7 Strategic Ways To Personalize Your Diet, According To A Registered Dietitian

When I was younger I felt so unsure about what it meant to lead a healthy lifestyle. I tried to be vegan, pescatarian, then Paleo, and so on. I felt so confused and not able to hear what my own body needed.

Finally, I saw a functional nutrition dietitian who changed my life. She ran a food sensitivity test and guided me through an elimination diet, which was a complete game-changer. Since then, I became a licensed dietitian myself, fortunate enough to change the lives of others with my knowledge. 

Today in my nutrition counseling practice, I focus on longevity and disease prevention. I work with driven and proactive individuals who follow all the general recommendations—such as eating organic when possible, fasting, exercising, meditating, and taking supplements—but still feel something off with their energy levels, drive, or digestion. 

Just because you read that something or some food is better does not mean that it is optimal for you. Eating more in alignment with our genetics has evolved and become much more widespread over the last few years.

While we have much to learn, we know there are many genes that regulate your metabolism and how you process food. Plus, we know that certain food and nutrients optimize your gene expression.

Beyond genetics, if you have a family history of health concerns or have struggled with certain metabolic challenges throughout your life, this is important to keep in mind when it comes to dietary choices.

Microbiome plays a significant role in your health and metabolism. When the microbes in your gut are out of balance, your body can't absorb nutrients the way it should. I often advise clients to test their microbiome to get a baseline understanding (my favorite options: a comprehensive test by Genova Labs or Viome Health Intelligence). These findings help to create a personalized approach to nutrition recommendations.

While there is a lot of controversy about allergy and food sensitivity testing, I believe it can be very useful and life-changing. It's a way to understand whether your current eating style is working for you.

After doing this type of testing myself, it changed the way I personally look at food. Today, I recommend it to my clients to get a set of personalized data. and potentially find the root cause of any symptoms they're experiencing.

Research on fasting suggests it may offer a number of benefits for overall health, such as inflammation management, blood sugar balance, plus repair and regeneration of mitochondria. The key here is to try it for yourself and find what works for you, along with your lifestyle and schedule.

I believe food should empower people, not foster shame or blame. And it's important to apply that principle when determining an optimal healthy eating style.

Knowing your unique needs can help you design a way of eating, a personalized supplement regimen, and an exercise plan to help you thrive. If possible, I recommend working with a functional medicine doctor or an integrative nutritionist to help you on this journey.