Epigenetics and how we can influence our genes

Research conducted over the last few decades have led to fascinating discoveries involving what we know about our genes. The study of epigenetics has shown that our environment influences how a gene is expressed. This is amazing news for those that feel they are victim to the genetic cards they were dealt. Not only have they discovered that your environment influences whether certain genes turn on or off, but it also gets passed on to future generations.

One of the key players affecting epigenetics is nutrition. There are other environmental influences that play a role in epigenetics, but nutrition is one of the heavy hitters. The foods that we consume can help or hinder our gene expression. The higher the nutritional quality of food the more the genes that cause disease and illness are turned off. On the contrary, the poorer the nutritional content the more those genes that cause disease are turned on. The Standard American Diet is highly inflammatory, sugar laden, high in bad fats, and poor in nutrient density. The odds are stacked against us when this is the typical diet consumed on a daily basis. The good news is it is never too late to start. It is simple but not easy. Imagine how much illness and disease could be prevented and reversed simply by changing what is on the end of our fork. Maybe we could all go back to how our grandparents ate before there was an obesity epidemic. Food is the one thing that you can control. There is no better time than now to start slowly cutting back on highly processed, highly inflammatory foods.