Food is Information: Intro to Epigenetics

Last weekend I went to the Integrative Healthcare Symposium in NYC and I got to hear a lot of my heroes speaking about medicine, gut health, and nutrition.

What is Epigenetics
Dr. Jeff Bland, the "father" of functional medicine, spoke first. He introduced the concept of "epigenetics" which is a revolutionary new field of science. “Epi” means “above,” so epigenetics is referring to what happens “above the genes” that affects how your genes are expressed.

Let’s backtrack a moment to high school bio class:

We're all born with a set of genes, and we are stuck with them. We can’t change the hardwiring of our genetic code. That may sound like tough luck, especially if your parents have heart disease, breast cancer, depression or they’re overweight. 

But there is some wonderful, inspiring news coming from the field of epigenetics. Basically, there are epigenetic markers that can tell certain genes to turn on and off.

So the food we eat, the drugs we take, the time we spend in nature, how we handle stress – all of these are epigenetic factors that have an impact on how our genes are expressed.

An analogy: your genome is the hardware, and the epigenome is the software.

He showed this photo of prisoners in Oregon which gives a dramatic example.  You can see that because of lifestyle factors (ie drug use), the genese of these prisoners are expressed in a different way over the space of just a few years.

Food is Information
Next we got to my main area of interest - how our food affects our health.  Jeff Bland teaches that food is information - it speaks to our genes and tells certain genes to turn on and off. This is where the rubber hits the road, where the environment affects the epigenome. 

For example, eating "white" foods (flour, sugar) triggers an alarm response in cells, which leads to inflammation. The nutrient signature imprints our cells with information. As the Atlantic article explains below, “eating fruits and vegetables can ‘turn off’ the heart attack genes, and exercise can sway the development of stem cells.”

Things started to get pretty technical and powerpoint slides whizzed by. But I can tell you one thing that Dr. Bland said quite simply:

Dead food gives dead information. Live food supports life.

Dr. Bland ended with a simple takeaway message: eat foods rich in phytochemicals, which are colorful plant foods - from red tomatoes to blue berries to leafy greens. And if you want to harness the power of epigenetics for good, then take care of your genome, because it's the most precious thing you own!  

You can learn more about Epigenetics here: 
Time Magazine: Why Your DNA Isn't Your Destiny
Time Magzine: How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life
The Atlantic: How Health and Lifestyle Choices Can Change Your Genetic Make-up

Video: Dr. Lipman and Tara Stiles chat about Epigenetics

Smoothie of the Week

For many years I was a "coffee and muffin" girl, but I've come around to see the benefits of getting some plant-based protein and healthy fats in my breakfast.


Now one of my favorite parts of the day is firing up the blender to make my morning smoothie. I love playing around with different combinations and finding the perfect concoction to keep me going all the way till lunch. 

In my work with Dr. Lipman we encourage patients to start their day with a shake/ smoothie because it's an easy option for a gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free breakfast, with lots of protein and fiber. We have recently introduced a Sustain shake, which has 17 grams of pea protein, 5 grams of fiber and 110 calories. It's sweetened with a bit of stevia, and this combo below is my favorite so far ... tastes like a milkshake!
 
Sugarplum Smoothie
- Sustain powder
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- Generous dash of cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp chia seed
- Water and ice to blend

The flax adds some nice texture. The chia seeds add some extra fiber, protein, calcium, iron and omega 3 fatty acids - I always find that adding chia to a smoothie keeps me full for longer. I run that through the Vitamix and it's just delicious!

Have a wonderful Friday,
Kerry

Braised Coconut, Kale & Chickpeas with Lemon

I found this wonderful recipe on thekitchn.com and made it today to bring to work for lunch this week. 


I never thought I'd be the person who brings their lunch to work, but I've gotten it down to a science. I choose a recipe and go shopping for groceries on Friday. On Sunday I cook a dish and then pack it into 4 tupperwares and line them up like little soldiers in the fridge. That's it! Lunch is served. This saves me money, saves me time during the workday, and allows me to enjoy a nutritious meal all week. I like being able to choose organic veggies and control things like the amount of added salt and oil in my meals. 

Oh and I only make 4 servings because I usually work from home on Friday but I like that model anyhow - you might get tired of the same meal 4 days in a row, so you could do a Friday funday and buy lunch that day. 

I made some changes to simplify the kitchn.com recipe, here's my version below:

Braised Coconut Kale & Chickpeas with Lemon

2 tsp oil
1 small yellow onion
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp grated ginger, from a 3-inch piece
Dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 pound chopped kale
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 large lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons juice)

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is beginning to brown.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper, if using. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes or until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden and they are coated with the onion and garlic mixture.
4. Toss in the kale, one handful at a time. This will take about 5 minutes; stir in a handful or two and wait for it to wilt down and make room in the pot before adding the next handful.
5. When all the kale has been stirred in, pour in the coconut milk and stir in the salt, ground ginger, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer then turn down the heat and cook for 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are warm through. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if necessary.

I cooked up a pot of rice and served the chickpeas dish over rice, put my tupperwares in the fridge, washed the dishes and now I'm enjoying a huge sense of accomplishment! 

Happy Sunday!
Kerry

Tips for Eating in Restaurants

This is a blog post I wrote for www.drfranklipman.com with tips for healthy eating in restaurants, enjoy! 

As you improve your eating habits, you may find that the biggest challenge is how to stay on track when you’re eating in restaurants. Here are a few tips so that you can enjoy the experience of eating out even if you’re on a gluten-free diet or doing a cleanse:

1.  Recommend places to eat where you know they have healthy options and you’ll enjoy the food. For New Yorkers, there’s a great book called Clean Plates NYC that highlights healthy restaurants around the city.

2.  Check the menu of the restaurant you’re going to in advance, and decide what you’re going to order before you arrive.

3.  Feel free to call a restaurant in advance to make a special request.

4.  If you’re ordering a salad, ask the server how big it is.  If it’s big enough, you can have it as your meal.  If not, you can ask for a double order of a salad, so you get a meal-sized portion.

5.  There may be side dishes on the menu that are perfect!  You could order 2-3 side dishes instead of an entree.

6. If you’re not having alcohol, try ordering a sparkling water a splash of cranberry juice and lots of fresh lime or lemon. A light drink option is a wine spritzer, with half white wine and half seltzer.

7.  At the end of the day, no one else is going to remember or care what you ate for dinner, so do what works best for you.

8.  Remember, not all of your socializing has to revolve around food – invite your friends to see live music, go to yoga, go for a walk or get tea.

9.  Plan ahead and be positive!

I worked with one patient who started bringing his own gluten-free crackers out to dinner so that he would have something to eat while everyone else was digging into the bread bowl. Another woman would bring a square of high-quality dark chocolate to enjoy while others were having dessert. This may sound a bit extreme, but I loved that they were both being creative and making small adjustments so that they didn’t have to feel deprived and could enjoy dining out with friends.

If you have any other tips for eating in restaurants, please share them with the rest of us!

New Year, New Kerry

Happy New Year!  I went to India over the holidays and had time to reflect on goals for 2012. Here are some changes that I've made and new habits that I've created. 

With my new friend in IndiaMaking Space
While unpacking from the trip, I took my time and did some winter cleaning. (Kind of like spring cleaning, but in January.)

In my bedroom, I have a hairdryer and hair straightener that live in a tangled heap near the outlet so that I can do my hair in front of the mirror in the morning. I cleared out space in my dresser so that they can stay in there while not in use.

Before picture - not cute!I organized my sock drawer and threw out unmatched and mismatched pairs, now they are organized like little soldiers.

I used to keep all of my makeup on top of the bureau, where it gave the bedroom a cluttered and messy look. I created space so all of my makeup can stay in the top dresser drawer. AHHHHHH! Much better!

New and improved - much betterBye Bye Facebook
Whenever I go on vacation, I love the break from technology. I love only looking at email every 3-4 days on vacation, instead of checking it obsessively in real-time. Realizing that there's really nothing important there. I always swear to cut down on internet when I return home, but it's never worked in the past. This time, something was different.

I didn't make a big fancy "resolution" but I simply decided not to touch my computer in the morning before work, and to really keep it to what's absolutely necessary (which is very little!) in the evenings. I have stuck to this faithfully in the mornings - it's freeing up so much time and making my mornings more peaceful, less rushed and harried.

The only exception I have made in the evenings was catching up on 2 episodes of Revenge (guilty pleasure!). It's made my evenings more peaceful, less distracted. Like magic, I now have time to do the dishes, put my clothes away neatly, read books, walk the dog, get to bed at a reasonable hour. 

When not in use, I'm turning my laptop off and storing it away (whereas before it used to be out and about all the time). I'm doing this on the weekends as well. This has been an amazing change in my life! 

Meditation
I started meditating. 20 minutes in the morning, and 20 minutes at night. So far so good. I'm sure the benefits will be vast, but for now I can report that my sleep has been better. Falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, sleeping solidly through the night, waking up more refreshed. The first 2 changes (winter cleaning and less internet) happened naturally, but meditation was a very conscious goal that I set for 2012. Although cutting down on internet has helped free up the time for this meditation practice. I happened to read in O Magazine that Oprah is doing the same exact thing - 20 minutes morning and night - so I'm in good company! 

Alkalizing Green Smoothies
I've always been a smoothie girl, but I'm experimenting with more super green smoothies. We're talking LOTS of greens: lettuce, celery, cucumber, avocado, lime, mint, greens powder, banana, ice. The idea is to alkalize my body when I wake up. These smoothies are delicious - but not quite as delicious as a pumpkin pie smoothie. But my body is feeling great and they are nice and filling, so I'm sticking with them for now! 

Green smoothie for breakfast! With romaine lettuce, avocado, celery, greens powder, cilantro, mint, banana and ice. Lessons Learned:
1. If you want to start a new habit (like meditation) think about what old habit you can get rid of. Otherwise I think it's hard to "find time" for something new. 

2. The single best way to free up some time that I can think of is to turn off the internet. Shut down your laptop and store it in the closet when "office hours" are over.

3. Clean your closet! Toss or donate a piece of "low self-worth" clothing! I get a huge sigh of relief just thinking about it :)

Love,
Kerry