The Chicken, the Egg, and Why It Might Not Matter
The age-old question of the chicken and the egg asks us to decide what came first.
In wellness and health, we ask the same question over and over again.
Was it the food?
The inflammation?
The trauma?
The stress?
The gut?
The immune system?
In the case of conditions like non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), research still cannot tell us with certainty whether the sensitivity came first or whether underlying gut, immune, or nervous system dysregulation created the sensitivity. And yet, this uncertainty is often treated as a problem — something to solve, pinpoint, or label.
But what if we’re asking the wrong question?
The Body Doesn’t Work in Straight Lines
The body is not linear.
It doesn’t operate in clean cause-and-effect sequences.
Inflammation can:
create sensitivity
orbe triggered by sensitivity
And often, it becomes a self-reinforcing loop.
An inflammatory response may reduce tolerance, making certain foods symptomatic. Those same foods, when eaten in a dysregulated system, may then perpetuate inflammation. Over time, the original trigger can become impossible to identify not because it doesn’t matter, but because the system has adapted around it.
This is the “chicken and the egg” reality of many chronic and functional conditions.
Does It Actually Matter What Came First?
From a lived, embodied perspective often no.
What matters more is:
What is the body responding to now?
Where is capacity exceeded?
What signals are being missed or overridden?
What is asking for support, safety, or regulation?
When we fixate on origins alone, we risk missing the bigger picture:
The body is doing the best it can in the environment it is in.
One Symptom, Many Pathways
Inflammation is not a single thing with a single cause.
It can arise through:
Chronic stress or nervous system dysregulation
Early life adversity or unresolved trauma
Environmental toxin exposure
Microbiome disruption
Infections or medications
Food reactions in a vulnerable system
Different inputs similar outputs.
Two people may present with bloating, fatigue, brain fog, or food sensitivity, yet the pathway that led there can be completely different.
This is why protocols fail when applied universally.
The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All Wellness
When wellness becomes focused on:
Removing the food
Fixing the gut
Correcting the imbalance
…it risks oversimplifying something deeply individual.
One environment.
One lifestyle.
One nervous system.
One childhood.
One trauma history.
One set of exposures.
No two bodies are the same, even when symptoms look identical.
A Case-by-Case, Person-by-Person Approach
True healing doesn’t come from winning the argument of cause.
It comes from:
Listening to the body
Understanding context
Supporting regulation
Reducing overall load
Restoring capacity where possible
This is why individualised assessment matters, not just in nutrition, but in medicine, therapy, and healing work as a whole.
Not “what should work?” But:
“What is this body responding to, in this moment, within this life?”
It Is What It Is — And That’s Not Dismissive
Saying “it is what it is” isn’t bypassing.
It’s acknowledging reality:
The body holds history
Sensitivity is information, not failure
Healing is not about control, but relationship
When we stop chasing certainty and start honouring complexity, we move closer to care that is
ethical, compassionate, and effective.
Coming Full Circle
Perhaps the most important shift in wellness isn’t identifying the chicken or the egg, but recognising that the body doesn’t care which came first.
It only asks to be met where it is.
If this resonates, you may like to read our blog “Fearfully and wonderfully made” , where we share reflections on whole-body wellness, nervous system support, and individualised care.
And if you’re curious about what a person-by-person, whole-body approach could look like for you, you’re welcome to book a discovery chat with us to explore your next step.
