Food — The Medicine of Life.

We all must eat, but how did eating get so complex? Grocery stores are filled with endless aisles of “choices” — thousands of products with labels you need a chemistry degree to decode. The Standard American Diet (SAD) - and yes, that's the real acronym – is characterized by highly processed foods, refined ingredients, and excessive sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. We’ve veered so far from real nourishing food that “healthy eating” seems more like solving a puzzle than living naturally. 

What do you eat? Why do you eat it? When do you eat? Most of us move through our days eating what we want, when we want it, rarely pausing to ask why. We eat for comfort, stress, fun, distraction and sometimes just because it's there. How often do we stop to ask what our bodies truly need? 

We need to get back to basics –to real food. Food nourishes and provides our cells with the building blocks they need to function, repair and thrive. But do we know the basics anymore? Somewhere along the way, we traded simplicity for convenience. We lost touch with what our bodies truly need. It's not about perfection or restriction, it's simply about remembering what food is meant to do: sustain, heal and energize us. 

Let's review some of the basics of nourishment.  

1. Eat real, whole foods! Limit junk and fast food. Real whole foods are packed with natural vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients that provide our cells with the material they need to function. Processed and fast foods are packed with refined oils, added sugars, artificial flavors, and preservatives which confuse our bodies leading to inflammation, hormonal imbalances, digestive issues, and weight gain. While both may fill your stomach, they act very differently once inside. 

2. Read the label! Only choose ingredients you recognize and can pronounce with zero/minimal added sugar, trans/saturated fats, syrups, or preservatives.  If it was made in a lab or factory, it's not likely what your body was designed to eat.  

3. Hydrate! Water is foundational to our cells, brain and metabolism. Prioritize drinking lots of water and limiting sodas and juice. 

4. Listen to your body and eat with awareness. Hunger, fullness, energy, and cravings help you understand what your body needs. Slow down and listen to these cues. Breathe and be mindful of what you are consuming and why. 

   
   

Eating doesn't have to be complicated or rigid. When we return to the basics, nourishment becomes simple again. We can thrive – inside and out- when we choose foods that truly support us. Because food is more than just something we eat – its life, medicine, fuel, connection.