About Evolving Health

David Despain at Grand Canyon
I started this blog originally as a way to help me retain some of the information from my graduate studies in nutrition science while  honing my skills as a science and health writer.

The blog later developed into a useful way to capture and report on interesting information I was learning at a variety of science lectures, conferences, and symposiums. Notably, this blog was chosen as the official blog reporting on the American Society for Nutrition annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2012 (#EB2012) and for 2013 (#EB2013).

I've also found that, over the years, along with Twitter, this blog has opened many opportunities for me as a writer. Not only that, but it has also  helped me to forge a lot of new friendships with others who believe in an evidence-based approach to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Now, I use this blog to continue exercising that science and health writing "muscle" on a regular basis. And, I always appreciate any feedback from like-minded peers. I hope you'll follow it along as I continue to explore new topics, new conferences, and new information on Evolving Health.

Brief Bio

When I was only a young child, playing marbles and running along the streets of Rosario, Argentina, my great-grandfather gave me a gift I could never forget. As he lay dying in his bed, he told my mother that I was to have his entire collection of National Geographic magazines dating back a couple of decades. These, I spent hours flipping through, staring in awe (not just at the pictures of nude tribal women!), and reading. It was my first introduction to the great world of science, nature, and science writing.

As I grew older -- during my boy scout years living in Provo, Utah -- my interest in topics of nature, biology, health, food, and nutrition, began to develop further. I'd eventually begin taking biology, health, and other science courses in college, only to realize finally that I wasn't cut out for lab or field work. What I found, instead, that I was most interested in was in simply gaining an understanding of a variety of scientific disciplines, especially in health and biology, and writing about them. Most of all, I was interested in telling stories about scientists who were making meaningful advances in their fields.

Shedding my aspirations of becoming a scientist myself, I set out to become a science writer who would work with scientists and tell their stories. Once I finished up an associate degree at Utah Valley State College (now a "University"), I went on to earn a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Then, after working a few years as a stock broker and then as a food and nutrition writer, I decided to head back to school for a master's of science degree of human nutrition at University of Bridgeport.

I now live in Gilbert, Ariz., (still enjoying the Southwest) and continue to write about science and health. As I write, I think back to memories of my childhood and teen years reading National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover, and other magazines, along with several health and nutrition books. In the end, my major wish is that one day I might complete my life's circle by giving another child, perhaps my own (or my own's own), the inspiration that I once had to write...

Diet and Lifestyle Philosophy

Simple, really:
  • Respect the complexity of your own biology. 
  • Eat to move, move to live -- how I remind folks that energy in should be dictated by energy out, and that energy out is really key to living healthier.   
  • As Paracelsus said, "The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy." Get your nutrients, not too much.  
  • Don't fear food science or technology. Understand it. 
  • Non calentarum, largum vivirum -- my grandmother used to tell me this, which I loosely translate to "Laugh long, live long."
  • Subscribe to science, not a philosophy.
Favorite Science Writing Quotes

"Science writers are soldiers in a battle against ignorance." - Richard Dawkins, science writing workshop at ASU's Origins Symposium in 2009

Genetics

My father is from the U.S. and my mother is from Argentina. That explains my mix of Northern European and Southern European ancestry. I'm also 97.2 percent human and 2.8 percent Neandertal, according to genetic testing from 23andMe.

Contact Information

Contact me at daviddespain -at- gmail -dot- com. You can also circle me on Google+, friend me on Facebook.com/daviddespain, or follow me on Twitter @daviddespain.