Since everyone needs to eat, let’s talk about the basics. What we eat makes a major impact on our health, and that is worth delving into.

Food is first broken down in the mouth to the stomach and into the small intestines before it has much chance to be absorbed. The nutrients of that food are shared with all our organs via the bloodstream. Once the nutrient molecules (think of those old mining cars on their tracks one at a time) are sent through the bloodstream, they have a chance to help the cells in all our organs get the food they need to be healthy. Of course, it’s much more complicated than this, but that’s the basic idea.

If that food happens to be soda with high fructose corn syrup, it really doesn’t help any of our cells be healthy. If it is a candy bar with sugar and corn and soy, we now have more than three ingredients that are not real food (genetically modified foods are not real foods) and the body is confused about what to do with that. So, it uses what it can and sticks the rest in our fat cells or liver.

When we eat real food, like lettuce or cucumbers, radishes (best if organic) and more that are alive with their own nutritional value, our insides know what to do with these foods to fuel the body’s cells. You will be getting the building blocks your cells need to be healthy. It is important to understand the value in eating organic, local, in-season and fresh foods, with organically raised, grass-fed meats. However, a major concern is that eating well is so expensive. So, let’s break this down.

First scenario: If we spend money to eat at any fast food place, it may be cheap, but the nutritional value of that food is questionable. This means that to feel good (which is the body’s signal that all is well), we really need to eat more of that not great food. So, we eat more processed or hormone-filled food and shortly thereafter feel hungry again. This signaling system of “I am full now” can and does get broken. The molecules that are meant to tell our brain we are full are stopped in the stomach by all phony sugars, so we continue to stick food in our mouths trying to feel better.

Second scenario: We spend a bit more to eat live food that we put together ourselves from organic food we bought locally or at a Farmers’ Market. It is colorful, flavorful, tastes amazing and is very filling. We do not get hungry for several hours. Our nervous system is happier, our brains work more clearly, and we have plenty of energy to do our day’s tasks without needing a caffeine or sugar fix.

The bigger picture is that the cheaper food will cost us our health, our minds and our nervous systems. It has affected America’s fertility levels, and caused more autoimmune disorders, as well as a huge rise in respiratory illnesses. Raising cheap meat impacts not only those animals, but the environment and us as well. Our daily choices make a global impact. Remember, if we are sick and busy being ill, we are much less a threat to our federal system.

One can choose fast and cheap, but later we all pay for that choice. Even if you don’t make much money, consider the power your choices have. Consider this: a baked chicken from the store is $6.99. An organic, hormone-free chicken will cost around $11. That baked chicken feeds two people, one time each. That hormone-free chicken feeds two people at least four times each. You’ve saved $3.

Keep it simple. Just start with the one food item you eat regularly (like eggs you have daily for breakfast) and change those to organic. Next, try getting off the Dirty Dozen. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a fantastic resource for all things healthy, from food, to water, to cosmetics. Their guide, “Good Food on a Tight Budget”, can be found at ewg.org/goodfood. They have a card to print out or keep on your phone of the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen.

Overall, understand that knowing what is going into your body gives you a chance to make a good choice for yourself, for your own health.

DeeAnn Saber, NMD, of Transformational Medicine, has been eating healthy for years and enjoys growing her own food. She has more energy than most folks her age. For more information, call 520-209-1755, email [email protected] or visit TFMND.com. See ad, page 3.