This is something I would like to write a book on someday. Gut bacteria play a key role in how your food is converted. Which impacts disease or health, insantiy or good mental health. This is somewhat the basis of the paleo diet. We all have access to some amazing tools such as 23 and me and it seems like a millon more, that can tell us where we came from. So my thought to you today is looking at that information have you ever researched how your anscestors 3 generations back, or before family genetics went wrong, how did they eat? Out bodies are meant to adapt and do, however, sometimes there are key foods or exposure to toxins that may impact expression.
It is clear that when you take someone from another country and introduce them to a new diet that it impacts their overall health. The GAPS book by Dr. Natasha Mcbride talks about during the potato famine, the Irish were forced to starve or eat foods that were not normal to their current diet. During the famine, many died but there was a large amount who became mentally ill with schizophrenia or even bipolar. It was believed that the famine itself could have caused even a genetic mutation.
Our bodies do all they can to survive and to adapt, but when we have an abrupt change in our foods it can cause a negative impact on the gut bacteria. Sometimes this major chage has happened futher back and you are unaware of it. Foods we eat can be converted into opioids giving us a high from these foods, yes it is a thing, and just like any high from anything that can cause a chemicalchange leading to an imbalance.
Let's start with the obivious our moder diets are lacking nutrients and quality so this is an issue. Naturally, people coming from other cultures to America and adjusting to our Western diet are going to have a negative impact on their health. Especially those eating the convenient and cheap foods that have been overly processed filled with chemical and bad oils.
Beyond that, I beleive we need to look at cultures and what were their diets were filled with. We also look at the foods each culture has access to. The animal foods, and even how the animals are raised what they are eating based on location. In some places, you will not have meat, and in others, they are eating meat on a regular. The ecosystem is different even for plant foods are grown plus the portion sizes are very different. All these factors can play a role in a person's health. This is why there is not one good for all diet/way of eating.
How the body adapts and converts the nutrients is where the disease and issues can begin. People also can go from a gut health-promoting diet to one that is full of chemicals, processed dead foods, and other toxins that attack and destroy your gut. Where there is a history of disease in a family I like to look back and see if there was any major change in diet and location.
The first goal is always to get quality foods, low in toxicity. Also looking at digestion and how it ia functioning. I am offering this as another piece to the puzzle, we need to look at the diets 2-3 generations back had. Look at what those people have come from, was there a plague? Was there a mass exposure to toxins? What are the facts? Even looking back to when disease or aliment began.
Some diets are heavy in fresh fruit, fish, and plant oils olive oil avocado oil coconut oil. Some are heavy in meat, raw dairy. Others legumes and grains with moderate amounts of meats. We have a lot of apps and information to almost a negative. I strongly believe you need to eat for your goals and look at what your ancestors ate 3-4 generations back and how this may impact your health.
If you are interested in looking at what impacts you specifically. Set up a scan or do a system survey this will give you great information on how to implement changes with diet and supplements.