Look out — this could be a trigger concept for many people so read at your own peril!
“Doctor says that since my mom had diabetes and her mom had it, that I’ll probably get it, too.”
“My whole family is chubby, it’s just genetics… we look at a brownie and just gain weight!”
“I’m just not athletic, it’s genetics. No one in my family has ever been into exercise.”
Have you heard these? Guilty of using them?
First of all, let’s take a Cliff Notes (now I’m showing my age) look at how “genetics” work regarding disease. Just because you are predisposed to a particular gene expression doesn’t mean it will be expressed (expression means “turn on” and give you that disease)! Want it even simpler? Even though you might have that gene expression, it can stay 
“turned off” if you do the right things. It’s like having a stove with four burners but you decide that you’re not going to turn one of them on because it’s got faulty connections and could start a fire. Now, if you just let anyone into your home and you choose to not tell them about that faulty burner, they could potentially burn down your house. Just like this analogy, you need to know that you can change your gene expressions with your environment (aka epigenetics) just like you could choose to tell your house guest about that faulty burner or not. And, guess what? Your food plays a humongous role in your body’s environment!
I really shouldn’t need to say anything else here – you should be running to your pantry and fridge right now and tossing out all the non-nutritious foods that have been lurking there. But most people won’t do that and continue to stick to the “moderation is key” mentality. I know all about it, I used to be one, too. I used to think: “if I eat really well for two weeks, I can go eat that bacon cheeseburger and fries” (see one of my earlier posts about Moderation)… fifty pounds later, I wasn’t doing so well in the weight and health department. But, I digress.
Instead of blaming genetics and rolling over and accepting that you’ll be just as sick as the generation before you and the one before them, etc., I ask you to consider this: How much of the food that you eat on a consistent basis is the same food your parents ate? And that their parents ate? It’s just so much easier to blame genetics than it is to let go of those “comfort foods”, the ones we grew up with that we associate with good, happy times with family and friends. But, the reality is this: it’s just food, it’s a way to sustain our bodies, keep us fueled and moving. If the food you’re eating is only tasting good (or even heavenly) but isn’t fueling your body sufficiently, why are you still eating it? Why not let your tastebuds change to like the foods that WILL treat your body right?
I’m not saying that genetics doesn’t play any part in disease but, are you ready for the kicker? Who’s to say that one of your ancestors didn’t change that genetic expression because of the food they ate to begin with? And, if they did that, you could stop that disease from being passed down into the next generation and the next just by changing your eating habits today… now even (consider reading a bit more about epigenetics if you’re interested)! Now, that’s something to think about.
Let’s stop rolling onto our backs and accepting that diseases such as diabetes and heart disease are just going to have the upperhand — don’t give up without a fight! Unless you’re ok with doing just that. In which case, you still don’t get to just blame it on genetics — you can blame it on letting food be stronger than your will to be healthier.
After Thought: People are changing their health for the better all the time by changing what they put into their bodies, don’t you want to be in that cool crowd? Sure you do! Remember that, per Dr. Joel Fuhrman, your tastebuds need at least six weeks to adjust to less overpowering flavors — can you commit to at least six weeks? Check out Dr. Fuhrman’s book, “Eat to Live”, or Dr. Greger’s book, “How Not to Die”. Or, reach out to me and I can help you — but only if you want to really, really do this!
Hart Health 