Eat (Real).

You are nature. You are a living being on this earth just like millions of other living beings, human, animals and plants alike. To understand what works best for your body, know nature.

Last year, I wrote a piece about a squirrels and their lack of mobile phones to make the point that a big component of being healthy is recognizing your own body (if you give it a chance) knows what is best for you. And, a few days ago, I wrote the Top Ten Tips for TwentyEleven and realize now I should have made it Top 11 Tips. So, I'm adding one....

11. Eat (Real).
The idea is simple:

• Only eat things that come directly from nature. This includes vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and modest amounts of animal protein (if you so choose). 
• Only eat things grown organically and sustainably. This allows you to stop poisoning your body and protects the Earth.
• Only eat things without a box. This means stop eating processed foods, no matter what has been added back in. All of the "vitamins" and "nutrients" put into our food to increase their nutritional value are processed and chemical. They simply don't satisfy your nutritional needs.
• Only eat in season and local (as much as is available to you). This reduces the negative impact of shipping food all over the world and helps your small, local farmers.

If you're currently eating a great deal of processed foods, fast foods and other things that pretend to be food you will, most likely, feel pretty miserable when you first start to Eat (Real). Why? Withdrawal symptoms from your body getting rid of the junk. My best advice is to drink plenty of water, walk a lot and get plenty of rest. It should pass in a few weeks. Tough through it. 

Once you're through, your realize the power of your own body. You'll begin to crave fresh, whole, natural food. You'll be sleeping better. You'll have more energy. Your skin will be bright and clear. You'll successfully fight off germs. You'll lose weight. 

You'll realize your body actually needs less food and you're never hungry. This will help your food budget as you are now buying the more expensive organic, sustainably-raised food. Budget is often the first reason people don't Eat (Real). Yes, eating organically is more expensive... but think of your budget as a whole. When you Eat (Real). you'll spend less on health care and you'll miss less work. A great, inexpensive way to Eat (Real). is to grow your own food (packs of seeds are only a few dollars). 

Remember, your body has amazing powers to heal itself and produce enough energy for you to reach all of your dreams. We have to give our bodies a chance to recover from being poisoned from fake additives, chemicals and drugs put on and into our foods. 

As you look into the New Year and look forward to a new you, remember squirrels don't call the vet and eating in cooperation with nature is best for you.