Almost everyone I know has inflammation.

Crohn’s disease. Arthritis. Skin problems. Swollen joints. Loss of memory. Irritable bowel syndrome.

A study by Rand Corporation in 2014 cited nearly 60% of Americans had at least one chronic condition.

Truly, it’s an epidemic.

Of course, yours truly has suffered and shared my story around diverticulitis.

Over the holidays I spent quality time with my daughter Krista.

She shared with me how she’s volunteering at a farm in Dallas.

Bonton Farms in South Dallas is an urban farm in the middle of a food desert.

Food deserts are defined as areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.

Of course these areas also are job deserts. (not sure if that’s a thing, but you get the gist.)

The goal of the Bonton Farms organization is to provide access to fresh food for the community as well as education and job experiences for it’s residents.

Nutrition to sustain the body. Skills and education to fortify the mind. Hope to lift the spirit.

Of course in order to minister to mind and spirit, we must begin at the beginning–nourishing the body.

Krista, as well as my son Scott, are two of the most knowledgable people I know on the subject of diet. I’ve learned a lot from them.

One of the things I’ve learned is the importance of eating natural foods.

Over time I’ve learned that happy foods are the most nutritious foods.

What’s a happy food?

Before we can begin to understand happy food we must first answer a question–what is unhappy food?

Unhappy food is beef from cows who are grain fed from a trough in a factory setting who are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. Or unhappy chickens, caged and raised in an assembly line, where stress follows them from birth to harvest.

Unhappy food also would include plants that have been biologically manipulated, or sprayed with harsh chemicals.

Many nutritionists blame our chronic inflammation on our food supply. Not just the unhappy natural foods, but the processed foods as well.

Sugar. MSG. Preservatives. High fructose corn syrup. Sodium Nitrate.

Really, these probably shouldn’t 
be considered foods at all.

So, what are happy foods?

Of course they’re the opposite of unhappy foods.

Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. Happy free range chicken and eggs. Beef from happy grass fed cows. Butter and cheese from happy goats.

Happy food.

The foundation to a healthy body.