The more sugar we eat the more we need to get a dopamine response. This numbing effect causes us to want more and more sweets. Dr Greger says obesity might be a mental disorder. We keep eating sweets even though we know it’s bad for us. It turns out not only sweets are addictive but the whole class of fatty foods. Meats, cheese, milk, etc. The effect this has on our brain lowers other pleasures in life, like sex. If you want to live a better and happier life you need to got off your addictions!
Sweetness from natural fruits is different! Nature packs its sweetness into fiber causing the sugars to be released over time like a time capsule. This prevents spiking and the negativity associated with sugar. Learn to enjoy the natural sweetness of fruits.
Scientists used to think we were predetermined by our genes. They now know this is not true. We really do have free will. Our genes are changed by epigenetics. These changes happen because of our diet, the way we think (positive or negative), how we believe, and stress. Beyond the mainstream wrote an article on “You Really Can Change Your DNA – Here’s How”. This article shows how negative thinking starves us of what they call “quantum nutrients”. We really are what we make ourselves. Every day and every night, you reprogram yourself. The person you are today is the net result of your lifetime of programming. If you are not happy with yourself, if you are sick, if you are over weight just reprogram yourself to what you want to be. It can be done and millions of people do it. We hear stories of people dieting. Doctors can’t do anything about it. Then suddenly they are completely cured. This can happen if you eat properly, have only positive thoughts, believe it can happen and lower your lifetime stress levels.
Collage of several of Gray’s muscle pictures, by Mikael Häggström (User:Mikael Häggström) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We are human beings. Great thinkers! The only animal to shape their environment and build technologies. We have evolved a lot since the first mammals took foot but we are biological machines. Our cells are independent of each other but communicate with each other. The body gives a place to build organs, muscle and brain that helps provide each cell what they need to do their job. They have many signals as inputs (some are epigenetic signals). They must decide to accept or reject inputs based on their environment. Muscles cells will always build more muscle cells (the same is true of each different type of cell in our bodies). Over 10 trillion of these tiny thinking machines make us human. Other animals have nearly the same DNA as we do, similar brain structures. Their cells do similar things but they did not evolve into humans. Our epigenetic signals is what makes us human! Like a computer with a common Intel chip set, we can have simple programs or unbelievably smart ones. The difference is the software (how the Intel chip set is “played”). Our DNA is like the chip set and it is “played” by epigenetic signals.
What are these signals? They are hormone, nutrients from the food we eat, signals from our brain based on how we think, etc. Is your epigentic signals playing Chopin or chopsticks?
English: Healthy Food For Life logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
According to the Yuma Sun, “Thanks to a successful pilot year of the POWer PLAY’te program, children at 19 Yuma elementary schools are increasing their healthy food intake.”
What we feed our kids will make them what they are as adults. We can make them healthy or sick, thin or fat, smart or not so. Food is a powerful fuel. It affects every cell in our body and their are more than 10 trillion of them. Our addictions for fast food, sweets, salt, etc. usually start in childhood. Wouldn’t it be great for them to have an addiction for fruits and vegetables?
We talk about epigenetics on this site a lot but what is it? It’s a programming language within our cells that control our genes and DNA. It switches genes ON or OFF causing things to happen at the cellular level. Like a computer where the software turns instructions ON that form the various programs ewe run, epigenetics is the software and genes are the hardware.
Epigenetics are a chemical reaction that can enable or activate a gene or block it from being activated. These chemicals are methyl groups which comes from the environment we live in. It can be the food we eat, how we think (positive or negative), what we believe (placebo/nocebo), stress and exercise. Our body uses these chemical reactions to activate and deactivate genes or to send messages from one cell to another to do something.
There are no good/bad associated with these reactions but they can [positively or negatively affect our health and mental outlook. Early man & woman didn’t have the choices we have today. They were nomadic (got exercise), thought positive (were seekers and explorers), had low stress (except when chased by a saber-toothed tiger) and ate nutritious foods. They ate organic (it was all there was). They didn’t eat much meat (they probably got eaten more than they ate other animals). Their bodies evolved around this kind of simple life.
We have changed all this in the last 100 years. We don’t exercise, we are over stressed all the time, we eat junk food, and we all believe we will grow old and sick. And then we are shocked when it actually happens. Take control of your life and be well.
It’s summer time and everyone loves to barbeque. If you are vegetarian or vegan or just cutting back on your meat intake, what do you barbeque? It turns out you can barbeque a lot of things including veggie burgers, portabella mushrooms, pizza, vegetables and seitan products. Let your imagination go and try different things and in different ways. You don’t need meat to barbeque. You will soon find out you don’t really miss it. The important thing is to try different types of vegetables to find those you like and try doing them in different ways to get the flavors you like.
English: Skull and crossbones (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Dr Greger’s annual report reviews last years top 16 causes of death and how diet can significantly change this. This year he discusses why we only see medical advances that costs money! You will never see ads for cost-free health solutions even if they are more affective. Water can improve your child’s performance at school (most children are slightly dehydrated). Exercise improves your bodies ability to fight infections. This is a must view video on how to improve your health and lives without drugs and virtually without cost.
Primary structure of a protein (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Why did we evolve as humans? Why do we have DNA and epigenetics? Why do we get sick? We are made of Amino Acids (which are the building blocks of plant & animal proteins). Amino Acids can be thought of as beads and proteins as necklaces. You can make different necklaces by using different beads. These acids have been found on many meteors from space. They are probably prevalent throughout the Universe. Life probably started very simply as Amino Acids forming simple proteins which led to RNA (half a DNA strand). RNA led to viruses and evolved into DNA which led to single cells and then onto all live on Earth. I believe these simple proteins along with Methyl Groups allowed life to adapt and form based on conditions and chemicals here on Earth. It adapted to the environment and built life from it. Life evolved into plant and animal and up to us. We are NOT the end or even the ultimate evolution. It will continue beyond us. It is anyone’s guess as to what that life form will be.
DNA without methyl groups (epigenetics) is like a piano without a player or a computer without software. It is useless! Epigenetics is very much like computer software in that it “plays” the hardware (DNA) in particular ways that do useful things. Computers have a little over 100 unique instructions in their processors. Playing these instructions in different orders is what creates Windows, Movie editing programs, databases, spreadsheets and word processors. They all use the same instructions but in different sequences that causes useful things to happen. Our epigenetics “Plays” our DNA in different ways to cause useful things to happen in our bodies. It creates different types of cells (heart, muscle, lung, skin, etc.), messages to other cells (e.g. hormones), it adapts to changing environment (diet, exercise, thinking, belief and stress) and performs all the functions needed by each life form.
When the environment changes our epigenetics, it is trying to react to the environmental changes. Sometimes these changes are “Bad” and will hurt the life form (cancer) and sometimes they are “good” and will help it (health and resistance to disease). We can not easily change our hardware (DNA) but we can affect our software (epigenetics).
Regions of the brain affected by PTSD and stress. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Start today! Change your diet, stress levels, exercise, thinking and beliefs. Start eating better. Eat less animal protein (eggs, milk, meat, cheese, etc.) eat more vegetables, grains and fruits. Eat organic (yes it costs a little more but if your healthy you won’t be paying the doctor co-pays). Relax more, learn to meditate and get rid of some stress. Our way of life is stressful but you can relax and rid yourself of stress. Exercise more (even if it’s just walks around your office or home). Simple walking will lower stress and make you feel better. Start off today being positive about everything! Don’t allow yourself to go to the negative side (it’s evil). If you feel negative look for something positive and dwell on that. e all have a lot to be thankful for. Think about those things and not what is negative in our lives. If TV news and the newspapers are making you feel negative (most news is negative … it sells) stop watching or reading it. Read something positive. Hang out with positive people and avoid negative ones. Soon you will be much more positive and feel better. Believe in yourself and the fact that you can change your life and your health. Getting old is not something to fear. Getting sick is!
The original advisory opinion was requested by the World Health Organization in 1993. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The director of the World Health Organization said the overuse of antibiotics may lead to the end of modern medicine. Over 80% of all antibiotics are sold to the meat industry. We are headed for a disaster! The inventor of Penicillin warned of the problems of overuse. The government understands this but is tied by the meat industry to not legislate against them. What will happen in the near future when a strain of bacteria that can resist all forms of antibiotics is unleashed on us? It will be too late then to stop it. Talk to your local government representatives and force Washington to stop taking orders from the meat industry. They are literally killing us!
Buy The Book – Food For Thought – An Epigenetic Guide to Wellness, online at Amazon.com.
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The Epigenetics Project Blog 