I just finished a truly fascinating book called “Why Some Like It Hot”, by Gary Paul Nabhan.  It’s all about the effects of our environment on our genes, and how that in turn influences how and what we can and should eat.  For example, the author describes how it was only in Northern Europe that being able to digest milk became a survival characteristic, so it’s only Northern Europeans (mostly) that can tolerate lactose into adulthood.  

He cites a number of similar examples, from Crete to Arizona to Hawaii, where the food and climate that were available shaped the genetic makeup of the people who lived there and have a profound effect on what foods are or are not healthy for those people to eat. 

The phenomenon, which Nabhan terms “food-gene-culture” interaction, is one that has interested me for quite some time.  This is the first material I’ve read that cites such wide ranging examples and really brings home how what is a “healthy” diet has much more to do with the individual than most people think. 

If you are interested in nutrition, or why we eat what we do, it’s a great read.