8 December 2025

This piece was written with the help of ChatGPT - using my ideas, voice, and guidance -because I’m currently recovering from a total knee replacement. I’m grateful for the ability to keep sharing insights and inspiration with you, even while I’m healing and learning to walk smoothly again. 💚🦵✨

You probably know the ancient story of the blind men and the elephant. Each man touches a different part and confidently describes what he believes the creature is: a rope, a wall, a snake, a tree trunk. They’re all certain…and they’re all incomplete.

I realized this same concept seems to come up when we talk about food. Often, we tend to “feel” just one part of the elephant. And, depending on which part we grasp, we can form very different conclusions.

When “factory-made” becomes the tail we tug on

There’s a lot of chatter about ultra processed foods these days. For some, the only thing they notice is whether a food is made in a factory. If it comes in a package, if it’s processed in any way, it must be “bad.” This is the tail of the elephant: thin, simple, and easy to judge.

But that narrow view misses the rest of the animal.

A food made in a factory can be detrimental to our health, or it can be a nutritional blessing. Canned beans, frozen vegetables, whole-grain pasta, or a plant-based burger with a thoughtful ingredient list are all technically “processed.” Yet they can be accessible, affordable options that help people eat more plants and less of the stuff that harms our bodies and our planet.

The truth is, processing is neither inherently good nor bad. What matters is how something is processed and what it’s processed from.

When “natural” becomes the trunk we cling to

Another part of the elephant we often mistake for the whole creature is the word “natural.” It sounds wholesome and reassuring, as if nature herself has authenticated the food.

But “natural” is one of the most misleading terms on a label. Take “natural flavors,” for example. They sound like something squeezed from a fruit or plucked from a field, but they’re often created in labs by food scientists using solvents, carriers, and stabilizers that don’t show up on the ingredient list. They’re not necessarily harmful, but they’re also not the pure, simple ingredients people imagine. When we base our judgment on a single comforting word, we risk grabbing only the trunk and assuming we’ve understood the entire elephant.

When “single ingredient” becomes the leg we hold onto

Then there are foods we deem automatically “good” because they have just one ingredient—like steak. Simple. Uncomplicated. A solid tree trunk like the leg of the elephant.

But again, that’s just one part.

If we zoom out, we can’t ignore the reality of factory farming, the greenhouse gas emissions, the enormous resource use, or the public health and ethical implications. What seemed like a wholesome, natural “single ingredient” suddenly comes with ethical and environmental baggage.

And nutritionally? A single ingredient doesn’t automatically mean balanced or beneficial. A food can be simple and still not support long-term health - just as a processed food can be complex yet deeply nutritious.

Food is never just one thing

When we look only at one part of the elephant, our judgments are limited.
Food is cultural. Emotional. Environmental. Nutritional. Economic.
It’s pleasure, connection, habit, and access. It’s the system behind what ends up on our plates.

So instead of labeling foods as “good” or “bad” what if we asked broader, more meaningful questions?

• What ingredients is this food built from?
• How does it support my body?
• How was it produced—and at what cost to animals, workers, and the environment?
• Does it help me (or my community) access nutritious meals more easily?
• Does it align with the world I want to help create?

When we ask these questions, the elephant comes into focus.

Seeing the whole elephant changes everything

Once we expand our view, we can make food choices that are practical, compassionate, and aligned with our values. We can recognize that frozen vegetables might be healthier than “fresh” produce that’s been sitting in a warehouse for weeks. We can appreciate that a thoughtfully crafted plant-based product may have far less environmental impact than a “simple” animal-based food. And we can acknowledge that accessibility matters - that everyone deserves convenient, affordable options that nourish both them and the planet.

Food becomes easier when we stop judging it by one isolated feature and start seeing the whole picture.

And when we see the whole elephant, we can choose with clarity rather than confusion…and with connection rather than conflict.