Why Food?
Food is the foundation of good health. Your body is built to adapt to anything that comes in contact with it and food plays a big role in this. It creates every aspect of your physical being and if you feed it junk, you will likely look and feel like junk. However, if you feed it what it needs - a variety of nutrient dense, toxin-free, fresh foods - then you will look and feel more like gold.
You really are what you eat, but it’s so much more than that. Due to your genetic makeup, you’re born susceptible to being affected by specific aspects of your environment that could harm you and influence disease.
IT'S NOT WHAT YOUR'E BORN WITH, BUT WHAT YOU DO WITH IT THAT MATTERS
Epigenetics is the expression of your genes based on your body's environmental influences, such as:
diet (including pesticides and allergens)
toxins (indoor & outdoor air pollutants)
emotional stress (work, relationships, family)
habits (cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, beauty)
state of health (disease, infection, trauma)
physical makeup and age
external stimuli (radiation, noise pollution)
THE BARREL APPROACH
If your body assumes repeat insults from one or more categories, it will become imbalanced and likely show symptoms you may find annoying, but not really life-threatening. Over time and after repeat environmental insults, however, your barrel will begin to overflow and your body will cry out in symptoms and start to experience disease.
INTEGRATIVE NUTRITION AS A SOLUTION
When it comes to your health, it’s best to take a proactive, preventative approach. If you know that you’re genetically susceptible to certain influences or certain disease patterns, try to work within your range of health. Find your inborn strengths and weaknesses with one (or many) holistic practitioners, such as a Certified Nutritional Practitioner (a.k.a. holistic nutritionist), so you can live more comfortably.
The goal is to help you completely rebalance your body for optimized health while understanding that you are an individual with individual triggers, offenders, responses, susceptibilities, and advantages. Food is great place to start, because as the foundation of your health it can relieve and support other areas that need help. Get to know your body, give it what it needs to thrive, and your health will no longer be a pain point.