The Power of Food by Nikki Burnett
Nikki Burnett, MS CNTP MNT is a Functional Nutritionist and founder of Taste Life Nutrition. Nikki works with ambitious professionals to help them overcome hidden barriers to health and success. Challenges such as pain, brain fog, low energy, anxiety, and stubborn chronic conditions frequently have their roots in unhealthy foods, lifestyle factors, and unknown inflammatory conditions.
Functional Nutrition is based on the science of functional medicine - find the root cause through functional lab testing, history, and lifestyle then create and individualized program that brings balance to the body, so it can repair. Nikki is trained, in part, by The Institute for Functional Medicine. Throughout her career, she has been in the veterinary, nutrition, and medical fields in various capacities.
Nikki is a speaker, writer, and educator. She is the host of Taste Life Nutrition Radio, streaming live on KUHSDenver.com and host of Taste Life Nutrition Podcast. Nikki also co-hosts Real, Raw Health with Matt Rowe of Parsley Pet, a weekly Facebook Live about canine health and nutrition, as well as Functional Friday, a monthly Facebook Live with her Functional Health Coach, Gabrielle Grandell.
Editor’s Note: This article is for information purposes only. Please check with your medical provider before beginning any treatment.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH
As a functional nutritionist, I always thought I understood the true power of food. One of my favorite quotes is from Ann Wigmore who says, "The food you eat can either be the safest, most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison."
Food can be different things to different people. Some see food as social and fun. Others see food as the enemy and wonder how food can be so hurtful, both physically and emotionally. If we take it back to basics, food is simply a language. The nutrients tell our bodies what to do and how to do it. If we eat clean food—free of pesticides, herbicides, chemical preservatives and colorings, and GMOs—the nutrients create a clear line of communication to our cells and DNA.
If we eat unclean, chemical-ridden foods, there is an unclear line of communication. Over time, the body will become confused, and cells will begin to send out a “cell danger response,” leading to symptoms and dis-ease. People often blame age or bad luck or genetics for aches, pains, depression, but this is actually our body talking to us. Learning to listen—often and early—can change our lives.
Several years ago, I met Sara, a tall, lean woman about 5'9" and 90 lbs. She was struggling with anxiety, depression, acne, and inner trembling. A bad break up with a boyfriend was giving her thoughts of suicide. She couldn't put on weight or think clearly, and she was frustrated and confused.
In my practice, I always start with lab testing to understand the root cause of symptoms in order to best know how to address a condition. People can have very similar symptoms, but different root causes, which means the same protocol does not work for everyone.
As we worked on getting lab work completed, we also did some very basic food eliminations, taking out gluten, dairy, soy, corn, and eggs. These are five foods that often create tons of problems for many people. Although it may not be the food, we can start to understand the underlying issue that is causing an upregulation of the immune system. I love elimination plans because it can bring some relief from symptoms for many as well.
After two weeks, the words that I heard were pure magic: "Her symptoms have greatly diminished!" Sara’s skin was already clearing, her energy was increasing, the depression and anxiety were improving, the inner trembling was gone, and she was smiling more often. This, my friends, is the power of food!
When the lab results came back, they undoubtedly showed that we had some work to do. The methylgenetic testing that we did was most interesting. Epigenetics is the study of how our behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way our genes work. It doesn't change our genes, but it has an effect on the way genes are expressed. These are called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). It's important to understand that when we look at results of epigenetic testing, just because one has a SNP (we all have probably millions of SNPs) doesn't mean that SNP has expressed. The most important thing to consider is symptomatology. If there are no symptoms, it's likely a SNP has not been expressed.
What we found in Sara's testing was the potential for autoimmune disease in multiple SNPs and specifically, celiac disease in one SNP. This has made a great impact on her entire future, as well as her children, grandchildren, and future generations to come! She took the initiative to learn about her body and her symptoms, find someone to help her understand them, worked very hard to follow through with the recommendations given to her, and stopped the process of potential disease in its tracks!!
When there is a diagnosis of autoimmune disease, the incidence of multiple autoimmune diseases increases significantly, especially in women. Our hormones have a significant impact on our health, and if they are out of balance, this can affect many other functions of the body, including the onset of an autoimmune disease. Pregnancy, birth, perimenopause, and menopause all have a huge impact on whether an autoimmune disease expresses or not.
How quickly a life can be changed—whether it’s for the better or for the worse—is truly amazing. I’m honored to be a part of Sara’s journey. Today, Sara is in school to be a nutritionist to pass on what she has learned and experienced herself. How cool is that!?
Food is Life – Taste Life!
Nikki Burnett: @tastelifenutrition // info@tastelifenutrition