Welcome to summer. Nature’s bounty is here to turn our cookouts, picnics and family gatherings into feasts worthy of the season and the love that we share for each other. We are excited to rev up the festivities with Natural Awakenings’ Summer Living and Food Watch issue.  

Everyone agrees that eating naturally grown, fresh, local food is good for our health and our environment as well as the local economy. We’re glad to see the strong renewed interest in local produce and, more specifically, organic and sustainable agriculture here. People are waking up to the vital relationship of the natural integrity of our food to health and the risks we take when ingesting the pervasive pesticides and herbicides used in conventional agriculture. Nationally, the movement toward more natural farming and organic gardens is taking off as authors, bloggers, journalists and even You Tube videos have begun to push a good food revival. 

I’m happy to report that backyard and community gardening are on the rise in the Lehigh Valley, even though we live in an already vital local farming area. The number of farmers’ markets and neighborhood co-ops is up and organic sections in grocery chains serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey show promise. 

It’s never too late to improve our health by improving our diet. Some of the ways we can try to improve are: going vegetarian or vegan or adding fish once or twice a week to your diet; starting a garden even if all you have is a small patio for a container garden; make it a habit to purchase produce from local, organic sources; try incorporating raw foods or at least one green drink a day; stop practicing unhealthy eating habits and mindfully embrace the change you want to see in your health.

Have an Awesome Summer, Reid Boyer, Publisher