Within the health-o-sphere, there are endless diets, thousands of self-help books, cult-like workout routines, and a smorgasbord of pills and potions with extravagant claims. Do you eat vegetarian or paleo? Cardio workouts or powerlifting? Protein powders or whole foods? How do you decide who to listen to? The answer ultimately is to listen to yourself.
You may have lost some ability to listen to yourself in this high-stress, modern hustle and bustle, overly stimulated and over-medicated world. The big problem with this is that there are no “one-size fits all” or cookie-cutter solutions when it comes to your health. Therefore, if you do not tune in to your body’s individuality and needs, your health is probably compromised. This is very real and was discovered a long, long time ago…
Originally used in the 1st Century BC by the Latin writer Lucretius “What is Food for One Man May Be Bitter Poison to Others” has since become a proverb. It has the general meaning of “food” — is something that you enjoy, while its opposite — “poison” — meaning something that you dislike or disagrees with you. In other words, what is good for or enjoyed by one is not necessarily so for someone else. Today, the phrase (or proverb) is still used to underline that people do not all share the same preferences. A more modern idiom that expresses a similar idea is “One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure”.
By now, you understand that to be healthy you need to tune in to your own body and listen to yourself for your individual needs. We have different genes and ancestral backgrounds, different preferences and metabolisms, live different lifestyles and have different activity levels. There is a name for this principle called “bio-individuality” and it is proven true by science see link. This may mean adopting a gluten-free lifestyle because that is how you feel your best. It could mean that you practice yoga because you want to feel calm and centered, or perhaps you like lifting weights because you need to gain more muscle and build stronger bones. The important take-away: tune in to YOUR BODY to find what WORKS BEST FOR YOU — this will ensure your health, wellness, and happiness.
“If a man [or woman] is not faithful to his own individuality, he cannot be loyal to anything.”
~ Claude McKay
At Fortitude Functional Nutrition
At Fortitude Functional Nutrition, we support your bio-individuality with our personalized approach that treats you as an individual, not as a symptom, condition or disease. We focus on finding and addressing your root causes. We spend time with you, learning about your medical history, entire body, food choices and lifestyle factors. No two individuals with the same condition are treated in exactly the same way. Truly, there is NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL approach to health and wellness!