Nutrigenomics: Finding The Right Diet For Your DNA
From intermittent fasting to keto, health fads go as quickly as they come, and many people tend to follow these trends without really questioning whether or not they make sense for their body. But despite the revolving door of tips for success, there is no one-size-fits-all approach for a healthy diet – and although this can make it feel even more impossible to figure out what works best for you, it might be as simple as looking into your genetics using a genetic analyzer.
Nutrigenomics: Food, fitness, and you
Nutrigenomics is the study that examines the relationship between nutrients, diet habits, and your genetics. Researchers in the field believe that exploring this relationship can help you uncover a tailored diet plan that works specifically for you: a plan that transcends the trends and centers its approach around your body’s function. And it all starts with a genetic analysis test. While we’re all born with a unique expression of DNA, our genetics aren’t necessarily fixed at birth. Genes regularly respond and adapt to changes in our environment: like where we live, what our daily routine looks like, and what we ingest. Because of this, researchers believe that even if our genetics imply that we’re predisposed to certain disorders or illnesses, a tailored diet plan can have a significant effect on how that actually plays out – a.k.a., nutrigenomics. This modern school of thought was first discovered in the 1990s with the launch of the Human Genome Project, and has since been delved further into, allowing nutritionists to provide personalized plans for those looking to gain unique insights into their health.
The benefits of looking into nutrigenomics for your wellness plan
Using a genetic analyzer to determine the details of your nutrigenomics can be incredibly helpful for anyone who’s struggling to find the right balance when it comes to eating and nutrition. For example: if you’re prone to developing high blood pressure or cholesterol, you might be more likely to avoid foods that contain high amounts of sodium or saturated fat. Or, if you’re likely to develop diabetes at some point down the line, you can tailor your diet plan to contain less sugar to help reduce these odds. Looking into nutrigenomics through a genetic analyzer can also help you figure out your approach to fitness. A nutrigenomic genetic analysis test will reveal whether you’re more likely to burn fat via strength training, cardio, or some combination, and that can help you establish what sort of workout routine will best benefit your general health. Beyond sating your curiosity about diet and fitness plans and which methods work best for you, here are some of the main reasons you might want to look into getting a nutrigenomics genetic analysis test done:
- Nutrigenomics can give you a better understanding of what goes on inside your body.
For most people, diet and exercise can feel like an endless guessing game. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, your body tells you otherwise – and between this uphill battle and constant diet trends that are usually more harmful than helpful (or sustainable), accessing health can feel maddening, hopeless, and impossible. This confusion can easily be tied back to one infuriating fact: we just can’t see what goes on inside our bodies. So, how can we ever expect to know exactly how to treat the precious innards we barely understand? One way is through a genetic analysis test. Nutrigenomics enthusiasts tend to believe the school of thought is the primary solution to this conundrum. Utilizing a genetic analyzer that specifically caters to your nutritional health provides us with that inside perspective for the first time, acting as the eyes that see what’s going on underneath the surface – and determining what that substructure needs to thrive.
- Nutrigenomics doesn’t label foods as “good” or “bad.”
Most diet or fitness trends are accompanied with black-and-white language: words that deem certain foods or exercise regimens “good”, and others “bad.” For example: a keto-friendly diet demonizes carbohydrates, while the 5:2 diet allows for normal eating five days out of the week and restricts participants to about 500 calories per day for the remaining two. There isn’t a fad diet in existence that isn’t somehow restrictive – and therefore, quite unrealistic to maintain. And while one quirky nutrition plan might work wonders for one person, that same plan could be incredibly detrimental to another’s health and wellness. All of our bodies are undeniably different, so it doesn’t make much sense for the majority of a population to follow a single diet plan. Nutrigenomics accounts for this, and is honest about the fact that we all have different nutritional needs that shouldn’t be ignored. With this approach, no food or exercise habit is strictly “good” or “bad”: instead, nutrition is viewed as either optimal for your specific body or not, according to what your genetic analysis test revealed. And as long as you keep your personal health requirements in mind at each meal or exercise session, you’ll have a much clearer and more realistic understanding of what you need to do to succeed.
- The nutrigenomics approach might be beneficial for someone recovering from an eating disorder or disordered eating.
About nine percent of the world’s population suffers from one or more eating disorders, and with the ongoing normalization of fad diets that encourage restriction and unusual eating habits, disordered eating has essentially been normalized in tandem. Once you’ve gone down the increasingly common path of having an unhealthy relationship with food and eating, it’s very difficult to pull yourself away. Relearning what it means to eat intuitively and to listen to your body’s needs can feel almost impossible – but nutrigenomics might be a powerful tool for someone trying to recover from an eating disorder or disordered eating. Nutrigenomics takes the emotion out of eating: unrelated wires that many of us have unwittingly crossed due to diet culture and how closely these harmful fads are linked to body image and self-worth. Instead, we’re able to nourish ourselves based on what we learned from our genetic analyzer: not for a certain clothing size we’re trying to fit into, a model we’re trying to emulate, or a physical limit we’re intent on pushing ourselves to. We’re simply studying our bodies, listening to what they have to say, and responding accordingly. A powerful building block for self-love and nurturing that begins and ends with our diet.
- The nutrigenomics approach might be helpful to someone trying to recover from exercise addiction.
Consulting a nutrigenomics genetic analyzer will also reveal what sort of exercise routine might work best for your body, and this can be life-saving for someone who is in the midst of exercise addiction to recovery. Exercise addiction often goes hand in hand with eating disorders, and is only exacerbated by the constant influx of exercise trends that can be as harmful and unrealistic as diet fads. A nutrigenomics genetic analyzer will help you understand what your body needs to be healthy. For example: one person might benefit more from weightlifting, while another will get the best fitness results from lower impact approaches that are more cardio-driven. This can help people move away from the one-size-fits-all narrative and understand that, much like nutrition, exercise can and should be more specifically tailored to our vastly different body types – and genetic makeup.
- Understanding your body’s nutrigenomics might help reduce your risk of suffering from illnesses or conditions you’re genetically predisposed to.
Taking a genetic analysis test will reveal to you what sort of illnesses, diseases, or conditions you may be predisposed to contract – and in many cases, altering your nutrition plan can help decrease your possibly-higher-than-average odds. If you’re predisposed to contract diabetes, you can get ahead of the game by avoiding sugar before diagnosis sets in. Or, if lung cancer runs in your family, you might be much more likely to avoid smoking. Gaining access to these insights through a genetic analysis test is a great way to set yourself up for success and optimize your chances of living a long, healthy life.
- Nutrigenomics might be the most consistent way for someone to approach diet, fitness, and health.
There have been endless approaches to diet and fitness throughout the past few decades, and as we’ve explored in this article, we’ve yet to uncover a specific plan that works for every body type. However, the study of nutrigenomics might be our best bet yet. This tailored approach accounts for everyone’s unique genetics and introduces diet and fitness plans that are realistic, sustainable, and likely much more effective than anything else you’ve tried for weight and health management. Remember: a healthy body stems from a healthy lifestyle – not from a few weeks or months on the latest diet train. A genetic analysis test is one way to help you break the cycle. Following fads is practically a direct gateway to disordered eating and/or exercising, and an overall unhealthy relationship with nutrition and your body.. Nutrigenomics can help eradicate this for society, encouraging people to be in tune with themselves first, and treating their bodies with scientifically-approved love, respect, and kindness.