You are what you eat, right? This saying originally appeared in 1826 when Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a French lawyer, politician, and famous gastronome, wrote “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.”

In more recent times, there’s been a few extra layers added to this old slogan, such as “You are what you eat, eats”, which acknowledges that our health is impacted by the diets of the animals and animal-based foods we consume.

And, “You are what you are able to digest, absorb and assimilate”, which acknowledges the role of the gut and our microbiota and how important it is to optimise digestion in order to optimise nutrient uptake and health.

In my view, all of these are true, but still don’t come close to describing what it is that we really are! Although this may in fact be indescribable due to the complexity of what and who we are as human beings, this is my current perspective on the matter…

“You are a complex adaptive system with regenerative capabilities. These capabilities which can be restored through the bottom-up emergence of greater abundance and equilibrium that happens through the restoration of reciprocal relationships.”

To simplify, my definition recognises that we ARE in fact complex adaptive systems. That we DO have regenerative capabilities just as ecosystems, plants, soil and other animals do. That in order to regenerate, and move in the direction of great health, we can’t exclusively rely on top-down approaches that are reductionistic. That it is through reciprocity and restoration of the relationships and interactions between our ‘parts’ that will lead to regeneration of health. Our bodies and minds are truly amazing, the innate intelligence within us boggles the mind!