The Basics….101
Hello and Welcome to Bodhi Wellness!
First Blog: (YIKES!) What You Didn't Learn in Middle School Health Class
Subtitle: Some Basic Things EveryBody Should Know About Their Bodies
Well hello there, my lovies. First, a big heartfelt thank you for showing up here. Whether you stumbled across Bodhi Wellness by accident or you’ve been friend guilted into reading this, I’m glad you’re here. This blog is our little corner of the internet to talk about all things health and wellness, the real stuff, the useful stuff, the “how-did-I-not-know-this” stuff. We’ll laugh, we’ll learn, and yes, we’ll probably roll our eyes at a few outdated “health tips” we’ve all been fed along the way.
So, let’s start with the basics, the things we didn’t learn in middle school health class. And no, I’m not talking about the awkward puberty slideshow. I’m talking about the life-long, every-single-day choices we make that actually determine how we feel, how we move, how we age.
You Are Literally What You Eat
Hippocrates, the Greek physician who lived over 2,000 years ago, said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” And guess what? He wasn’t just trying to sell kale. What we eat, every single bite, becomes our cells. The salad, yes, your body can turn that into glowing skin and steady energy. That double cheeseburger with fries and a soda, also becomes your cells… just maybe not the ones you’ll want to brag about.
The truth is, if we eat food that’s loaded with artificial junk, our bodies have to work overtime to process it. And when you spend years feeding yourself low-quality fuel, it’s like putting cheap gas in a luxury car. The engine might still run, but it’s not running at its best.
We will get much deeper into this subject in coming blogs.
Navigating the Food Maze
Here’s the tricky part, today’s grocery stores are a minefield of marketing buzzwords and confusing labels. Organicversus non-organic. Non-GMO. Natural (spoiler: that one’s mostly meaningless). Then there’s the fine print about additives, preservatives, and highly processed ingredients hiding in even “healthy” foods.
GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) aren’t inherently evil. Science is nuanced, but a lot of the GMO crops in the U.S. are engineered to withstand heavy pesticide use. So, if you’re trying to avoid turning your salad into a chemical experiment, paying attention to your produce source is a good start. And if you can’t always buy organic? No guilt. Just know which foods matter most to get organic. There is always a current list showing which produce to avoid and which is safe; try looking up the ‘Dirty Dozen’ and ‘The Clean 15’.
Antioxidants vs. Free Radicals: The Food Fight in Your Body
Your body is basically running a constant action movie inside you. On one side, you’ve got free radicals, unstable molecules that damage cells and speed up aging. On the other side, you’ve got antioxidants, the superheroes that swoop in and neutralize the bad guys. Where do you get these superheroes? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and even a little dark chocolate. When I teach this, I like to draw it like this…
The more colorful your plate, the more antioxidant power you’re bringing to the fight. Think berries, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, bell peppers. If it looks like something you’d find in a box of Crayola’s, and your body probably loves it.
Bottom Line
Taking care of your body doesn’t have to be complicated. Eat real food most of the time. Limit the stuff that’s been processed to death. Pay attention to where your food comes from. And remember, you’re not just “eating for today” — you’re literally building your future body, cell by cell.
So here’s to learning the things we should have been taught way back when… and actually putting them into practice.
Welcome to Bodhi Wellness. Stick around. The best is yet to come.