Epigenetics is the study of inherited changes in phenotype (appearance) or gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence. This means that while your lifestyle choices won’t likely be able to modify the actual structure of your DNA; you, however - can modify your gene expression. Your lifestyle, diet, thoughts, belief system, movement and exercise; these all can switch your genes on or off. What all this boils down to is that your genetic disposition is not your destiny. The genetic lottery might determine the cards in your deck, but the way you are living your life deals you the hand you are actually playing; this is to proof the famous saying: genes load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.
“Conventional medicine is operating from an archaic view that we’re controlled by genes. This misunderstands the nature of how biology works.” Bruce Lipton
In functional medicine and nutrition; we look at specific markers to see where the client stands in their lifestyle and general wellbeing and address why they are not able to heal, shed the extra weight or get better generally; which are the epigenetic factors.
Inflammatory Elements: this can refer to acute or chronic inflammation; but when we want to treat someone from a functional perspective we try to address the chronic low-grade inflammation. An example could be bleeding gums; If your gums bleed when you brush or floss, you may have gum inflammation. That is a sign that you are deficient in vitamin C and you need to assess your oral hygiene that has much to do with your gut health. Another sign could be intolerance to certain foods or skin rashes. The list goes on; but it is important to understand inflammation as a blessing - it is a sign that something is up and you need to get curious and attend to it.
Inconsistent Behaviors: Consistency is the key to what I call keeping a healthy lifestyle transformation, to be good at anything in life or to make it a solid part of your life, you have to be consistent with it. Sticking to your healthy intake of vegetables and making Sure you are rotating and being as diverse as possible is so crucial. If you do so only on weekdays and weekends you splurge and eat nothing but junk then that is not consistent and your results will not be what you had planned for.
That is why coaching and accountability are important; exploring the inconsistencies between how you say you want to act and how you actually behave can help you stop sabotaging yourself and be true to your values and desires.
As you self-reflect, you might find it embarrassing or painful to admit to inconsistencies in how you act. Maybe you quickly make up excuses for yourself to distract yourself from the uncomfortable feeling that you have been inconsistent. Maybe you say, “It’s just this one time” as you tell a white lie or behave in a way that upsets or inconveniences others, and then afterward, you feel guilty afterward. But does your behavior then change?
As Jim Rohn said “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.” Consistency and a series of purposeful actions that you choose to adopt because you choose to grow and get better will transform the way you experience life everyday.
Imbalanced Fats: understanding the types of fat and making sure your diet is balanced in dietary fat content is such an important aspect to general health, hormonal balance and managing inflammation. Fats are SO KEY to your wellbeing, they are needed to build cell membranes, the vital exterior of each cell, and the sheaths surrounding nerves. It is essential for blood clotting, muscle movement, and inflammation. For long-term health, some fats are better than others. Good fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Bad ones include industrial-made trans fats. Saturated fats fall somewhere in the middle.
The IDEAL FAT BALANCE: A two-to-one ratio of omega-6’s to omega-3’s.
Here are some ways to get them:
1. Omega-6’s generally need to be reduced to get to a two-to-one ratio. Think vegetable oils from canola, corn, peanuts, processed meats like bacon and cold cuts.
2. Omega-3’s are essential. They can be found in fish, like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and cod. They also come from plant sources, especially flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds, and wheat germ, and some sea vegetables, such as spirulina.
High Glycemic Impacts: Weight loss is not as simple as how many or few calories or grams of sugar, or what type of sugar (natural or synthetic) are ingested. There are many factors that contribute to how food is perceived by your body and how much fat storing insulin will be released every time you eat. The following points are essential to keep in mind when consuming any type of sugar:
1. CALORIC LOAD. How many calories you are eating at one time or portion control. There is a big difference between eating 1/2 a cup versus 3 cups of fruit salad, or 1 cup of ice cream versus a whole pint at one sitting. The larger the sugar load at a point in time, the more fat storing insulin you will need to release to control your blood sugars.
2. THE SPIKE IN BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS Blood sugars rise very rapidly from a smoothie or a juice and your body will have to pump out a lot of insulin quickly to get the sugar out of your bloodstream. If you eat whole pieces of fruit it will take longer to break down and absorb the sugar from fruit, leading to a slower blood sugar rise, and less insulin release.
3. THERMOGENICS. This describes how hard your body has to work to breakdown the food you consume before it enters your bloodstream. Your body actually burns calories digesting food. Foods like whole fruits and vegetables with difficult to digest cellular material (roughage) and very little caloric content make the body work to break them down for absorption into the bloodstream. Processed or foods altered from their original state like a smoothie, puree or juice, bypass this thermogenic process as liquid requires no digestion. This all depends on your digestion and enzyme production.
4. SUGAR PAIRINGS. The foods you consume your sugar with, i.e. fat, fiber, and protein, slow down the digestion and absorption of sugar, causing a slower rise in blood sugars and less insulin release. If you eat fruit on an empty stomach your blood sugar will rise more rapidly than it would if you ate fruit on a salad (fiber), with Greek yoghurt (protein), or almond butter (fat).
5. MEAL TIMING Your body’s ability to process carbohydrates (called insulin sensitivity) decreases as the day goes on. That means you’ll more efficiently metabolize carbohydrates in the morning compared to later at night in bed. The more efficiently your body can use the food you eat, the easier it is to lose weight.
You control your exposome by your daily habits of body and mind, both conscious and unconscious, including how often you move and what form of movement, your intention, what environmental exposures you have in your home and social life, what you eat and drink, and how you manage or mismanage your hormones. Eating is very complex in the way that it interacts with weight yet it is meant to be intuitive and simple. I always promote a “food first” philosophy, meaning make wiser choices about your intake. Don’t yo-yo diet; it ruins your metabolism and it will take you time to earn its’ trust back. Remove processed foods, refined carbohydrates, sugars, and sugar substitutes from your diet. Eat nutrient-dense foods and enjoy your meals. Eat with love and intention, and most importantly - listen to your body.
“Inquire within, rather than without, asking:
"What part of my Self do I wish to experience now?
What aspects of being do I choose to call forth?"
For all of life exists as a tool of your own creation, and all of its events merely present themselves as opportunities for you to decide, and be, Who You Are.”
― Neale Donald Walsch
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