Rewriting Your Health Story: How Your Environment Shapes Your Well-Being
Have you ever been told that your health challenges are just "in your genes"? While genetics play a role in shaping who you are, they don’t tell the whole story—far from it. Science now shows that your daily choices, environment, and even your mindset can influence which genes are activated and how your body functions.
This concept, known as epigenetics, gives you incredible power over your health. Instead of feeling stuck with digestive discomfort, fatigue, or chronic symptoms, you can take meaningful steps to support your well-being. By making small, intentional changes—like nourishing your body with gut-friendly foods, managing stress, and cultivating a positive mindset—you can influence how your genes express themselves, often leading to improved digestion, better energy, and overall health.
Let’s explore how epigenetics works and how you can use this knowledge to take charge of your health.
Understanding Epigenetics: Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny
We all remember that twisted ladder “double-helix” model of DNA from biology class. This incredible structure holds the blueprint for your body, but new research reveals that genes are more like a set of instructions waiting for environmental signals to tell them what to do.
The study of epigenetics (which means “around genetics”) helps us understand how your environment influences gene expression. Instead of thinking of your DNA as a rigid blueprint, it’s more like a dimmer switch—your lifestyle choices can turn certain genes on or off, impacting everything from digestion to inflammation and overall health.
Your genes sit locked away in our DNA, protected by a protein shield. This shield acts like a bodyguard, preventing genes from being read and expressed. The only way to unlock a gene is through an environmental signal—something as simple as nutrition, stress, or emotions can trigger this change. And don’t be fooled by its simplicity—environmental factors have been shown to create more than 30,000 variations of a single gene blueprint!
How does the environment have such a strong influence on your genes? It turns out that the membrane of your cells plays a crucial role. This intelligent outer layer is highly selective, determining what enters and exits the cell. It interprets environmental signals and creates an action, translating these signals into biological responses. This means that everything from the food you eat to the thoughts you think can directly impact your health.
How Your Environment Influences Your Health
Your body constantly responds to environmental signals, which include:
Nutrition: The foods you eat provide information to your cells. Whole, nutrient-dense foods support gut health and healthy cell signals, while processed foods, artificial additives, and excessive sugar can contribute to inflammation, digestive discomfort and more.
Stress Levels: Chronic stress can trigger inflammatory responses, disrupt gut bacteria, alter the digestive process, and interrupt healthy cell signalling. Managing stress through mindfulness, movement, and relaxation techniques can help support your body.
Sleep Quality: Restorative sleep is essential for cellular repair and maintaining mood, digestion, energy and more. Poor sleep can disrupt digestion, energy levels and cellular health.
Toxins & Chemicals: Everyday exposure to pesticides, household chemicals, and artificial ingredients can impact how genes express themselves. Reducing exposure to toxins helps create a more supportive environment for your gut and overall health.
Mindset & Beliefs: The way you think and feel about your health matters. Negative thoughts and self-doubt can reinforce stress responses, while positive affirmations and self-care help create a healing environment.
As you can see, your mind plays a significant role in influencing your environment. The human brain consists of both subconscious thought and self-conscious awareness. The trouble lies when there’s conflict between the two. Have you tried to make a change out of sheer willpower, only to falter? That may be your subconscious mind at work. If you constantly tell yourself that you can’t heal, that you’re stuck with poor digestion, or that you’ll never feel better, your mind will work against you. But, you can change your thoughts and story. By consciously shifting your mindset and perceptions, you take a giant step toward regaining control over your health.
Shifting Your Health with Small, Intentional Changes
Despite having positive thoughts and perceptions, there are still environmental stressors you may face—pesticides, artificial ingredients, trans fats, processed foods, overtraining, work pressure, financial worries, and emotional stress. Whether physical or emotional, stress puts your body into survival mode, making it harder to grow, repair, and thrive. Recognizing and reducing these stressors is key to unlocking your best health.
Here’s how to start taking control:
Nourish Your Gut: Prioritize whole foods, fiber, probiotics, and hydration to support digestion.
Reduce Stress: Try deep breathing, meditation, or a gratitude practice to shift your body's stress response.
Prioritize Rest: Create a bedtime routine to improve sleep quality and support gut health.
Minimize Toxins: Choose organic when possible, reduce processed foods, and opt for natural household products.
Reframe Your Mindset: Replace negative self-talk with supportive, empowering affirmations about your health journey.
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Resources
Lipton BH. The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles. 10th anniversary ed. Hay House, Inc; 2016.