Illustration © D. Yael Bernhard
This illustration was created six years ago as a sample for a children’s book proposal. I had a strong vision to write and illustrate a picture book about nutrition, a subject I’ve been passionate about all my life. I wanted to bring together my work as a budding integrative health & nutrition coach with my creativity as a children’s book author/illustrator. In a humorous way, the child in this book would know more than his mother, and educate her about how to eat and shop better. (Notice the mom is surprised by how great she feels from eating fruits and veggies, while the kid is totally chill.) These days it’s entirely possible for youngsters to know more about nutrition than their parents, because the field of nutrition is evolving so rapidly, many people over the age of 40 are basing their dietary choices on outdated information – such as that butter is bad for you, fruit sugar is better than white sugar, and artificial sweeteners help you lose weight (all not true).
Unfortunately my book never got published, because other than their favorite flavor of ice cream, children of picture book age are not old enough to choose what they eat. Plus, the juvenile publishing market is already flooded with books about nutrition – many of which, sadly, are also egregiously outdated.
Another problem with my proposal is that children’s books in this country are expected to be relentlessly positive – and when it comes to nutrition, that’s not possible. The book would have contained as many “don’t’s” as “do’s.” All the ultra-processed foods and toxic ingredients that must be avoided in order to be healthy would be construed as a negative message.
For all these reasons and more, I abandoned my picture book proposal and focused on developing an educational program for high school teens instead. But I kept this illustration for its positive message that cuts across all dietary perspectives, which is this: no matter what diet you favor, half your plate should ideally be fruits and vegetables – what we call “produce.” We’ve all heard of “eating the rainbow,” and it’s a good idea. A child’s vision of this might translate into something like the image above, which in a sense is true: the systems in our bodies and all our individual cells are actually composed of the rainbow of phytonutrients we absorb from fruits, vegetables, and fungi. Even a purely carnivorous diet includes these health-promoting compounds, as long as the meat comes from grass-fed or pasture-raised animals. The phytonutrients eaten by grazing animals are absorbed and transmitted into their meat.
Although the illustration appears multicolored at first glance, it’s actually dominated by pale yellow and aqua – a color combination that speaks to me of pure upbeat energy and light, like a sunny day on a tropical island. That’s the kind of feeling I wanted to convey. After all, the many wonderful compounds that form all the colors in plants are a response to sunlight.
Eventually I used the illustration for an article I wrote for my other Substack newsletter, The Art of Health, titled Pursuing A Plant-Rich Diet. In the article, I unpack these glorious compounds that work magic in your metabolism. It’s an impressive list. It might even inspire you to fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits – preferably veggies, because too much fruit is troublesome. Potatoes, corn, tomato sauce and ketchup don’t count.
A good week to all!
D. Yael Bernhard
https://dyaelbernhard.com
Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!