Have you ever considered that food is more than just fuel? It is! Food literally contain molecules that influence the way our DNA behaves, for better or worse. This field of research is called Epigenetics. Does that raise your eyebrows? What if I told you that wholesome nutrition can make brighter and healthier babies? Now you probably think I’ve gone crazy! I’ll admit it, it does sound a little kooky, but this very information was discovered when a dentist named Weston Price searched the planet of the lost secrets to health over a century ago.
Some History
During his time, Weston was noticing an alarming epidemic in his society consisting of tooth decay, crooked teeth, facial/dental arch deformities and general physical degeneration. He discovered that nutritional factors lead to similar deformities in animals and he wanted to understand more. Thus, he went on a quest befriending various primitive people with a plan to count cavities. He determined that the group with the fewest cavities and the straightest teeth would win; using that information as a proxy for overall health.
While he was on his mission examining teeth, the dentist stepped back and noticed something obviously reflecting back at him: beauty. In each of the eleven tribes he visited, people with perfectly aligned teeth and becoming features were also healthier. He was impressed that Nature alone had been able to produce these bodies compared to his “modern” society.
Price also recognized that underdeveloped jaw bones don’t hold teeth very well, making it difficult to chew and more susceptible to cavities. However, when we are more symmetrical, bones are formed correctly, teeth line up the way they are supposed to and we don’t need interventions like braces. This relates to all other areas in the body as well: when our eyes are formed in balance, we don’t need glasses.
The Discovery
The master code of our body, DNA, is naturally driven to create symmetry when it’s coding for tissue growth. Deep in our subconscious brains, when we see symmetry, we think those things are more in balance and therefore, more becoming. Symmetrical faces are more pleasing to our brains because they are quicker to understand pattern and help our brains make sense of the world quicker. Evolutionarily speaking, being able to understand our environment quicker increases our ability to survive.
This means that whether we are feeding our babies during pregnancy or after they are born, food has an important role in how our DNA works to create symmetry and overall health. Nature-focused nutrition is how we support those systems. Stay tuned for future articles on specific foods for women (AND men) that support fertility and thriving babies.
Cheers!
Miranda Ebner
Miranda is a licensed nutritionist with a master’s degree in human nutrition and owner of the virtual nutrition practice: Thrive Nutrition. Thrive Nutrition works with clients to take control of their health, whether they’re working to reverse disease or looking to optimize already good health. Nutrition programs range from optimizing fertility and pregnancy, healthy eating for families, resolving digestive concerns, fostering a body-positive relationship with food and more! Learn more here: https://www.thrivenutritionmn.com.
