Does your DNA like your Diet?
Most people wonder what could possibly be the connection between DNA and diet. Are they related really, and how? The truth is that everything that happens or doesn’t happen in our body is controlled by the DNA in our tiny cells; one way or another. Our genes, which are made of DNA, are constantly alert and fully capable to check what we are doing, feeling, eating etc and respond accordingly. I really don’t want to go into the details of how they do that at the moment but they do. It is vital to be aware, understand and eventually know that what we eat interacts in very predictable ways with our genes and this interaction will determine 100% the physiological response which will subsequently regulate our metabolism and our health.
When it comes to our food things are really simple. The food is broken down into microscopic particles in the gut which penetrate the intestinal wall, are taken by the blood stream and travel all over the body to be delivered to our cells. So whatever we eat will sooner or later be taken into the cells that make up our body. In the center of most of our cells is the nucleus, the home of our DNA.
Now, DNA has its likes and dislikes. It loves things like organic, raw vegetables, salads, high quality free range meat and eggs, natural saturated fats and everything that can be described as “primal”. On the contrary it literally despises processed “modern” foods like white flour products, sugary snacks, junk food etc. Everything about DNA has a good reason to be there and indeed the primal foods work really well with our genes. This means that the best possible outcome in terms of health, vitality and shape can be achieved when our diet consists of primal foods. These foods deliver the most well regulated metabolism, the strongest immune system you can have and they do that because they interact so well with our DNA.
Again the reason is simple. You see, primal foods have been the sole type of food consumed by humans for many thousands of years. Even before the advent of land cultivation, hunters and gatherers were depending on raw veggies, fruits, free range meat and fish they caught. This was the norm for a long long time, during which the DNA evolved to work well with nutrients coming from primal food. Our ancestors enjoyed organic and free range foodies because environmental pollution was not present and also the soil was “wild” meaning that it was naturally full of valuable nutrients; no fertilizers, no mass production or depleting the soil from its elements that are stored in the plants. So, primitive man had the privilege to feed on nature’s best produce.
To summarize, food is powerful information for our genes; not just calories. Whatever you eat gives a clear signal to your DNA towards health or the lack of it and the orders are carried out immediately. Maybe it will take some time for your body to get physically sick because although you keep giving it the wrong things, your genes are actually programmed to keep you healthy and therefore will try to give you all the signals they can for you to reconsider your diet. Most modern diseases are the sad sum of many years of wrong dietary and lifestyle choices to the point that the metabolism is completely out of sync, the defenses are down and the body is gradually poisoned by toxic products. Probably white bread, pasta, pizza, sodas and vegetable oils seem innocent and yummy but your body and DNA have a completely different opinion about them.
