“The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine…or the slowest form of poison.” ~Ann Wigmore

Ann Wigmore was a holistic health practitioner and raw food advocate. She wrote several books on her theories and lectured widely to promote her practices.

Yesterday a friend dropped by, and we decided to grab tacos at a local (and dare I say, not the best) restaurant. I was hungry, so I gobbled two crispy tacos and ate way too many tortilla chips. About an hour later, I wasn’t feeling great. It wasn’t food poisoning, but the food did not agree with me. This morning I have a stomach ache.

Ironically, most of the time I’m very careful about where and what I eat, but sometimes I fall off the healthy food wagon. Let’s just say I know better than to eat tacos from a restaurant that is marginal, at best. In fact, the older I get, the more careful I have to be about where my food comes from. That means shopping and cooking. With spring around the corner, it also means planting a garden. Nothing beats home-grown tomatoes, sugar snap peas, green beans, fresh kale, beets, cabbage, and basil.

If gardening is not your thing, there are options. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way to buy local, seasonal food directly from the farmer. According to www.localharvest.org/csa/ “a farmer offers a certain number of ‘shares’ to the public. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a membership or a subscription) and in return receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.”

Keeping It Fresh and Natural

Unless you’re from Jupiter, you know that seasonal, organic, whole foods are the ideal way to eat. Our go-to foods should be all the raw fruits and veggies we can devour, along with some soups, stews, and whole grains. In other words, when it comes to healthy eating, less is more.

According to Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health, we should eat about as many calories as we expend. We should also avoid refined and processed foods and choose more natural sources of nutrition, such as organic meats, whole grains, and locally grown produce.

If you’re going out to eat more often and enjoying it less, or eating too many processed and convenience foods, consider initiating some healthier options. Think about making a big pot of vegetarian chili or soup and freezing it in small portions.

For Sunday dinner, top quinoa or rice with roasted vegetables. At least once a week, make a huge salad for dinner. Invite friends to join you for great conversation and a simple, healthy meal.

While you’re at it, do your body a favor and stay away from too many tortilla chips and crispy tacos.

Jan Fishler, MA, is currently co-authoring a new book, Don’t Stop Now, Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life (DontStopNow.us). She is also the author of Searching for Jane, Finding Myself (An Adoption Memoir), and has written several articles about alternative health and PTSD. You can learn more about Jan at www.JanFishler.net.