“Jim, how about this acorn squash?” While doing our weekly shopping, I found myself looking for vegetables to incorporate into our diet that we don’t typically consume. I knew that a wide variety of gourds will last a month or more and are simple to cook, making the acorn squash a perfect choice for our lifestyle.

The catalyst for my quest stemmed from this month’s feature article, Veggies for the Win: Five Reasons to Choose a Plant-Based Lifestyle[page 18]. In the article, Garth Davis, M.D., and author of Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession With Meat Is Killing Us and What We can Do About It shares that, “Just 12 plants and five animals compose about 75 percent of the world’s food, and yet there are approximately 300,000 known edible plant species, only about 150 of which are used commonly around the world.” This sparked my interest in expanding our horizons and incorporating even more varieties of plants into our diet. 

Sarah Thomsen Ferreira, an integrative registered dietician and manager of clinical nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine (CCCFM), notes, “Certain foods and nutrients help your brain to make chemicals that can impact your mood, attention and focus, while other foods can zap your energy.” If colorful produce can contribute to clearer focus, then sign me up.

In this food and nutrition issue, we also look at how diet plays a role in kidney health and Multiple Sclerosis. Discover integrative treatments and lifestyle tips in Loving Our Kidneys [page 25]. Then consider how to reduce inflammation and promote neuroregeneration in Thriving With Multiple Sclerosis  [page 30]. Learn how the little-known culprit, impaired mouth syndrome, can be at the root of why some children struggle with sleep in Sweet Lullaby: Better Sleep for Children [page 22]. Explore the benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in Work Harder and Smarter [page 28]. Then in our online exclusives at my-NA.com, find small steps for saving the Earth and water in Finding Hope in Action. And learn lifestyle interventions for managing autoimmune disease in our WiseWords interview with Terry Wahls.

As we move into spring, it is the perfect time to explore the markets for fresh plant-based options to incorporate into your diet. 

Enjoy the adventure!

Kris Urquhart, Publisher