Functional Nutrition with Andrea Nakayama

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In this episode of The Functional Medicine Radio Show, Dr. Carri’s special guest Andrea Nakayama explains functional nutrition and how to master your genes with it.

Andrea Nakayama is a functional nutritionist and educator leading thousands of clients, students, and practitioners around the world in a revolution reclaiming ownership over one’s own health. In the curriculum of Holistic Nutrition Lab, her online school for practitioners, Andrea teaches the science and art of the functional nutrition practice through the lens of where food meets physiology.

Within her own clinic at the Functional Nutrition Alliance, Andrea and her team of nutritionists work with the chronic ailments most providers pass over, and she is regularly consulted as the nutrition expert for the toughest clinical cases in the practices of world-renowned doctors.

Main Questions Asked about Functional Nutrition:

What is functional nutrition?
How did you get into doing functional nutrition?
What do you consider non-negotiables and what are your favorite tools to help patients work through them?
What are some of the most common misconceptions about genetic testing?

Key Points Made by Andrea about Functional Nutrition:

Functional medicine is about looking at the systems of the body in a holistic way. Functional nutrition is about filling in the gaps in diet and lifestyle modification.
Functional nutrition works on the third tier of diagnosis and focuses on customizing the diet so that it’s more appropriate to your unique factors.
The patients who see the best results are the ones that really buckle down with their nutrition. Modifying the protocol is about finding what’s best for the particular patient.
After Andrea’s husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor while she was pregnant, she discovered her passion for making sure that the patient is seen as an individual and not just a diagnosis.
Clearing the muddy water is about removing the most common inflammation causing foods. It’s a journey to discover your non-negotiables, the things that are particular to you in lifestyle and nutrition that you need to have optimal health. A non-negotiable can be things like bedtime and water consumption.
Patients are usually looking for a quick fix, but the truth is it usually takes a lot of self-care and discipline to make the right changes.
A single genetic test is not particularly useful when it comes to how to optimize your health in a functional way. Genomics takes into account the environment and the epigenetic expression, which gives a better picture. Owning your non-negotiables is how you shift your epigenetic environment.
Lifestyle is how you manipulate your genes in a good way.
Not all dietary recommendations are appropriate for you. You should work with an allied functional practitioner to help you make sense of what’s best for you.