Your Good Health

Smart Sustenance & Health

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March is National Nutrition month. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recognizes March as a time to celebrate and recommit to great nutrition and health. It’s a timely reminder. New Years resolutions may start to fade, the weather is thinking about shifting back to warm, and we could all use a little encouragement to stay true to a balanced diet.

We are coming up on some cutting edge approaches to personalizing nutrition, such as Nutrigenomics (Nutritional Genomics). You’ve heard of mapping the human genome? Think of Nutrigenomics as mapping the human nutrition profile - or how your genes respond to what you eat, drink, and your overall lifestyle.

 What are you having for lunch?
We all know that every nutrition plan does not work for every body. Some of us do great on reduced-carb diets, while others wonder where their energy went. Still others swear by a raw food diet, while the rest can’t get enough lean meats and hearty soups.

And as far as vitamins and supplements go, you can get so confused by all the options that you end up picking a cover-all multi-vitamin, or skipping the whole thing entirely. Not very scientific.

Scientists at the Penn State Center of Nutrigenomics and Nutritional Genomics Center of Excellence at UC Davis are learning that certain genetic types respond differently to certain nutrients and nutrient combinations. We are learning more on the link between genetics and conditions like Type 2 diabetes, asthma, obesity and others. Nutrigenomics explores the possible dietary triggers, and solutions, that can benefit those at risk for certain conditions

Imagine all the people...knowing what to eat
Imagine knowing what foods, vitamins, and supplements are best for your body. No more guesswork, no more trial and error. Just efficient nutrition. You’d know exactly what to make for dinner every night. You’d know which vitamins and dietary supplements would nourish you. Best of all, you could stop wondering about all those fad diets and stick to what really works.

The Nutrigenomics field is growing daily. One day soon, we all might know our nutritional profiles as well as we know our phone numbers. Just think of all the time you’ll save at the grocery store…