Want to be healthy? Understand yourself.
Do you ever wonder why there is so much conflicting health advice?
Perform a quick google search on how to lose weight, fight fatigue, optimize health, improve digestion and you will be bombarded with THE THING to do to achieve this.
Depending on what you click on the answer could be a keto diet, bone broth, celery juice, fasting, a plant based diet, counting calories, avoid nightshades, intuitive eating. You could be told to do high intensity workouts, take up running, try hot yoga. Drink coffee. Drink matcha. Add collagen. Take adaptogens. Use this protein shake to solve all your issues. Take this supplement, take that supplement.
All of this advice is correct for some people. All of this advice is wrong for some people. We are stuck on this hamster wheel of trying solution after solution not having any lasting results. Some of us end up creating more health issues in the process.
There is not a one-size fits all health plan. Have you ever wondered why a keto diet worked well for your friend, but you felt awful on it? Why some people can effortlessly run marathons while others can’t run a mile? Why you get jittery from a cup of coffee but your friend can drink coffee at 8pm and get to sleep two hours later? Why you just can’t stop emotional eating? Ever wondered why you never feel full?
Every person is unique and has different requirements for their body. This is not something you have to guess at anymore. This information is available through Nutrigenomics testing. You learn what eating plan is best for you. You can also learn what supplements you actually need to take. In addition, you can learn how you process neurotransmitters and handle stress, how you detox, what chemicals you are sensitive to, how to exercise and more. This testing shows your strengths and weaknesses. It can also tell you how to mitigate the weaknesses and play to your strengths mainly with food and lifestyle and the occasional supplement.
Your genes are not your destiny.
I found myself in functional medicine for 3 years with very well-known physicians who kept telling me to eat a high fat Paleo diet for my hormones and really limit carbs with the exception of non-starchy vegetables. They had suggested putting ghee or coconut oil in my coffee and smoothies, eating high fat meat and adding more fat. My very smart doctors were baffled as to why I wasn’t getting better (still having debilitating menstrual cycles, weight gain and fatigue) and why my cholesterol was going up. They basically gave up and the solution was to prescribe a statin (cholesterol medication).
I knew there was more to the picture. I had worked in medical genetics for 15 years and knew my family history of heart disease. I decided to order my own genetic testing.
I learned many things: but the most important one was I could not process a lot of fat- especially saturated fat. I could, however, process healthy carbs and needed a lot to maintain several metabolic functions in my body. (You can read more of my story here). Upon receiving these results, my diet and eating style changed drastically. I cut out most animal products and saturated fats while adding in carbs. I went from taking 25 supplements a day to only 5 that truly required. I worked with a different health coach and detoxification specialist who really helped me through this. I had been programmed for so long to believe carbs were bad and I was scared of actually eating a banana and oatmeal. It felt like I was totally indulging eating fruit, oatmeal, rice, and potatoes.
Within a week, I started to feel better. After about two weeks, my body went through some crazy detoxification and I had a lot of stuff coming out of my skin. Once two months hit, I was new person. My digestion was great, my periods had no symptoms and I had lost 20 pounds.
I’ve now partnered with the Nutrigenomics Lab where I had my testing done. (to learn more about what to look for in a lab watch this video) I’ve created a practice around helping other people with their health. Instead of ordering expensive tests, guessing with supplements, and giving blanketed advice, I order and interpret their genetics. Most people are surprised by how a few tweaks can drastically change their health.
After 8 weeks, the majority of my clients report implanting about 50% of the changes I recommend. After 8 weeks they report feeling about 50% better. That is pretty significant. Most functional medicine doctors aim for feeling 10% better every month. I’ve had clients struggle with their health for years and pay thousands of dollars trying different supplements, functional tests, protocols. Nutrigenomic testing is a fraction of the cost and can yield faster, long lasting results.
Some examples:
I had a client who cannot process grains and is very sensitive to the chemicals in processed meats. She’s 100% Italian and both of these things have been part of her diet her whole life and were a contributor to weight gain and inflammation in her body.
Another client has had gut issues for years and was drinking bone broth everyday and eating fermented vegetables. It turns out she has several issues with glutamate metabolism and these things were actually causing major inflammation instead of helping her gut.
There was another client who had variants that caused her to binge and emotional eat and constantly feel hungry. She learned how to structure her day and eating to mitigate the effects of these variants. She is no longer ruled by food.
One of the most profound cases for me was a client who was recovering from cancer. She had many variants related to poor response to stress, poor detoxification, and a many sensitivities to chemicals. I can’t help thinking that if she knew this information 10 years ago, how she could have made many lifestyle and dietary changes to support these deficiencies.
Keep in mind that only 5% of disease is actually inherited. The other 95% is a result of environment, exposures and chance events. Most diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes are not usually inherited even though they seem to run in families. However, it is really the dietary and lifestyle habits that run in families. Even if your nutrigenomics shows a weakness or deficiency, you can alter the expression by eliminating things that will further decrease gene expression and add things that will support gene expression.
Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny. You have the ability to change the gene expression by supporting and working with your unique code and body processes.
This is truly personalized wellness. There is no more guessing. Take one test one time and get all the information you will need. You can learn how to support your unique make up and effortlessly get healthy and stay healthy.
