So many people have invited me to listen to podcasts, but sadly, I never found the time. With the changing weather and more outdoor walking, though, I’ve finally started listening to some really great podcasts on nutrition and health. It’s actually been amazing. What I’m hearing most often is something that has been my mantra for so long and is finally becoming mainstream: food is medicine.
Unfortunately, while “knowledge is power,†knowing something doesn’t guarantee action. It’s the same as understanding that food can either heal us or harm us. We know eating ultra-processed foods isn’t good for us, but that certainly doesn’t mean we aren’t tempted by them.
Did you know that many chronic diseases for which doctors prescribe medication are linked to the long-term consumption of processed foods? Yet so many people still mindlessly consume these foods every day. The other scary part is that many doctors prescribing these medications receive very little education about nutrition, so where do we go to learn? There are so many conflicting opinions on the internet that it can be hard to decipher what’s true.
The first thing to recognize is that we are all bio-individual, which simply means that what works for one person may not work for another. Your food medicine may be someone else’s food poison. I certainly shouldn’t be eating the same way as a 58-year-old male or a 24-year-old female. We must advocate for ourselves and take the time to notice what works and what doesn’t — what gives us energy and what makes us tired, what inflames or bloats us and what doesn’t.
For me, it comes down to proper planning and having healthy, protein-packed snacks that fuel me until I can get the healthy meal my body needs. I need over 125 grams of protein a day, which is a lot, so I start with that knowledge and build from there using what I know about animal and plant protein. It is not easy. It takes a lot of work, time, and mindfulness to continue moving forward on my health journey. But I’m unwilling to accept the consequences of not doing this for myself and for those I care about.
I’m educated in holistic nutrition and constantly learning more by surrounding myself with experts. This allows me to better help myself and others through everything we do at Aneu Kitchens and through the soon-to-be-built educational center where you’ll be able to learn some of these things too.
Yesterday, I was driving around with my 87-year-old mom and my 91-year-old aunt (her sister), and they kept reminding me that they don’t exercise, meditate, or do any of the things the internet tells us are necessary for longevity — and yet, here they are. I reminded them that throughout my entire life, and theirs, our family has always eaten whole foods, cooked meals at home, and gathered around the table together, which is one of the most consistent components of wellness across all the Blue Zones in the world.
Here is to our health,
