Intro (0:00)News and Views (1:18)While Sarah is not 100% better, she has more energy than she has had in a long timeBuild-a-Bear now has slothsSarah is getting ready for the Nutritional Therapy Association conference which is this upcoming weekend, and she will be in the Portland area when this show airsShe is giving a talk on Friday morning and is on a panel discussion on Friday afternoonOn Saturday she will just be hanging around the conferenceShe is very excited because this trip because it is such a great conferenceSarah will be talking about sleep this year, inspired by her passion for her Go to Bed program and the science behind the role that sleep plays on our overall health and wellnessSarah shared more about the prioritization of sleepScience with Sarah (11:33)Genetics vs. epigenetics - the definitionsThere are many mechanisms with genes that are influenced by diet and lifestyleEpigentics are inheritable as well - we do inherit some signals from both our parents' and grandparents' environments that control which genes are turned off and turned onWe can override those on/off switches with our own diet and lifestyle choices, but the science helps us understand why there is a predisposition for certain diseases with epigeneticsWe only understand the very tip of the iceberg on this topic, and in isolated specific conditions, but it is a field of science that is exploding right nowSarah thinks that this scientific field will lead to tremendous advances in how we define an optimal human dietTurning the tide of public health by educating our children on diet and lifestyle choicesMotivating healthier choices throughout the generationsQuestions & Answers (27:27)Emma - How exactly does gene expression work? Did my grandparents' diet and lifestyle really help shape who I am? What about my great-grandparents? Do genes really turn on and off? How is this possible? If I were to marry, say, a lifelong smoker, how much of an impact would this genetic "tag" have on our offspring?There are both a genetic predisposition to inheriting a disease and an epigenetic predisposition to inheriting a diseaseFor example, there are a few variants of genes that have much higher risks of autoimmune diseasesSarah shared more examples of gene variants that have a higher risk for various diseasesWe have this whole separate set of genes that are turned on and turned off based on diet and lifestyle, exposure to toxins, hormone environment, stress, sleep, infection, gut micro biome - and all of the gene expressions impacted from these variables are inheritableSo yes, a lifelong smoker would create a genetic impact on their kidsThe paternal link is just as strong as the maternal linkSarah's appreciation for how her health journey has educated her choices and brought her to where she is todayJessica - if family members have autoimmune conditions, should I adopt an AIP diet to prevent acquiring one?Stacy suggests trying to be aware of what the autoimmune trigger foods are and either avoid or limit themHowever, it may be hard to stay strict AIP based off of a genetic dispositionIf you start having symptoms it may motivate you to make those changes, but taking the approach to first build awareness around what the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods are, and consuming as much of those healing foods as possibleUnderstand the key concepts behind the autoimmune protocol and why they workLearning about adequate nutrient levelsTaking it from the nutrient density focus as opposed to the elimination focus with be hugely beneficialDon't ignore the lifestyle factors and work on thoseThere is a whole class of autoimmune diseases that occur with hormonal changes - partner with a healthcare provider who can help you monitor these changesMonitor how you feel, and look into health challenges if and when they ariseThanks everyone for listening! We will be back again next week!Outro (57:25)