Between Supermarkets, Self-Sufficiency & Community – What Nutrition Really Means Today

A personal experience by Johanna Schneider – Holistic Health Coach

🌍 More Than Just an Experience in One Place

My experience volunteering in Fuerteventura was only the beginning of a much larger journey.

A journey through different communities, projects, and ways of living – from animal refuges to sustainable farms, to places with self-sufficiency and community-based living.

And with each stop, it became clearer to me:

👉 It’s not just about nutrition.👉 It’s about our entire relationship with food, nature, and connection.

🥕 Food That Is “Too Good” for the Bin

In Fuerteventura, I experienced for the first time how food is rescued that supermarkets can no longer sell.

We collected this food – for us volunteers and for the animals in the refuge.

And often, it was exactly the kind of food that was perfectly fine:

• fresh vegetables

• fruits

• staple foods

• products close to their expiry date

Not bad. Not unusable. Just no longer “perfect enough.”

And that made me reflect deeply.

🌿 A System Between Excess and Waste

We live in a system where, at the same time:

• food is produced in massive quantities

• and enormous amounts are thrown away

Meanwhile, many people are searching for:

• perfect nutrition

• clean eating

• optimized health

• ideal foods

But somewhere in between, a gap is forming:

👉 the loss of connection to the true value of food.

🧠 Ultra-Processed Food & a Rapidly Changing World

Our nutrition has changed drastically over the past years.

So quickly that our bodies can barely keep up biologically.

Many foods today are:

• highly processed

• low in micronutrients

• full of additives

• far removed from their natural form

But our body still operates on ancient principles:

👉 real food👉 real nutrients👉 real signals

And this is where many symptoms we see today begin:fatigue, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, nervous system dysregulation.

🌱 Secondary Plant Compounds – What We Are Often Missing

A big part of modern nutrition is often missing:

👉 secondary plant compounds

These are naturally produced by plants as a protective mechanism and are extremely valuable for humans.

They are found in:

• vegetables

• fruits

• herbs

• wild plants

• minimally processed whole foods

They support:

• gut health

• immune function

• cellular protection

• inflammation regulation

👉 Food is more than energy – it is information for our body.

🧠 The Body Speaks – But We Often Don’t Listen

Many people today experience clear signals:

• fatigue

• brain fog

• digestive issues

• inner restlessness

• emotional overwhelm

But instead of slowing down, we often try to optimize, control, or ignore these signals.

Yet the body is not working against us –it is trying to communicate with us.

🌍 From Individuality to New Forms of Community

Another important part of my journey was not only nutrition, but also community living.

More and more people today live:

• alone

• independently

• digitally flexible

• on the move

And this brings a lot of freedom on many levels.

At the same time, humans are social beings.

🤝 New Forms of Community Are Emerging

What I have observed in different countries, projects, and communities is a growing shift:

People are coming together in:

• sustainable farms

• eco-communities

• volunteer projects

• co-living spaces

• self-sufficient communities

With shared values such as:

• healthy nutrition

• connection to nature

• mutual support

• conscious living

👉 Not perfectly structured – but truly connected.

🌱 A Shift Back to Nature

I believe we are currently in a transition phase.

Between:

• speed and slowing down

• isolation and community

• processing and natural living

And more and more people are beginning to ask themselves:

👉 How do I really want to live?👉 What truly nourishes me?👉 What does health actually mean to me?

🐾 What Animals Have Taught Me

In animal refuges, I was reminded of something very fundamental:

Animals:

• live in the present moment

• follow their body instincts

• do not carry performance pressure

• regulate themselves naturally

They remind us how simple life can actually be.

💛 Final Thoughts: Food Is Never Just Food

This journey made one thing very clear to me:

Food is not isolated.Community is not isolated.Health is not isolated.

Everything is connected:

👉 to our body👉 to our environment👉 to our nervous system👉 to the way we live

🌿 Closing Reflection

Maybe it’s not about doing everything perfectly.

But about reconnecting again:

• to nature

• to the body

• to real food

• and to each other

💙 If you feel called to reconnect more deeply with your body, your nutrition, and your nervous system, I would love to support you on your journey.

Book a free introductory call