People eat for many reasons: to satisfy a primal need, when they are happy, when they are sad, etc. But, how many of you eat to turn on or turn off your DNA? That's right, whether you carefully chose every ingredient you put in your mouth or don't give a second thought to what's filling your belly, the food you ingest today will have a profound impact on thousands of aspects of your health, both immediately and in the distant future. We know this because of a newer field of research called epigenomics.
Since this about food I will use this analogy: your epigenome is like a thin layer of icing on your DNA cake. Epigenomics is the study of this icing. The epigenome is made up of various chemical compounds that tell your DNA what, where and when to make a genetic product. It holds the switch to turn various genes on and off. Here's the exciting part - while you can't change your DNA, the epigenome is consistently changing from influences inside your body's cells (the environment), from choices you make! While there is still much research to be done, some evidence suggests that you, by your daily choices, can turn off various 'bad' genes that promote the development of cancer, autoimmune diseases and many other chronic diseases and turn on 'good' genes that protect against these conditions.
Now, for more specifics. The chemical compounds that make up the epigenome come from various sources including natural things, like nutrients from food, or from synthetic things like medications, tobacoo byproducts or pesticides. This means that what you put in your mouth intimately interacts with your DNA, manipulating it and flipping the 'on' and 'off' switches of your genes. I don't know about you, but I would rather have my DNA bathing in an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant glaze rather than being slathered in a fatty, toxic film. What's more intriguing is that we know that these epigenetic changes to DNA can be passed down through generations. What you eat today could impact your grandchildren's health!
So, what can you do to make a happy epigenome that stays busy flipping off all the 'bad' genes? Let food be your medicine! Of course there are other improtant things like avoiding tobacco and exercising (exercise has also been shown to positively modify the epigenome!), but since we all need to eat to live changing our eating habits is a sure way that we can have some control over our DNA and our health destiny!
Future posts will provide some specific examples how various foods impact your DNA and promote or prevent various health conditions.
For specific recipes that will make your epigenome happy I want to direct you to my friend's blog: http://munchkieandme.blogspot.com/. She is a nurse and a mommy who is devoted to making healthy meals for her family. We both share the same views on nutrition and I would recommend all her recipes. They will all feed your genes right!
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