were an Otter, either by coming into Caring Medical and having Diet Typing done, or by taking our online quiz. In both cases you may not have fully understood what it means to be an Otter! Here’s a list of the top 10 guidelines Otters should follow!

All of your meals should be protein based
Not that you can’t have a snack or two that consist of nuts or veggies, but your main meals of the day should be largely protein, meaning meat , poultry, fish, eggs, or even tofu!

Fat is not bad
Don’t be scared of a food that has mostly fat calories . As an Otter you need a good amount of fat. So snack on nuts, add oil to your pan before cooking that chicken breast, and dip your carrot sticks in hummus. Top your salad with sliced avocado. This means you’re eating like an Otter.

Make your carbs count
Because you are limited on the amount of carbs you can have each day, you should take in the most nutrient dense carbohydrates as possible. This means whole grains , high fiber choices , and most of all no processed grains like low carb bread.

Keep your energy stable all through the day by fueling up often
Don’t wait until you feel like you’re on empty before you grab something to eat. Otter’s tend to need frequent meals, so don’t be afraid to nibble a little here and there…as long as it’s on Otter foods! Otters typically need to eat every 4 hours, so plan on snacking.

Try not to rely on grab and go food all day
We’re all busy and cooking takes time, so having something like a protein shake for breakfast is okay. Just don’t let that be the standard for all your meals. You’ll be missing out on some necessary nutrients. And if you are doing protein shakes, check your labels to make sure it’s a natural shake and doesn’t have a lot of carbs or sugar in it. Check out the Hauser Diet book for protein shake recipes for Otters that include protein and fats.

You are not on a low fat diet
So there’s no need to have a cabinet full of low fat and fat free labeled foods. So when it comes to peanut butter and salad dressings…go full fat. Besides, when they take the fat out of these products, often times they add sugar, which Otters should avoid.

Go Natural!
The Hauser Diet focuses on eating natural foods that have not been processed. If you are a convenience food person, you may find that eliminating all the food chemicals and toxins that are put in those packaged items gives your health a great boost.

Your vegetables should provide you with some benefit
Having your daily supply of vegetables be cucumbers and celery won’t cut it. Not that these items are bad for you, but they won’t provide you with as much fiber, vitamins, and minerals as veggies such as broccoli, beets, and spinach.

Sugar is the enemy for Otters
Whether it’s plain sugar or sugar foods and drinks, they will deplete your energy, hurt your immune system, and promote quick weight gain!

Fruit is not an unlimited food
Having a piece a day is fine, but more than that and your sugar intake will be too high. This includes fruit juice!

Take these ten tips of the trade and put them into practice. They will help you get the most out of your Hauser Otter Diet.