Being an eater these days is hard. Simply eating these days is complicated.
Almost everyone is on some type of special diet. Vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, paleo, keto, the Mediterranean diet, the high carb diet, the low carb, the high fat diet, the low fat diet, the grapefruit diet, the green smoothie diet, the gluten free diet…and on and on.

Well, here’s a little story about the importance of simple, high quality nutrition.
It’s starts with one little bee.
Sophie was born into a big family with hundreds of other bees. For the first 4 days of Sophie’s life she was fed perfect amounts of Royal Jelly. It made her grow into a strong, healthy worker bee.
Hundreds of her brothers and sisters were fed the same Royal Jelly for the first 4 days. Four days on Royal Jelly was enough to help them thrive and grow into strong healthy bees. Then they were given honey and pollen for their nutrition. On this type of nutrition, they could work hard and do their part in keeping their community running happily and efficiently.
Sophie had a sister. Her name was Ophelia. Ophelia was also given royal jelly for the first 4 days of her life and then she continued to receive it for the rest of her life.
Because she ate only royal jelly, Ophelia very quickly grew into the Queen Bee. She was stronger, healthier and would live a much longer life.
The only difference between Sophia and Ophelia’s physical health, growth, development and longevity was what they ate. As humans, we have the exact same ability to nourish our physical bodies into Queen Bee status.
is medicine. You’ve heard it a hundred times. Food can help you or it can hurt you. Or it can keep you in neutral mode. Just getting through this life as a worker bee rather than a queen bee.
Our body depends on us to nourish it at the highest level we are able.
When you eat junk food, fast food, processed food and any number of other foodstuffs, you are disrespecting every system in your body. When your body receives such poor quality nutrition, it will produce bloating, fatigue, skin problems, heart disease, diabetes, constipation, cancer, autoimmune disorders and the list goes on.
It might take a while for less than optimal nutrition to catch up to you – but eventually, it will.
You are quite literally telling your body that it doesn’t mean much to you every time you drive through fast food and eat junk food. That’s a strong, undeniable message on a biological level. Most people in our modern world treat their pets and even their cars better than they treat themselves when it comes to nutrition.
And guess what? Food gives us clues. It blatantly shows us the way.
Have you ever noticed that when you slice a carrot that it resembles an eye? It even has patterns of radiating lines that look just like the pupil and iris. Beta-carotene (what gives carrots their vibrant orange color) helps to maintain healthy eyesight, protects against macular degeneration, and the development of cataracts.
A stalk of celery resembles the shape of human bones. Celery contains silicon, which is part of what gives bones their strength. Here’s an astonishing fact: bones are 23% sodium, and celery is also 23% sodium.
Walnuts have a striking resemblance to the human brain, and is well known as one of the ultimate brain foods. Walnuts are a good source of omega-3, and have more antioxidants, folic acid (vitamin B9), and vitamin E than any other nut. When you properly soak and rinse walnuts it removes the phytates and activates enzymes for optimal nutrient absorption.
Slice open a tomato and you’ll realize that it resembles the heart more than any other fruit, and it is loaded with lycopene which has been referred to as heart and blood food. The consumption of lycopene has been proven to help reduce the risk of heart disease. Tomatoes are also a great source of Vitamin C which is crucial for heart health.
Ginger root looks like the stomach and it aids in digestion. Ginger has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for stomach health. Gingerol, the ingredient that gives ginger it’s strong scent and taste, is listed in the USDA database of phytochemicals as having the ability to prevent nausea and vomiting.
And check this out, a sliced mushroom has the shape and resemblance of a human ear, and mushrooms are good for ear health. They are a great source of vitamin D, which is essential for preventing hearing loss.
There are many other foods that resemble the body parts they nourish.
Before you eat another meal mindlessly, truly think about what you put into your mouth. Be proactive rather than reactive. Most people eat what’s
put in front of them or worse yet the bag of food stuffs they hand you through a car window.
Food helps you or hurts you. It nourishes you or destroys you. It leads you through life with energy, clarity and vibrant health or sickness and disease.
Become a tracker and track what you eat. Do it honestly for one week. Most people who take the time to do this are surprised at what and how much they put into their month without even thinking.
Only you are accountable to you. You deserve better.
Go from a dieting mindset to an intuitive eating mindset.
Instead of asking “Can I eat this?” ask “Do I want this?”
Instead of saying “How do I look?” ask “How do I feel?”
Instead of asking “Will this make me skinny?” ask “Will this nourish me?”
Instead of saying “I exercise so I can eat.” Say “I eat so I can exercise.”
Instead of saying “I can eat whatever I want on my cheat day.” Say “I can eat whatever I want every day.”
And instead of saying “Food is my worst enemy and my favorite reward.” Say “Food is just food.”
Think you can’t afford high quality, nutritious food? Most of us prioritize the things that are important to us. Highly nutritious food is much more cost efficient than you might think. In the long run, when there is a cost in lost work, lost sleep, lost time in any aspect in your life then it’s well worth spending a little more up front than at the back end in disease and sickness.
“Pay the farmer or pay the hospital” -Birke Baehr
You can pay now or you can quite literally pay with your life later.
Start small. Add in one smart food habit a week and take out one bad food habit a week. Unless you suffer from an acute illness, it can add up quickly when you make one small, good choice into a daily habit.
Not sure where to start? Here’s my very, short list of where to start.
Water. Drink it. Lots of it. Before you eat or drink anything else at the start of your day, drink a very large portion of water. I prefer a quart jar. Put a pinch of sea salt in (or a little apple cider vinegar) to get it some electrolytes and drink it down. You might feel a little nauseous when you first start this habit but your body will quickly adapt.
Stop drinking soda. Any soda. It’s all just plain bad for you. If you can’t imagine your life without it, then you are probably just addicted to it. Some people say to me “It’s my only vice and I’m not going to give it up.” This habit is one that will keep you in worker bee status. You choose.
Coconut oil. Start using it in place of vegetable oils. Coconut oil is high in natural saturated fats. If eating healthy fats horrifies you, then you need to know that we’ve all been duped by our lovely government and the food lobbyists that keep us fat and sick. Fat does not make you fat. Sugar and the over consumption of refined and over processed carbohydrates makes you fat, tired and addicted. Coconut oil not only increases the healthy cholesterol (HDL) in your body, but it also helps to convert the bad (LDL) cholesterol into good cholesterol. And when you increase the HDL’s in your body, it helps promote heart health and lower the risk of heart disease.
Stop eating wheat. Yep, this one’s a game changer. Wheat compromises the integrity of the gut lining and causes problems for the brain. For everyone. It’s not just a gluten intolerance or celiac disease thing. Here’s the problem – wheat has been hybridized more than 26,000 times since the 1950b72s. Every time a new strain of wheat is hybridized it forms 6 new proteins. Our bodies have not evolved to accommodate all these new proteins and we don’t recognize it as something that will nourish us on a cellular level. It is recognized as a synthetic. If this one seems ludicrous to you, then try it for 30 days. Make a true effort and see how it makes you feel. You might be pleasantly surprised at the bloating and digestive issues that go away.
If you’ve been unable to take your health to the next level these four things will change your health and wellness in big, beautiful ways.
How would you like better sleep, less achy joints, less constipation, glowing skin and endless energy? High quality food is your ticket.
“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” -Julia Child
In conclusion: It is a journey. Some of us have the luxury of taking it slow and integrating a healthy eating lifestyle piece by piece. There are many of you who might be in a tough situation when it comes to your health and wellness. You might need to make drastic changes and quickly. The human body is truly a miracle. Start treating it that way. Be a QUEEN (or a KING)
Jane Barlow