When I was a kid the only place I could get Wonder Bread or Cap’n Crunch was when I wandered out from under my mother’s watchful eyes and visited a friend’s house. I considered it an extra special treat if the cereal had those round crunchy red “berries” too. We had bread and cereal at home, of course. But the bread was wheat or multi-grain and if a “sweet” cereal graced the pantry shelf it was Frosted Mini Wheats or Raisin Bran.

My mother has always been attuned to the latest in nutrition and health. It is still ingrained in my psyche that there must be something green on my plate. But that healthy programming didn’t stop me from a little rebellion when I went away to college. My first solo breakfast purchase at the grocery store was Cap’n Crunch. Each morning I would savor my independence as I downed a bowl before my 8 a.m. Biology class. And then like clockwork, within the hour my eyes would get heavy and my head would dip as I struggled to stay awake. I was only 18-years-old so it took me a few weeks to make the connection. Then one day the light bulb went on…”Sugar crash! Oh, that’s what mom was talking about.”

The healthy eating values my mother instilled in me have served me well over the years. Yet, even making good choices isn’t always enough. “Numerous studies attest that many diseases, especially in older adults, are caused by a deficiency of certain vitamins or minerals,” says James Occhiogrosso in our Healing Ways column: Be Supplement Savvy [page 22]. For me it was vitamin D and iron that showed up as deficient on my tests. I found that taking supplements to correct the deficiencies had an immediate impact on my energy level.

This issue is jam-packed with inspiration to start off the New Year with healthy change. Find out why just moving your body more each day can reduce the risk of disease on page 24. Discover five secrets for feeling like yourself again on page 26. Weigh the pros and cons of a raw food diet for you pet on page 28. Consider the potential impact of GMO crops on page 30. Then learn the dangers of fracking and why our environmental polices need to safeguard our health on page 32.

As we glide into 2013 I wish you a healthy and happy New Year!

Kris Urquhart, Publisher