If you’ve ever eaten sprouts or wheat grass, you are experiencing part of the legacy of the late Dr. Ann Wigmore, teacher, healer, and author of numerous books and articles on the Living Foods Lifestyle®. She promoted the consumption of enzyme-rich, nutrient-dense foods such as organic, raw, fruits and green juices, sprouts and greens, and sprouted nuts, seeds and grains.

One of her most quoted teachings is, “The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” Because the long-term effects of food, good or bad, aren’t necessarily immediately apparent, we don’t always recognize the cumulative effect that it has on our health, appearance and mood. (Note our health brief on page 11 that links reduced depression with probiotic use).

Years of eating the Modern America Diet (MAD) can easily lead to obesity, diabetes, and cardiac disease. Even eating healthier choices like lean meats and vegetables can have long-term detrimental effects if they are hormone- or pesticide-laden. Unfortunately, a week or two of eating organic won’t change the effects of lifelong habits overnight. But a real lifestyle change will reverse many illnesses and lead to more perfect health — if sustained.

Now that our initial commitment to ambitious New Year’s resolutions is wearing thin, it’s time to reaffirm our promises to self. If you’ve been discouraged by the results of January 1st diets or exercise regimes, ask yourself if you want to ingest healthy medicine, or slow poison? Whether you are still eating MADly, or have already incorporated more greens and vegetables into your diet, it’s not hard to make incremental improvements.

One of our feature articles, “Taste the Rainbow,” on page 20, will encourage you to put more veggie variety in your meals. We also cover a healthier way to eat meat. Most nutrition experts agree the more veggies the better, but many still allow a place in one’s diet for sustainably raised, hormone- and antibiotic-free meat. We also had the pleasure of highlighting some of our local farms in “Labors of Love” on page 32. Read about Windy Brow, Anythyme, Circle Brook and School Lunch farms and how in addition to serving up healthy produce, they help sustain and integrate with our communities. And don’t miss our Community Profile of Be The Change, a Kean University-based non profit that’s turning vacant lots in Newark into community gardens. Way to go!

Ana