Basics of Epigenetics
You are not born with a static genetic code. Your genetic code is affected by your lifestyle habits. For example, twins born with the exact same genetic code can have very different health experiences based on gene expression. If one of the twins play team sports, has a loving friend network with excellent communication, eats a whole food diet and sleeps eight hours a night, this person is likely to have positive genes active. If the other twin drinks heavily, smokes, is surrounded by untrustworthy people and suffers from insomnia, this person is more likely to have negative active genes at work.
What this means is that in order to be healthy, we must foster positive gene expression. According to research, the genetic marker that acts as a cancer suppressor can be active through positive lifestyle habits like eating a variety of green vegetables. So eating kale is a reasonable step to take in the long-term fight for preventative cancer measures.
If you want to use epigenetics to make you healthier, and to positively influence your future children and grandchildren, follow these step.
Step One: Monitor what you put in your body.
Eat whole foods and drink water. Eat a largely plant-based diet. Avoid smoking, drugs, and chemical foods.
Hopefully this is obvious. The fact is that no matter how well you know you should eat healthy we still often put foods into our body that, based on the ingredients alone, were not meant to be food until they were created in a lab. Sorry Oreos, but you’re not real food! …And if you didn’t already know that cocaine was bad for your long-term health, consider this your first warning.
Step Two: Monitor your sleep.
As a society we seem to have developed some sort of pride for under sleeping. We talk about not getting enough sleep as if it is a normal occurrence, and that we should be congratulated for having spent so much time awake that we are barely able to function.
If you’re having trouble getting enough quality sleep, a sleep hygiene routine is your first step towards adjusting epigenetic markers to ensure long-term health.
Step Three: Monitor stress by creating positive social interactions.
Surround yourself with drama-free, communication literate people who foster happiness and a feeling of connectedness.
It is your responsibility to manage stress. Your social circle can help with this, and when you’re alone, meditation can help too. Headspace is a free app that provides guided mediations for as little as three minutes daily.
Take your long-term health and the health of your future generations into your own hands. By using the power of epigenetics you can alter the active portions of your genetic code to serve you in your quest for longevity and happiness.