Fundamentals of Natural Food to Heal Your Body [ 1 ]

A Letter to the Ones I Love: What Does 'Real Food' Truly Mean?

So many people ask me the same questions:

“What exactly is a natural food diet?”

“What does it mean to eat healthy?”

“My loved one is sick—what can I do to help them?”

“I’ve been battling a chronic illness for years. My medications keep increasing, and my life feels shorter by the day. What should I do?”

“What kind of food should I give my child so they can live a healthier life than I did?”

When people look at me, I see in their eyes a quiet hope for a simple, quick answer—a quick-fix formula like, “If this hurts, eat that.”

Yet ironically, every time I hear these earnest calls for help, my mind goes completely blank.

‘Where do I even begin?'
'How can I explain this in a way that truly changes their lives?’

The truth is, I don't want to offer Jinpath’s Sik-Gu superficial remedies—like simply saying, "Drink warm tea when you're cold," or "Drink cold water when you're hot." I want to share something much deeper: a fundamental shift that transforms the very foundation of your health.

I spent a long time contemplating what my very first post on this journal should be. Then, I revisited a piece I had written before, titled “A Humble Record for the Ones I Love.” Looking at the photograph of footprints in that post, I reminded myself to slow down.

‘Don’t rush. Take it step by step, slowly and sincerely.’

And so, for my first official message to the Jinpath community, I want to address the most fundamental question of all: “What is a 'natural food diet', truly?”

[The Roots of Natural Gourmet]: George Ohsawa’s Philosophy

The late George Ohsawa (born Nyoichi Sakurazawa), who passed away in 1966, defined 9 Core Principles of Natural Gourmet. His formulation was so profound that, to this day, natural wellness communities around the world rely on these principles as a foundational guide.

Today, I would like to explore the first two—and most crucial—principles in a way that is simple, clean, and easy to grasp.

1. [Whole Food]: Complete, Unbroken Nourishment

‘Whole Food’ literally means food in its complete, original form—ingredients that retain the natural wholeness given to them by the Earth.

It refers to food untouched by heavy human intervention, where you can instantly recognize its original state as it grew in the soil or field.

This concept is easiest to understand when compared to its opposite: Processed Food.

• Corn vs. Popcorn: Fresh corn harvested from the field is Whole Food. Popcorn, fried with added oils and chemicals in a factory, is Processed Food.
• Potato vs. Potato Chips: An unpeeled, muddy whole potato is Whole Food. A thin, oil-fried chip is Processed Food.

My hope is that the Jinpath family learns to intuitively spot this distinction every time they shop or sit down for a meal.

Does a natural diet completely eliminate processed foods?

No, not entirely. Within natural eating, there are four types of minimally processed foods that are wisely embraced: