Food, movement, stillness, and the things I keep learning.
I've spent much of my life thinking about what we take in: the food we eat, what we see and hear, the habits we repeat, and the people we share our lives with. This site is where I talk about what I've learned—and what I'm still trying to figure out.
Going to the store alone and depressed, buying a pint of ice cream, and eating it by yourself at home is not the same as going out with someone you love and sharing ice cream during a beautiful moment.
The ice cream may be the same, but the experience isn't. One moment may be telling you that you need care or connection. The other may become a memory you hold onto.
Wellness isn't about being perfect. I struggle like everyone else. What we eat matters, but so do why we eat, how we feel, who we're with, and what we do when we're having a hard time.
IngredientsRead closely
Grade A cream, natural flavor.
What is the natural flavor?Why does butter need it?
Read the label
Familiar name. Different product.
A loaf of bread, a candy bar, ice cream, even butter, might still have the same familiar name. But what's inside the package isn't always what we remember. Ingredient lists have gotten longer, and ingredients now show up where I never would've expected to find them.
That's one reason I became a label-reading nut.
The words “natural flavor” don't automatically mean something's harmful. But they don't tell me exactly what was added, either. If I have a choice, I usually go with the simpler product.
This isn't about being scared of food. It's about paying attention and deciding what we're comfortable bringing home.
Everyday practices
The things I actually practice.
None of this makes me an expert at life. These are simply the things that help me feel better, stay curious, and pay attention.
Our parrots and our horse are not decorations. They have their own personalities, routines, moods, preferences, and very clear ways of letting us know what they think.
They depend on us, and we love them. Caring for them takes patience, work, consistency, and attention. It also brings a lot of joy into our home.
My interest in food and health started when I was about ten. My father questioned things most families never thought twice about, and my mother once wrote to cereal companies asking why they used BHT and BHA.
I didn't understand the chemistry, but I understood the lesson: don't assume something is good for you just because it's being sold to you. Ask questions.
A door into The Inner Garden
From ChefWellness to The Inner Garden
I started seeing the body differently.
Instead of picturing the body as a machine, I started imagining it as a living world. Organs became gardens. Body systems became rivers, forests, and flourishing landscapes. The child at the center became the Head Gardener.
That idea grew into The Inner Garden, a children's picture book about a six-year-old boy who discovers a hidden world inside himself.
