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This is what she likes. Because it's easy.
And it scares me.
Let me paint a picture.
The medications are all over the house.
Pill bottles everywhere—on the kitchen counter, an end table, the nightstand, the bureau, the kitchen table. And when I opened the cabinet to get a mug, there were more bottles.
And she’s tired.
All the time.
I’m not a doctor. But as someone who works closely with her, it’s clear to me that her body is experiencing extreme exhaustion.
It’s working so hard to keep her going. It’s working so hard to function.
She has plenty of family who look after her. They all love her too pieces.
But when she’s alone, she feeds herself things that are easy.
Because she’s tired.
So, she grabs crackers.
There are all kinds of crackers.
And muffins.
Packaged and processed foods that are easy to grab but don't provide an abundance of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and nutrients the body needs to thrive.
And she’s diabetic.
But she doesn’t know any better. And she’s doing her best.
Her family are all doing their best, too.
Physically, she is struggling.
Mentally, she’s a trooper. She smiles. She stays positive. She looks for the good.
What can I do?
I’m only a part-time Home Health Aide.
Sometimes it feels like it’s too late.
But I refuse to believe that.
I refuse to give up.
And I find myself wishing I had met her five years ago.
I wish I had more time with her.
Remember the scene in Groundhog Day where Bill Murray’s character is desperately trying to save the old man on the street?
Fast and furious, he tries everything—CPR, a good hot meal, anything he can think of.
It’s a little sad.
In one scene, the nurse at the hospital says, “It was just his time.”
But was it?
Underneath that sadness is something very real:
Desperation to give someone a little more time.
And sometimes, that's what it feels like I'm doing as an HHA.
Desperately trying to help my clients live a little longer.
Desperately trying to help them shift their mindset around food so they can live a little more comfortably in their final chapter.
But it feels like it’s too late.
It feels like I’m trying to impress upon them how important nourishing food is, while they are barely hearing me.
They know vegetables are “good for them.”
But I’m not sure they really understand just how vital they are to the human body.
Oatmeal for breakfast.
A tuna fish sandwich with chips for lunch.
Chicken, potatoes and broccoli for dinner.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with any one of those meals.
But when this becomes the pattern—day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year—there simply isn't any evidence of plant food (or even a variety) to give the body the nourishment it needs to thrive.
A little broccoli at the end of the day is a start.
But it’s just the beginning.
And what about upon waking?
Our bodies need variety.
They need fiber.
They need vitamins and minerals.
They need real, nourishing food.
And they need movement.
Vegetables and movement.
These aren't complicated concepts.
But they are powerful ones.
And this is where I want to say something very important:
This isn't about fear.
I'm not writing this to scare you.
I'm writing this to bring awareness.
I'm writing this because I want you to make the changes you want to make now.
I want you to nourish your body now.
Not when it’s exhausted at 95, 85, 75, or even 65.
Ten years can go by in the blink of an eye.
So the time is now.
Let’s reach our 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s with independence by taking better care of ourselves years earlier.
This is about waking up.
It's about recognizing how precious our time is.
And deciding that we're not going to waste it.
We can make changes now.
Today.
Not because we're afraid of getting sick.
But because we want to feel better.
We want more energy.
We want to move our bodies.
We want to enjoy our food.
We want to be here for the people we love.
We want to thrive in our next chapter—not simply survive within it.
Another one of my clients is dying of colon cancer.
And it isn't easy to care for someone who can't move their own body out of bed to use the bathroom.
It is heart-wrenching.
And it has made me think deeply about how we care for our bodies throughout our lives.
How we eat.
How we move.
How we nourish ourselves.
How we pay attention—or not.
I believe we can start feeding our bodies better now.
I believe Functional Nutrition Matters.
I believe nourishment matters.
I believe movement matters.
I believe the body deserves to be supported with minerals and nutrients to do the incredible job it does every single day.
When we don't even know it.
So I say:
Eat the rainbow. 🌈
More color.
More variety.
More plants.
More nourishment.
More movement.
And maybe, just maybe, a little more awareness of what we're putting into the body that is carrying us through this life.
If you're reading this and thinking,
“Okay, Nicole. I know I should eat better. But HOW?”
How do I make healthy food fun?
How do I make it easy?
How do I know what my body is depleted of?
How do I stop saying I'll start Monday?
Let me help you.
On October 1st, I'm teaching a 90-minute Functional Nutrition workshop for just $47.
Register Now
I'm going to teach you as much as I possibly can in those 90 minutes.
You'll walk away with information you can actually use—and then you can decide what comes next.
Maybe you'll take the reins yourself and give it a go.
That would be fantastic!
Or maybe you'll realize that having someone guide you along the way is exactly what you've been looking for.
And if that's the case, I'll happily put your $47 toward my 12-Week Deep Dive program, which is $497.
That's less than $37 a week.
Perhaps it's smaller than a co-pay?
I’m telling you this now because I won’t be pitching it during the workshop.
You'll receive a link afterwards to continue with me of course.
But our time together is vital.
So I’m saying it now.
You can make those changes you want to make, now.
You can be proactive about what you do today—for your future.
You can make small shifts each day that will have a significant impact on your life.
You just have to start.
October 1st.
$47.
90 minutes.
Let's wake up.
Let's stop wasting precious time.
And let's start nourishing the body we're going to want to use for all the years ahead.
YES — I'M READY TO START
Register Now
Nicole Perry, CFNC, HHA
Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor
Functional Nutrition Matters
NicolePerry.com
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