Do We Really Need to Know All This to Eat Well?

Why We Need Prerequisites First

Over the last two articles, we walked through the concepts of Yin and Yang together.
I tried my best to make these ideas clear, simple, and engaging.
Because I do not consider myself a master writer, I find myself wondering—and hoping—how these words reached your heart and mind.

There are so many stories I want to share with you.
Every time I sit down to write, I ask myself: Which story should come first? How should I untangle this topic?

Then, it suddenly occurred to me when I came to the United States and began studying Western medicine. I remember taking my prerequisites—English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology. These were non-negotiable courses every student had to complete before entering the medical program.

Why do prerequisites exist?
Because without them, a student cannot understand the actual medical lectures.
If a professor talks about a topic using the word "cell," and a student does not know what a cell is, the entire lecture is lost. If a professor discusses the heart using terms like "left atrium" or "right ventricle," and the student has never heard those words, the lesson becomes meaningless.

Learning the Basics First

In daily life, we know that adding $5 to $10 equals $15.
But before we could calculate that, we first had to learn what 1 meant, and what 2 meant.

When we were children, adults showed us a single apple and asked, "How many apples are here?" That was how we learned the meaning of the number 1.
Then they showed us two apples and asked the same question to teach us the meaning of 2.

When a child who understands the meaning of 1 and 2 grows into a student, they can easily learn that 1 + 2 = 3.
Eventually, they master much larger numbers and complex equations.

From our earliest years, we spend decades learning what we need to survive and thrive.
We grow into our teens, our twenties, and step out into society, building our lives on the foundation of everything we learned during those long years.

We learn to wake up, brush our teeth, wash our faces, and dress ourselves.
We learn how to arrive at work on time and how to be diligent, responsible employees.
In school, we learn how to read and write.
We learn that sunrise means morning, morning means waking up, sunset means night, and night means sleep.

The Missing Lesson in Our Lives

But what about health?

Eating is something we do every single day, from our very first breath to our very last.
Yet we are rarely taught how to eat, what to eat, what to avoid, when to eat, or why we eat. Through childhood, school, and adulthood, almost none of us were ever taught the true language of food.

Think about our children.
As they chase their lifelong dreams, they will eat tens of thousands of meals.
They can only achieve those dreams if their health supports them along the way.
If, after endless effort, a dream is finally achieved but health is lost, what is the meaning of that success?

This is not just a story for children.
This is a story for all of us.
You, and I as I write these words—we all work tirelessly every day.
We work to achieve our dreams, to protect what we have built, and to care for our families. To do all this, we eat every day.

We repeat this simple act without pause—putting food into our mouths, chewing, swallowing, and letting it enter our bodies. But as we do this, how often do we stop to ask:

How well am I really protecting myself?

I write these letters to pause and reflect on this question together with you.