Taking Responsibility

Taking Responsibility

It is never too late to incorporate a healthy diet and lifestyle. Some still believe that nutrition is not powerful enough to cause or prevent certain illnesses in our life. Science has proven this wrong, sadly there is more support of pharmaceutical drugs than there is of nutrition. This leaves the general public in a state of confusion and vulnerability. How would all these pharmaceutical companies make their millions if everyone was educated on the importance of a healthy diet? Evidence-based research shows over and over again that nutrition does play a vital role.

Genes do not determine our outcome all by themselves. Genes, either good or bad, are activated and expressed based on our diet and lifestyle. Many genes lay dormant in the body, which have no effect on our health, unless they triggered by our environment, especially diet (Campbell, 2004, p.233). In Campbell’s book, “The China Study”, he states that “dozens of studies have documented that as people migrate, they assume the risk of the country to which they move. They do not change their genes, and yet they fall prey to disease and illnesses at rates that are rare in their homeland population” (Campbell, 2004, p.234). These studies directly relate to diet and lifestyle, not genetics!
Too many times people say that certain illnesses are inevitable, taking the control or responsibility out of their hands. For example, since they have been diagnosed with arthritis, they continue on with the same diet, same lifestyle and eventually increase the amount of pharmaceutical drugs to alleviate the pain. Next they are diagnosed with diabetes, or the other way around, and the list just keep getting longer. This is not just an unlucky individual; this is the result and pattern of poor nutrition. Consulting a nutritionist can save your life, always consult with the doctor as well, but educate yourself so you are not in the dark as to what you need to do (remember that the majority of doctors have little to no educational background in nutrition, no offense but it’s true). Every situation is different, so we must be treated that way otherwise we will never get better.

There is no simple way to completely understand the power of our genetics, but we do know that a healthy lifestyle can help deter some illnesses. Many illnesses are there from birth, so reversal may not happen, but a healthy diet can help to alleviate further damage and increase the quality of life. Pregnant women can also help their children from inheriting these diseases at birth if they feed themselves a healthy diet. We are all at risk for different diseases, depending on our genes. We do not know how to determine which of those diseases will affect us so we must provide the best environment for our body, and we can do this through nutrition. So in the end, genes do matter but we have to take responsibility and nourish the body properly, this we can control. Empower yourself and take charge!References

Campbell, T. C., & Campbell, T.M. (2004). The China Study. Dallas, TX:BenBella Books.~Alisha Welch is a yoga teacher and a student at Clayton College of Natural Health pursuing a master’s degree in Holistic Nutrition

To take control of your health, read the article titled Natural/Whole Foods