What you eat today has the potential to impact generations to come. How? It's the concept called nutrigenomics. Food impacts gene expression and disease. It's the nutritional environment you provide for your body that changes the way your DNA is expressed. Can you make the negative genes that you inherited much quieter and turn up the volume on your good genes? You bet!!!! 

Check out this video that explains some research that was done on powdered fruits and vegetables changing the expression of over 1600 genes!!!

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Last week's post was about fitness faux pas. I thought it appropriate to follow up with a post about nutrition nonsense! Because how many times do you feel like you're being told to go opposite directions with your nutrition?! I know I feel like that all the time and then it takes a while to research things for myself and decide which way I'm going to go!

How many times in your life have you heard that you HAVE to count calories to lose weight? Here's what I say- you don't have to count calories to lose weight. You must instead focus on whole food nutrition and decreasing your processed food intake and I almost guarantee the weight will come off. Yes, sometimes people who have the ability to eat five pineapples in a day need to reconsider counting their calories or measuring their servings sizes out but if you focus on eating vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, a little fruit and a good amount of fiber you will have a hard time eating too many calories. 

I've also heard all too often that someone has "fat genetics" so they can't do anything to be a healthy weight. This is so untrue! While epigenetics may have caused you to be at a disadvantage you also have the power to positively impact your genetics! (and your kids and grandkids and greatgrandkids) If you start feeding your body whole food nutrition, avoid toxic substances and exercise you will start changing your genetics for the better!!! This change doesn't happen over night but it does happen. So create a healthy lifestyle and see where it gets you. I guarantee you'll feel ten times better than you would with an unhealthy lifestyle, have fewer chronic disease and lessen your chances for your poor genetics to overtake your destiny.

Some people suggest people snack all day instead of eating big meals. While this may work for some, it's definitely not a blanket statement. If you are constantly eating, your body is constantly releasing insulin which means your body is not burning any fat. Most people will find it easier to lose weight if they eat a few larger meals consisting of protein, fat and fiber with an emphasis on vegetables. This gives your body a chance to rest from releasing insulin and go into a fat burning mode. 

There are so many statements of nutrition nonsense that I don't have time to cover them all without writing a large book. If you have questions, email me at healthcoach@befitforpurpose.com or comment below!