How Knowing Your Child’s Genetics Can Make Parenting Easier with Dr. Erika Gray

Episode Highlights With Dr. Erika Gray Important perspective about genetics and how to use this information for the biggest advantage The nuance when it comes to children and genes Genes do not exist in isolation and why focusing on one gene is not helpful How understanding genetics helped her teens (and mine) What COMT is and how this comes into play with influencing our worldview Fast COMT break down dopamine and norepinephrine faster (linked to moving around, not sitting still, etc.) How this understanding of genetics can relate directly to how we parent Yet another reason protein is so important, especially for kids and teens Genes related to serotonin and dopamine and neurotransmitters We have 2-5 lbs of bacteria in our gut, and there is a gene called FUT2 that ties to lower levels of bifidobacteria, and this can be linked to anxiety, longevity, and more Understanding choline genes and why this is a game changer for so many people, and this is critical for pregnancy and brain development Some caveat around MTHFR and why we might be overdoing our response to this Serotonin-related genes to look at if you get your kids' genes tested What BDNF genes can tell you MC4R is a snacking gene, and how to understand this Bitter taste receptor genes and how these can make kids more picky Resources We Mention My Toolbox Genomics - Use code wellnessmama for a discount Kion Aminos