New Leaf Functional Nutrition

02/01/2026

🧬 Your genes are not your destiny.

Identical twins share the same DNA, yet they often age differently, get different diseases, and experience different health outcomes.

Why? Epigenetics.

Take the famous astronaut twins, Scott and Mark Kelly. After Scott spent nearly a year in space, scientists found that 7% of his gene expression remained altered years later, and he was biologically older than his identical twin on Earth.

Same genes. Different environment. Different biology.

Or consider twin sisters raised in the same home, eating the same foods, playing the same sports. One developed stage 2 breast cancer in her early 30s. The other didn’t. Small differences in exposures, stress, sleep, or chemicals, possibly even everyday products, may have nudged their epigenomes in different directions.

✨ This is the power (and promise) of epigenetics.

Your DNA is the script. Your lifestyle is the director.

What you eat.
How you move.
How you manage stress.
How you sleep.
What you’re exposed to.

These factors constantly tell your genes which chapters to read… and which to skip.

So when someone says, “It’s just my genes,” science says otherwise.

👉 You have far more influence over your health and your future than you’ve been led to believe.

Want to learn more about the role of epigenetics in your life? Comment YOUNGER YOU and we’ll DM you the link!

02/01/2026

Migraines are a big problem for many people. These severe, nearly disabling headaches can occur anywhere from once a year to three to four times a week. They can last from hours to days. They are often associated with an aura, light sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, and severe throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head.

And migraines can be caused by many different factors. This is where Functional Medicine comes in. Functional Medicine is medicine by cause; not by symptom. It helps us discover the underlying triggers of disease.

And the root cause of your migraine may not be in your head at all. In fact, migraines can be caused by things ranging from food sensitivities and allergies to hormonal imbalances, vitamin deficiencies, and more.

Keep in mind that sometimes a combination of treatments is necessary.

01/28/2026

Even though fats are complicated, eating a fat-free diet is not good for your health. We need fats to survive.

Every cell is made of fat; our nerve coverings are made of fat; our brain is mostly fat; our hormones are made of fat; our cells and metabolism run better on fat. Fats help you absorb all of the beneficial fat-soluble vitamins in plant foods, and some fats have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

Don’t fear fat; instead, eat the right fats with every meal. Fat won’t make you fat, unless you eat it with starch and sugar like most Americans.

Eat 3 to 5 servings of fat per day, and eat fats mostly with vegetables.

Unless it is trans fat, it won’t cause heart disease.

My favorite fats are avocados, olives, nuts and seeds, and traditional oils like extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. Small amounts of butter, grass-fed ghee, and coconut or MCT oil are fine for most.

If you’re eating a high-fat diet and are curious about how it’s affecting your body, I recommend looking into the NMR particle-size cholesterol test.

01/27/2026

So true!

I wrote this caption and post after looking at my social media feed this morning, so it might be raw. I’ve come repeatedly across people saying that there is one cause of some symptom or something is the #1 thing to do above all else because of a health condition, and I’ve seen it across the spectrum of topics, from HRT, the gut, the nervous system, stress. Bottom line is that the body is too complex for ONE cause. When we reduce everything to saying it’s one thing, it’s like medical dogma. This type of siloed thinking translates to cultural thinking and gets us collectively in a rut of thinking there is only one path and everything else is wrong. It creates confusion and chaos. This is where duality, polarity, and righteousness set in.

Maybe the pathology perpetuates in thinking there is just one rather than in oneness. If you start studying the human body, you can clearly see there are many paths. There is biochemical redundancy. Multiple causes. Complexity reigns supreme.

Let’s help people by cultivating the diversity and personalization of approaches rather than it’s just “this one”...when this mentality pervades our thinking, it ripples through everything else and we begin seeing the resilience present in multiple, many, and more rather than in one, fewer, and less…

01/25/2026

01/21/2026

It’s that time of year ! Time for Metabolic Detox, not a cleanse or trendy juice fast, but an evidence based, well-formulated, tasty program in a convenient kit. Just add lots of whole, minimally processed foods as suggested in the program guide & you’re on your way to a system reset for the new year!

Ask your practitioner about the benefits of the Clear Change Detox Program or click the link in the bio to learn more.

01/21/2026

So true ! Which is why I use SPM’s (pro-resolving mediators) for acute or chronic inflammation 👏

01/21/2026

This is why I always recommend these nutrients together!

VITAMIN D Does NOT Work WITHOUT MAGNESIUM and VITAMIN K2

If you’re taking vitamin D3 without magnesium and vitamin K2 you're not getting the full benefits and in some cases you could even be increasing risk.

Here’s how the system actually works:

1. Vitamin D3 — Calcium Absorption

Vitamin D3 helps your body absorb calcium from food and supplements.

Without enough D3, calcium absorption is poor.

2. Vitamin K2 — Calcium Direction

Vitamin K2 tells calcium where to go:

✔ Into bones and teeth

❌ Not into arteries or soft tissues

Without K2, absorbed calcium can accumulate in blood vessels, contributing to arterial calcification.

3. Magnesium — Vitamin D Activation

Magnesium is required to activate vitamin D.

It converts vitamin D into the active hormone 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (calcitriol).

Around ~50% of people are magnesium deficient, which can silently block vitamin D from working.

Why This Matters

Taking vitamin D alone can:

- Increase calcium absorption without proper regulation (arterial calcifications)

- Stress magnesium stores

- Reduce the effectiveness of vitamin D over time

The Takeaway

Vitamin D + K2 + Magnesium = a functional system

Together, they support:

- Strong bones and teeth

- Healthy arteries

- Better sleep and stress resilience

- Proper calcium metabolism

- Overall metabolic and cardiovascular health

If you want to see the magnesium and Vitamin D3/K2 that I take create an account here https://us.fullscript.com/protocols/ddinicolantonio-general-health

01/19/2026

01/19/2026

01/19/2026

01/19/2026

Easy & delish !