What do genes, chronic diseases, inflammation and longevity have in common? They're all influenced by environmental factors within your control. That's right—the choices you make every day are largely responsible for the state of your health, both today and in the future. Think about that for a second. That means that every bit of activity you do (or don't), every effort to manage stress productively (or not), every bite of food (or a food-like substance) is a choice between optimizing your health or increasing your risk of becoming a chronic disease statistic. This information is incredibly empowering! Of course, we're all dealt genetic strengths and weaknesses, but what we eat, whether we exercise, and how much stress we have largely determine which genes turn on and which stay off. Food is an especially important environmental factor, because we eat 5-7 tons of it in a lifetime, and all of it talks to our body. Our food tells our cells to produce or reduce inflammation, to burn or store energy . . . in short, to help or harm our health.

What Message is Your Food Sending Your Body?