{"id":46911,"date":"2016-01-15T07:15:39","date_gmt":"2016-01-15T12:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=46911"},"modified":"2021-11-18T10:45:10","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T15:45:10","slug":"lose-weight-nutrition-plan-personalized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/lose-weight-nutrition-plan-personalized\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Personalized Nutrition the Best Way to Lose Weight?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Is
Photo by Creative Vix<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It doesn\u2019t take much more than visiting a CrossFit box<\/a> or running into a friend who\u2019s sworn off carbs to know that some people take their dietary decisions very much<\/em> to heart. You can\u2019t exactly blame someone for evangelizing a lifestyle that\u2019s helped them lose weight, gain muscle or have more energy, after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody who is paleo thinks that everybody should eat paleo<\/a> and that\u2019s the only way to do it. Everybody who does low-carb<\/a> thinks that\u2019s the only thing everybody should be doing,\u201d says DailyBurn<\/a> Fitness\/Nutrition Coach Kit Coward, RDN, LD, CDE. \u201cBut what might work for me might not work for you, based on genetics.\u201d<\/p>\n

This idea that foods and diets are good for some people and less effective for others<\/a> is the backbone of personalized nutrition<\/a>, a burgeoning approach to eating that suggests general nutrition guidelines should be replaced by more individualized approaches. Could this one-size-does-not<\/em>-fit-all approach be the diet of the future?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you eat is one thing, but how your body can actually digest and absorb and assimilate that is something else.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Treating Food Like Personalized Medicine<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Food is following in the footsteps of personalized medicine<\/a>, a disease prevention and treatment approach that takes into account differences in people\u2019s genes, environment and lifestyle\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and it\u2019s been gaining a lot of traction recently. President Obama launched the Precision Medicine Initiative<\/a> last January, which is supporting research in the area.<\/p>\n

You can call personalized nutrition a spinoff, but nutrition professionals have long known that you can\u2019t just read a nutrition facts label \u2014\u00a0or follow standard dietary guidelines \u2014\u00a0and call it a day. (Case in point: The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans<\/a> was just released, and some leading health experts are pretty peeved<\/a> about the recommendations.)<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Are You Exceeding Your Daily Sugar Intake in Just One Meal? [Infographic]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dietary Guidelines is what is out there in general to guide the way people eat and is used for public policy, but it doesn\u2019t necessarily apply to someone on an individual basis to support metabolism or decrease their risk for disease,\u201d says Sonya Angelone<\/a>, MS, RDN, CLT, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead, Angelone relies on blood tests and DNA samples<\/a> to get a clearer picture of how foods are actually affecting her clients\u2019 bodies from the inside out. \u201cWhat you eat is one thing, but how your body can actually digest and absorb and assimilate that is something else,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Recently, a team of researchers in Israel have been studying personalized nutrition<\/a> and trying to find out why<\/em> different diets seem to work for some people and not others. As a part of their research, they monitored the blood sugar levels of 800 people after eating, and found that some people\u2019s blood sugar levels spiked way higher than others\u2019 even after eating the same foods. Their findings suggest<\/a> that the way bodies react to foods might have much more to do with factors such how your body releases insulin, the type of bacteria in your intestines<\/a> and gut and even genetics.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> My Food Diary: What This Super-Fit Trainer Eats in a Day<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Is
Photo by Patryk Dziejma<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DNA: You Are What You Eat<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While this customizable approach might seem complicated, you don\u2019t have to be a scientist to decode your body and create a more optimal diet. Registered dietitians who specialize in personalized nutrition can be great resources for putting the science into action. In her practice, Angelone uses Oxford Biomedical Technologies\u2019 Mediator Release Test<\/a> for food sensitivity testing; genomic testing<\/a> from Genomic Solutions Now to learn what nutrient forms your genes need for optimal health; and advanced cholesterol tests from Boston Heart Diagnostics<\/a>, among others. Unfortunately, these tests need to be administered by a professional and can be pricey, but some are covered by insurance and the insights could very well change the course of your life.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of these tests give us insight we used to not have before, so we can make very specific recommendations based on that particular person, their lifestyle and their genetic risks,\u201d says Angelone.<\/p>\n

For example, if your father and grandfather both had heart attacks<\/a>, you\u2019re at an increased risk, but it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re definitely going to have a heart attack. \u201cIf you have a really healthy lifestyle you can stop those genes from expressing themselves and lower your risk for getting those diseases,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

DIY: The Beginner\u2019s Guide to Personalized Nutrition<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Personalized nutrition is still very, very new, so you might be hard-pressed to find a registered dietitian in your area who incorporates genetic or other similar testing into her practice. If you can\u2019t, or you\u2019re just not ready to go all Bill Nye<\/a> on your diet, there are still things you can do to try out the approach for yourself.<\/p>\n

Order an at-home kit. <\/strong>Order a kit, wait for it to arrive, then send back a swab and San Francisco-based uBiome<\/a> will analyze your microbiome for you. You\u2019ll be able to compare your gut bacteria<\/a> to that of people with various diets and lifestyles, and even yourself over time. The company suggests comparing results before and after a lifestyle change, like a new diet, to see just how well your body is digesting food and synthesizing vitamins under the new diet.<\/p>\n

Tune in. <\/strong>While there are a lot of things you can\u2019t feel, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, checking in with how a diet makes you feel is an important step to figuring out what works for you and what doesn\u2019t, says Angelone. Pay attention to your energy levels<\/a>, how you\u2019re sleeping, what your appetite is like, or if you\u2019re feeling achy, or like you\u2019re in a fog. If a friend swears a vegan diet<\/a> changed her life but it makes you feel like crap, don\u2019t force it.\u201cYou have to know what\u2019s right for you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Veganuary: Should You Try a Part-Time Vegan Diet<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to switch it up. <\/strong>You\u2019ll never know if something works for you unless you try. Ruling out fad diets and starvation diets, there\u2019s no harm in following a diet for six to eight weeks and seeing if you have results, says Coward. At that point, most people will begin to notice a change in weight, energy, or whatever their desired outcome was, so if you aren\u2019t feeling great at that point, consider a new game plan. \u201cPhysicians do that with medications all the time,\u201d says Coward. \u201cThey\u2019ll prescribe a medication and if they\u2019re not getting the results they want they\u2019ll make a switch.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your friend lost 20 pounds on her latest diet; then you tried it and lost zero. What gives? The science of personalized nutrition is here to explain away your weight loss woes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7],"tags":[41,71,341,381,285],"class_list":["post-46911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","tag-diets","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2low-carb-diets","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46911\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}