This edition of Throwback Third Thursday (#tbtt) isn't exactly a throwback of me but it is a pretty huge reason for why I am here.   
60 years ago today my wonderful grandparents, Betty Ann & Ed, were married!

My mission statement, of sorts, is I am a professional student saving the planet one carnivore at a time and a scientific review published today in Science (Volume 343) does a pretty good job of explaining why.  Carnivores are really cool but the importance of keeping these species’ populations healthy is more important than because they’re badass. 

Most of the members of the order Carnivora are at the top of the food chain in their ecosystem making them an integral part of the health and well-being of that ecosystem.  And, since carnivores exist in almost every habitat on Earth, declines in these species can be seriously detrimental to the condition of our plant.  Carnivores play an important role in regulating ecosystem function.  Other species, both flora and fauna, rely on carnivores hunting, scavenging, leaving prey remains, etc. whether directly or indirectly.  A decline in carnivores has some fairly unexpected effects including changes in biodiversity, disease, and even stream morphology.   

Natural ecosystem balance has ebb and flow, but in recent ecological history the ebb is beating out the flow in regards to many carnivore populations.  Factors such as human-animal conflict, habitat loss and depletion of prey due to over hunting are changing our planet’s carnivore populations and declines are causing declines in other essential species and increases in destructive ones.   This review focused on seven of the 31 large mammalian species of Carnivora (above) which have documented trophic cascades (meaning the predator is responsible for the alteration traits of their prey within a food web – ie the Circle of Life) reporting on the effects each carnivore has on its individual ecosystem.  Their conclusions, humans cannot replace carnivores in their role of preserving ecosystem balance and conservation efforts need to be made to prevent further loss or even extinction of such important biodiversity and ecosystem function maintenance species.

People have been making and breaking  New Years resolutions for millennia!  In Roman times, on January 1st the highest officials would swear oaths to the Emperor and make resolutions to remain loyal to the republic in celebration of the two-headed god of new beginnings, Janus (for which January is named for), who looked both into the past and future.   

I don't usually make "resolutions" but I, like many other people, do take the dawning of having to remember to add one when writing the year as a time to reflect on the past 365 days and determine what can be done to make this year even better.  And, after a two week - much needed - holiday vacation, I am ready to get back into the swing of things and start 2014 off right!  This includes getting my body back to a healthier and happier state preparing me for the loads of adventure ahead of me this year (more to come on that soon).  Due to the hustle and bustle of trying to see everyone while in California and falling victim to the sweets and good eats of the holidays, I am starting off 2014 with my back hurting worse than it has in a long while and bouts of fatigue are setting in with a vengeance.  I have been noticing the deterioration of my good habits and the development of ones which I am sure are the culprits for getting me to this point, most of which revolve around food.  So, while mentally I am happy, physically I am not, so, it's time to make a change!

To "restore [my] body's natural ability to heal itself" I will be doing a 21-day cleanse, detox and diet called Clean by cardiologist Dr. Alejandra Junger, M.D.  I have done "detox" diets before.  The detox phase of the FatSmash diet is my typical go to get myself back in-line and has never steered me wrong but, this time, I wanted something more.  I don't want to just re-teach myself to eat better and get myself back on track after two weeks of cheats; I want to help myself through the healing process of my illness and I think this program could do just that.   The program focuses on both inner and outer (mental and physical) health and there is a whole section on Nutrigenomics and gene expression, which really speaks to my scientist side.  This program is about rebuilding and restoring your whole body to become healthy and happy.

I will be going through this program with the help and support of the Curry Girl's Kitchen, my cousin and aunt's company which teaches healthy eating habits.  If you are interested in trying this type of program yourself, check out www.cleanprogram.com and contact the Curry Girl's Kitchen (tell them Caitlin sent you).  If you're in the Los Angeles area, you can even participate in weekly classes during the program where you will be guided through each week learning "clean" recipes.

2013 was an incredible year, but I have a feeling 2014 is going to be even better!