We're talking about epigenetics in SheThrives, and honeybees are seriously fascinating. They're like the ultimate proof of how epigenetic changes can have a huge impact. 

It's mind-blowing, but all bees actually have the exact same genes! Can you believe it? 

There are essentially 3 types of bees

1) The Drone - whose sole job is to mate with the Queen

2) The Queen - she lives for years, is larger and is all about laying eggs

3) The Worker - who basically does everything else...and I mean everything. Gathering nectar, guarding the hive, producing honey, taking care of the queen and eggs/larvae, and even keeping the hive clean. It's seriously exhausting! 😥 

When the larvae hatch, they're all fed royal jelly for the first 3 days of their lives. But here's where it gets interesting - after that, the worker bees are switched to a diet mostly made of honey and pollen. However, when the hive needs a new Queen, the worker bees continue feeding the larvae royal jelly. This royal jelly has compounds that alters the DNA, causing modifications. Without royal jelly, certain genes in worker bees get turned off, resulting in them being smaller and sterile. On the other hand, the Queen gets an abundance of royal jelly, keeping all her genes active. That's why she lives longer, grows bigger, and can lay all those eggs. 

It really just shows you how much our food choices can determine how we look, how long we live, and what we can achieve. So now the question is, what's our equivalent of royal jelly? What foods can help us add more healthy, disease-free years to our lives? Check out my YouTube video or join SheThrives and be a part of the learning, support and conversation.