Over my many years working as a holistic nutritionist, myself and the team at the BePure Clinic have supported many people on their health journeys. Each one of these people – from what their health concern was, to what advice we provided to support them – has been different and personal to them.

This has taught me a very simple but also very valuable lesson, we are all different!

Because we are all genetically different, have different lifestyles and live in different environments, the nutrition we need to thrive in life and achieve optimal health, energy and happiness, is also different. This lesson is so crucial to our overall health that I believe personalised nutrition will be the future of health.

In this blog post, I’m going to explain why personalised health is crucial to overall health and why I keep it top-of-mind in everything I do - both at the clinic and during my seminars.

The one-size-fits-all approach

Because our bodies are all unique there is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to health, wellness or diet. What works for your partner, your best friend or a colleague, won’t necessarily work for you.

The foods we need to eat to be our happiest, healthiest selves should cater to the unique needs of our individual bodies, environments and lifestyles.

The “one-size-fits-all” approach is not able to do this and that is why we see the constant hype and failure around ‘fad diets.’ They work for some people, some of the time. Why? Because there are general health principles that the majority of people will benefit from.

When you start a new diet, such as a vegan or ketogenic diet, you tend to move away from a processed diet to a diet full of whole foods and rich in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. A new diet also tends to include moving your body more frequently or a new exercise regime.

Making positive changes like these will help improve nearly everyone’s health to a point and initially, when starting a new diet, you can feel fantastic. However further down the track, we see health issues starting to emerge as the exclusion of whole food groups (i.e meat for vegan diets and starchy vegetables for ketogenic diets), catch up with the person and place too much stress on the body.

When you go a little deeper than simply eating a ‘clean’ diet and look at health from a nutrition level, it becomes a much bigger conversation around what your individual body needs to perform at its most optimal health.

Over the past 10 weeks, we’ve looked at 10 key pillars of health. These have included movement, eating right for you, hydration and many more.

Wellness is a collection of all of these aspects consistently applied in a holistic manner.

Our most successful clients are those who make small, but meaningful changes, consistently over a long period of time. The changes become behaviours and will eventually feel effortless.

What is personalised nutrition?

When you look around the globe at groups of people who have lived very long, healthy lives, the diets and the spectrum of macronutrients eaten are vastly different.

One one side of the world you have the Eskimo people whose traditional diet is rich in fats and protein. On the other side, you have the traditional African tribespeople rarely ate meat and consumed mainly grains.

It’s clear that the macronutrients they were eating are at opposite ends of the spectrum. One is a protein based diet while the other is a carb based diet. And while there is a huge difference between the two diets, both populations have been able to thrive off eating their respective ways.

Why is that? With genetic testing, we can now see that Eskimo people naturally have very low copies of the AMY1 gene. This gene determines the levels of salivary amylase a person will have. Salivary amylase is an enzyme located in the mouth that breaks down carbohydrates to be metabolised by the body.

Recent research has found that the levels of salivary amylase are linked to obesity. It was found that you are more likely to be overweight if you have lower salivary amylase. This is why Eskimos thrive on a diet rich in protein/fats while the African tribesmen, who have much higher level of salivary amylase, tend to tolerate carbohydrates better and are better suited to a carb type diet.

Personalised nutrition is all about looking at your body and determining what macronutrients your body needs to function at its optimal level.

I delve deeper into this in my video ‘Are you eating right for you.’

Genetics and testing

Before we make a change, we need to understand HOW and WHY you’ve ended up, where you are.

Today it is possible to run a series of tests that will provide this information and begin to explain your health story. At the BePure Clinic, we proactively look for what is going on in your body. We test for nutrients, deficiencies, inflammation, pathogens or parasites and more. With your results, we can then personalise your nutrition, lifestyle and environmental needs and support you while you adjust these accordingly.

Many people believe that they're ‘stuck’ with the genes they're are born with. That’s not the case at all. You can complete a DNA test and find out more about your genetic makeup. With this information, it is possible to mitigate any risks that you have a disposition to through dietary, nutrition and lifestyle changes.

What is YOUR health story?

I am on a mission to help people live their lives with all the health, energy and happiness they need.

I’ve realised that this comes down to educating and supporting YOU in understanding YOUR own health story. Understand what’s going on inside your own body and mind, with your chosen lifestyle and in your environment, is the first step to finding long-term health and wellbeing.

With this information, you can then make educated decisions about what really is best for you  - from the foods you eat to the exercise you do and the lifestyle you live. Rather than making decisions about your health based on what your friend’s doing or what the latest fad food trend is.

To help people take this first step in understanding I’ve just launched my latest nationwide ‘What’s Your Health Story’ tour.

I’m coming to 30 locations around New Zealand to share a completely different kind of health and wellness seminar. Prior to attending the seminar, I’ll be sending out a questionnaire that allows you to start understanding where you are doing well and where you may have areas of concern with your health and wellbeing.

At the seminar, I’ll then talk you through why you might have the results you do, plus we’ll cover practical actions you can take to live life with optimal health, energy and happiness so that you leave feeling empowered and ready to take action by knowing your own health story. I hope to see you all there.

Ben Warren presents
'The Hormone Secret'

Have stubborn weight that just won't budge, energy slumps, painful PMS or menopause issues? Join Ben Warren as he shares the secret role hormones play in your health, why our modern world is working against healthy female hormones and how to naturally heal your hormones and bring them back to balance. This is information every woman needs to know. Learn more and register here.