What is a DNA Diet?

Rachel Clarkson, the DNA Dietitian, is at the forefront of Nutrigenomics and personalised dietary advised based on genetics.

That, though, leaves a key question. What is a DNA diet and why should anyone seeking dietary advice for their health or a medical condition consider this option?

In this post, we will answer some of the key questions relating to this service.

It is worth stating at the offset that a DNA diet is scientifically verified, it is not separate to or conflicting with the services a qualified dietitian would offer.

A DNA diet is part of some dietitians’ armoury, it is used by a clinically trained dietitian, a certified member of their profession, to create an overall dietary plan that is that bit more tailored to the individual.

A DNA diet is an enhanced offering from a dietitian, it refines a dietitian’s advice, rather than completely changing it.

Bespoke Dietary Plan

Any qualified dietitian can help a patient or client with dietary advice, working with them to produce a dietary plan that helps them to achieve health aims.

This could be for weight loss or weight gain, a medical condition or just to improve overall wellbeing.

Dietitians are highly qualified and accredited, they work in unison with other medical professions to ensure that the overall treatment is appropriate.

And, of course, any advice from a dietitian to a patient is bespoke to an extent.

However, for all their skill, experience and training they cannot see a person’s genetic make-up, they cannot scan their DNA and see whether you have an enhanced ability to taste fat or an elevated risk of Achilles tendon injury.

Except, that is, through Nutrigenomics – and the brand Nutrigenomix –  the dietitian can do this and much more.

Nutrigenomix is FDA approved and only provided by board certified experts, it is a powerful tool that acts as the missing link, looking at how your genes can influence your nutritional status and how this impacts on your health.

How a DNA Diet Works

The process is straightforward for the patient, a small saliva sample is collected and sent to a certified lab and this sample is then analysed at the University of Toronto.

The final step then involves your dietitian pulling this information together, explaining what it means, and working with the patient to create a full dietary plan.

For the dietitian, it is extra, highly accurate information at their disposal, but it also helps to explain to the patient or client why certain dietary decisions have been suggested. 

They can see, for example, that the analysis shows they should receive at least 50% of their protein intake via a certain source – this informing the ensuing dietary plan.

We are all familiar with people who are lactose or gluten intolerant, these both explained by different versions of nutrition-related genes within the population. 

Intolerances such as these may be very obvious and easy to diagnose, but what of the many thousands of others, minor intolerances to foods or predispositions to others? Differences that could never be diagnosed individually, yet make a huge difference to how any two people react to the same diet.

The DNA diet finds these differences and analyses the nutrition-related genes.

Diet Based on DNA

The DNA diet will tell you how your genes impact reaction to different food types, for instance how they impact weight management, body composition, food intolerances, eating habit, injury risk and more besides.

With a DNA diet there is no guesswork, you are able to eat to your genes and have an understanding as to why you are eating certain foods and avoiding others and what the benefit of this approach will be.

At the top of the report is a quote from Lucretius – One man’s food is another man’s poison. This highlights the impact of a DNA diet – it factors in how your body will react to any food.

The level of detail in the report is astonishing – please take the time to have a look at the sample report linked to below.

To be truthful, if this report was simply handed to the client, they probably wouldn’t know where to start – all the information is there but how to then turn it into an actual dietary plan? Which elements are the most important, how can the report be turned into actual meals and a long-term plan?

Sample report

In the sample report, this containing the level of detail you could expect in your analysis, we see that the person in question should consume vitamin B12 via bio-available sources. They should consume 25 msg of vitamin D daily, they need a regular vitamin E supplest but should avoid going above the RDI for iron – and avoid consuming vitamin C with iron-rich foods. The energy consumption should include at least 20 to 30% of energy from protein and 20 to 35% from fat.

Your dietitian takes this information, discusses it with you, creates a dietary plan and explains how it all fits together. They can also answer any questions you may have, using both their experience to answer but also the analysis contained within the report, drawn from your genetic make-up.

There are three different genetic tests available, each consisting of 45 genetic markers – the three cover health and wellness (the option for general health), sports nutrition and fertility health. 

Why Consider Rachel Clarkson?

As the DNA Dietitian, Rachel Clarkson is at the forefront of the move to genetics-based dietary advice.

She has universally five star reviews and two of her most recent testimonials state:

“Rachel helped me change my eating habits and have much more awareness of what I put into my body. My digestion has completely changed and I am very grateful! I feel so much more knowledgeable now and would recommend her to anyone not only wanting to lose weight, but also to have a healthy approach in life”

“Would highly recommend Rachel to anyone seeking to improve their health! I found my genetic analysis to be an empowering and motivating tool to make healthy changes using Rachel’s techniques. In just 3 sessions I feel more in control of my health and feel like I have the knowledge to filter through all of the poor nutritional information I hear so much in the media!”

If you want to see if Rachel is the dietitian for you, why not book a free 15-minute discovery call? This will be an opportunity to chat with Rachel, discuss your requirements and also find out more about a DNA diet and its benefits for you.

Book a free discovery call.