It can make you happy, sad, irritable, anxious, light and airy, or wound up and cranky. It can contribute to toxicity and illness, or health and balance. It can create happy hormones, or a raging 'brat' to put it nicely. It can create a lifetime of happiness, or decades of doom and gloom.

I should know. I've been there, done that. I used to eat like crap, and after several years, my body finally had enough. It started to break down. And nothing I tried - nothing - healed my body the way that food did. Today, I'm healthier than I've ever been in my life, thanks to changing what I put in my mouth.

Yep, you really are what you eat. So, do you want to be a walking cheeseburger? Or perhaps transition into a luscious garden of fruits and vegetables?

Unfortunately, when it comes to our food, most Americans get a failing grade. What I have found is that many people have a food addiction or hang up of some kind. Pick your poison; sugar (like the old me), fast food, choc-o-holic, soda like water... or maybe you're addicted to diets, snack attacks, self-sabotage, or the awesome outlets stores at St. Louis Mills Mall (wait, that's me, and I don't help with shopping addictions, sorry).

But there's more to this story. Because, we are actually MORE than just what we eat. The fact is, you could eat nothing but garbanzo beans and leafy greens, but if you are unhappy, overloaded in commitments or chronically stressed out, your health will not be in top form.

I empower my clients to look beyond the food to everything else that 'feeds them' (relationships, careers, money, health, family) to reclaim their true health and weight.

The bottom line is that we are truly a product of everything we consume on a daily basis. Our bodies absorb everything; food, constant stress, anxiety, negative emotions and crappy relationships. So if you are looking for real health, it's important to job to nurture all aspects of your body in the most gentle and effective way possible.

Luckily for you, I have a whole bag of tricks to help you simply live your best life without having to turn everything on its head! That's what my weekly articles are all about YOU living simply, and with abundant health.

In my training at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City, I learned from world-renown leaders such as Dr. Mehmet Oz, Andrew Weil, Barry Sears (Zone Diet), Deepak Chopra, and many more unbelievable teachers. I was exposed to over 150 different dietary theories, and have used this information to develop practical tips and programs as individual as my clients.

I also have a whole arsenal of health hints from my work as the lead health and wellness writer for an awesome company called Eat Right America. The Chief Medical Officer at Eat Right America is a board-certified family physician who has been using food as medicine to help clients lose ( a ton of!) weight, reverse and eliminate disease, and drastically increase the quality of their lives for over twenty years.

But, enough about me.

This is about YOU - and your journey to vibrant health and an ideal weight. Maybe that means losing a little (or a lot) of weight. Perhaps you want to steer clear of all the fast food restaurants you frequent, or it could be that you simply want to learn to select and prepare healthier food for your busy family on-the-go.

Whatever your goals, check back in often for great articles, tips, food highlights, recipes, and even a few video cameos by yours truly!

Be sure to check out the feature food of the week (avocados—one of my favorites) and the delicious recipe to follow.

Yours in good health,

Melissa Fox
Founder, St. Louis Health Coaching