An introduction to the mind and heart of the person behind ‘Thank God For Tastebuds’ and healthy eating.

There are many ways to follow a healthy diet, and no two nutritious diets look exactly the same.Still, most successful, long-term healthy diets have at least one thing in common: They’re rich in whole foods. My name is Arlene Olivia Beckman and I personally learnt this the hard way. In 2011 I was diagnosed with stomach cancer and as a result, food, which was my best friend became my worst enemy! The cancer was behind me but I could barely eat and had developed allergies to several food groups. This was not fun at all!! I was starving and rapidly losing weight. When I got down to 80lb I began to believe I was actually going to starve to death. A trip to India to attend a Christian concert changed this when a stranger walked up to me and said “the Lord wants you to know that you will not die but will live and declare the glory of the Lord in the land of the living!” For the first time I began to believe I would live and this caused me to look at food from a new and very different perspective. I was determined to make food work for and not against me. Food is meant to nourish the body and not destroy it. Thus began a journey of making food work like medicine. In the next two years I gained 25lb and have remained the same since the past 10 years.

Whole foods are those that have been minimally processed, such as:

  • fruits
  • vegetables
  • legumes
  • whole grains
  • nuts and seeds
  • eggs and dairy
  • fresh animal proteins

Shakes, supplements, and fad diets might seem useful on the surface, but time and time again, whole-foods diets have been linked to better health outcomes all around the world.When we think of healthy eating, the first food items that often come to mind are fruits and vegetables – colorful, vitamin-, mineral- and fiber-rich, they are vital for the proper functioning of the human body. The benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables as part of a nutritious diet are vast. Hence, we use these in decent quantities in our meals.

Speaking of meals, we’d like to at this point introduce you to our Bento Box. Bento, which means “convenient,” has been used since the 16th century and has grown in popularity in many other cultures beyond Japan. Traditional bento boxes are lunches which include rice or noodles with fish or meat and vegetables. We include some fruit as well to balance out the meal. Our Bentos are known for their elegant and/or fun appearance.

Healthier food

Preparing whole food meals served in a bento box ensures that you are eating fresh and homemade meals without harmful chemicals or additives.

Balanced meals

Bento boxes have compartments for different food groups which don’t touch each other.

Lose weight

Bentos can help you with your diet. Bentos have compartments allowing correctly portioning out of meals.

While emphasizing on healthy foods, we by no means take away from the joys of southern comfort eating and make sure to include mini pies, (both sweet and savory) delicious cupcakes/chess bars/Bundt cakes/brownies & blondies/cookies/breakfast muffins etc. and many of these have gluten free options.

At Thank God for Tastebuds we EXCLUDE preservatives, margarine, refined sugars (unless mentioned) and the like. We INCLUDE seasoning, flavor and the most important ingredient of all – Love.