Every living being on earth has its own optimal environment that allows for growth and success. For humans, our optimal environment includes:

Nutritious foods
Clean water
Limited or no exposure to toxins (personal care products, preservatives, cleaning products, pollution, etc.)
Sleep
Exercise
Love and human connection
Safety

There are some parts of our environment we cannot control, but there are many aspects that we can!

Genetics and Epigenetics

What is Genetics?

This is the science of looking at our genes and what we inherit from our ancestors.

The Old Paradigm: Our health is predicted by our genes and we are destined to have the same health issues our family members – parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. – face or have dealt with in the past.

The New Paradigm: The changes that we make in our lives can alter the way genes are expressed.

What is Epigenetics?

Epigenetics means ‘above genetics’. It’s the study of the additional factors at play that affect how our genes respond and react. There are many examples of epigenetics, including:

Bees: In a hive there are thousands of worker bees that all serve one bee, the queen. The only difference between the queen bee and the others is their food source. The queen bee is the only bee that is allowed to consume the protein-rich royal jelly. Although the queen bee is genetically identical to all of the other bees, she lives up to 28 times longer, grows 3 times larger, and lays about 2000 eggs when she is most fertile.
Caterpillar/Butterfly: The caterpillar has the exact same genes as the butterfly but the genes are expressed differently depending on its life stage.

Factors That Influence Epigenetics:

Foods and Diet
Age
Emotional + Psychological Stress
Smoking
Alcohol Consumption
Drugs
Environmental and Air Pollution
Shiftwork
Obesity

Epigenetics can have enormous impact on our aging process and overall health, and can contribute to a variety of devastating diseases including cancer, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and neurological conditions (1).

The good news is we are not slaves to our genes! We can swing things in a positive direction and influence our genes to promote good health and healing.

Epigenetics tells us that we are in control of our genetic destiny. For the most part, it may not matter what genes you inherit – but more importantly how they are expressed. By choosing a healthy diet and lifestyle, we influence optimal genetic expression for ourselves and generations to come.

Things to Think About

Why are you doing this program?
What environment do you thrive in?
What are the best foods for the optimal expression of your genes?
In what ways are you breaking the laws of mother nature?
How can you change that?

References

1. Alegria-Torres, Jorge Alejandro, et al. “Epigenetics and Lifestyle.” Epigenomics, vol. 3, no. 3, Aug. 2011, pp. 267–277., doi:10.2217/epi.11.22.

Reading: The Optimal Environment for Humans

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