“Mom, going gluten-free hasn’t been as big a deal as I thought it would be,” said my son, Ryan. Our family functional medicine and primary care physician recently advised Ryan to adhere to a gluten-free diet. My college student grieved the loss of pizza parties and childhood memories of gold fish. However, Ryan has been on a nutrition and exercise journey since finishing football his senior year in high school. In his quest to become a healthier version of himself he has evolved into an expert on fitness and nutrition. He follows a very healthy diet and cooks for himself regularly. As a result, the change was easy with just a few minor tweaks to his routine and he admits that it is helping him adhere to his nutrition goals. “Now I can’t just grab that random piece of pizza that might cross my path.”

My awareness of nutrition and healthy eating started with my mom. She was always keeping up with the latest health trend whether it was wheat germ, saccharin and then the complete about-face of no saccharin. She wouldn’t bring sweet cereals or wonder bread into our house no matter how much I complained and told her my friends were eating it. At the time I felt deprived, now I’m just grateful. It set an example that I continue to follow and have passed down to my kids.

“Many believe we have dumbed down the nutrition in our food over the past 100 years,” says Jo Robinson, a food journalist in our Conscious Eating feature [page 30]. “Research shows we have been breeding out proteins and minerals and most importantly, antioxidants, for much longer.” The landscape of nutrition is constantly changing. The food our parents ate as children is different from what we are eating today. It is clear to me that many of our health issues in this country are linked to the food we are eating.

In this issue we offer 10 wild and healthy food choices. You can find tips to slim your fat feline and consider the calming effects of labyrinths. Be inspired by people who are creating change and learn how chiropractic care can assist healing for a variety of ailments. Then be sure and warm your heart by reading how trees care for each other. This month try a new vegetable and see if you can make a few simple tweaks for a healthier you.

Here’s to healthy eating!

Kris Urquhart, Publisher