There’s something I love about this picture.
It isn’t a perfectly styled meal. It isn’t a complicated wellness routine. It’s just real life—being in the kitchen with my son, cutting up vegetables, laughing, and hopefully teaching him that taking care of your body can simply be part of everyday life.
Nutrition was actually where my journey into healthcare began. I studied dietetics and nutrition before becoming a chiropractor and eventually moving deeper into functional medicine.
And after years of working with patients, I’ve learned something important:
Eating healthy and having optimal nutrient status are not always the same thing.
That idea became an important part of my book, STOP GUESSING ABOUT YOUR HEALTH: Why You Still Don’t Feel Well—and What Your Tests May Be Trying to Tell You.
“But I Eat Pretty Healthy.”
I hear this all the time.
And many of my patients really do.
They eat vegetables. They buy good food. They try to get enough protein. They take supplements. They exercise. They’re doing many of the things we associate with being healthy.
Yet they may still feel exhausted.
Their hair may be thinning. They may struggle with brain fog, poor sleep, changes in weight, low energy, digestive issues, cravings, or simply feeling like something is off.
That’s when I want to look beyond the question:
“What are you eating?”
I also want to ask:
“What does your body appear to be getting, absorbing, and utilizing?”
Nutrients Leave Clues
Bloodwork can sometimes give us important clues about nutritional status.
Depending on the person and their symptoms, I may look more closely at markers related to things such as:
- Iron status
- Vitamin B12 and folate
- Vitamin D
- Protein and amino-acid status
- Blood sugar and insulin
- Thyroid function
- Lipids and metabolic health
- Inflammation
Sometimes the answer isn’t simply to take another supplement.
And it isn’t necessarily to follow a more restrictive diet.
The goal is to understand the pattern.
That is one of the central messages of my book: one laboratory number rarely tells the entire story. We have to put the pieces together—your symptoms, history, nutrition, lifestyle, medications, family history, life stage, and laboratory findings.
There Is No One “Perfect” Diet
This is also why I don’t believe there is one perfect way of eating that works for everyone.
One person may need to focus on getting enough protein. Another may have an iron issue. Someone else may be struggling with blood-sugar regulation, digestion, or nutrient absorption.
And sometimes the person sitting in front of me is already trying incredibly hard to “eat clean,” when what they really need is more information—not more food rules.
Personalized healthcare isn’t about making health more complicated.
It’s about asking better questions.
What I Want My Kids to Learn About Health
When I look at this picture, this is the part that matters most to me.
I don’t want my children growing up believing health means obsessing over every bite of food or trying to do everything perfectly.
I want them to understand that food nourishes us.
Movement matters.
Sleep matters.
Stress matters.
Our nervous system matters.
And when our body starts giving us clues that something isn’t right, we should pay attention instead of simply guessing.
Because health isn’t created by one vegetable, one supplement, one laboratory test, or one perfect morning routine.
It’s built over time.
And sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for ourselves—and teach our children—is to become curious about what our bodies are telling us.
Stop guessing about your health. Start looking for the clues.
Dr. Cailen Braund, DC
AlphaCare Health
Want to understand what your own bloodwork may be telling you? At AlphaCare Health, we look beyond individual numbers and evaluate your labs alongside your symptoms, history, nutrition, and health goals to help you better understand the bigger picture.
