You’ve likely heard the phrase, “the human body is like a car, it requires the right kind of fuel.” So, going off of this there are three types of fuel for vehicles, diesel, regular gas or premium gas, and each car requires a specific kind of fuel. If you put the wrong kind of fuel (like gas in a diesel) it’s catastrophic and your car is going straight to the mechanic.

Does that sound like your body? If you eat a donut does it send you straight to the ER? Typically not. What about fuel levels? If you keep your Subaru full is it going to carry around a little extra fat? Definitely not. So your body really isn’t like a car after all. Rather, your body is a living organism that requires a fine balance of nutrients.

That poses the question, what is food? If your body is not a car then food is not just fuel, it’s a little more complex than that. Food is filled with energy, calories, fuel, micronutrients, phytopigments, amino acids, water and more. It’s the vessel for the many nutrients our bodies crave.

It’s this variety that breathes life. Let’s look at a couple of them a little more closely.

Micronutrients are a combination of vitamins and minerals that we absolutely need in our diet as they help to prevent our bodies from breaking down.

We are talking about minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium and vitamins like folic acid, vitamin K and the many vitamin B’s. Each vitamin and mineral has an area of “expertise”. For example, calcium helps to build our bones, and regulate blood pressure while magnesium transports other minerals and helps to regulate blood sugar.

Phytopigments fill our lives with color. There’s a reason the saying “eat the rainbow” exists, it helps to ensure we consume the many different phytopigments like Beta-carotene (orange), Chlorophyll (green), Phycocyanin (blue) and more. Each delivers a variety of beneficial antioxidant benefits to the body.

For example, Beta-carotene is a carotenoid, a naturally occurring orange pigment found in plants. This pigment is converted to vitamin A in the body, an antioxidant that supports our vision, lungs and immune system. Beta-Carotene is a powerful antioxidant that helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals. While chlorophyll is a green pigment found in plants. It facilitates the absorption of sunlight in plants and is vital for photosynthesis, the process in which plants get their energy from light. This wonderful pigment has beneficial antioxidant properties. It supports cellular cleansing and renews red blood cells.

It’s through our food and supplements that we ensure we are getting the variety of nutrients our bodies require. When your body is lacking, it does not hesitate to let you know and leaves you feeling pretty crummy.

When we feed our bodies with proper nutrition, it awards us with mental clarity, lasting energy, glowing skin and more.

Food is not merely fuel and our bodies are certainly not like cars. Both are far more complex and amazing!