In this solo YouTube monologue, Dr. David Perlmutter explains his central thesis that food functions as information that can alter DNA expression, a concept he refers to as "food is information." He recounts a past appearance on the Today Show where he discussed how specific foods influence gene expression, and he shares a personal anecdote from his teenage years writing about human adaptation to modern environments. Perlmutter reflects on the mismatch between our evolutionary biology and contemporary lifestyle, noting that modern foods—especially those marketed as "natural" or "health" foods—can drive genetic expression toward disease. He urges listeners to make conscious dietary choices to positively instruct their genes, framing nutrition as a tool for epigenetic health.
Chapters
Food is information. What does that mean? Well, we look at our food in terms of the macronutrients of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and the micronutrients like minerals and vitamins, but understand that the very foods that you choose to eat are changing the expression of your DNA. I had the opportunity to talk about this on the Today Show. And on this program, I presented actually some foods and talked to Ann Curry about how the various foods that we choose to consume change the expression of our DNA. You know, the idea that we're living a life that's not exactly supportive of our DNA expression and in conjunction with good expression of our DNA is something that I became interested in just a few years ago. As a matter of fact, about 43 years ago. When I wrote my first article dealing with this when I was 15 years old. I'll read it to you. After spending 3 days and 2 nights at the Sebring car races, I found myself to be in question. Can we adapt ourselves to this future environment? Perhaps our bodies are more suited to the lush forest bed and soft sandy beaches where former humans lived in duration. I don't believe that the 2 weeks in the mountains or a Saturday at the beach will be enough to keep this body which has evolved under less strenuous conditions, content. Perhaps the human will change rapidly in the next centuries to adapt himself to beer cans, concrete, and shattering noise. Our generations are each contributing to the evolution of pollution-resistant lungs. But what about the people of today who are stuck with the outdated machinery? With that in mind, I recently took a trip to my grocery store near my home. Recognizing that food is information, I walked around the grocery store and I made a discovery. In our grocery store, we actually have something called health foods. We actually have a section in the grocery store dedicated to foods that are called natural foods, foods that actually come from nature. Now, with the idea that foods change our genetic expression, I think it's really important to understand that the food choices we have today are causing genetic expression that leads to disease. Food is information. Instruct your genes wisely. I'm Dr. David Perlmutter.
