Which do you want first?

Here’s the sad news. It turns out that the Standard American Diet—yes, “SAD”—is now considered a primary risk factor for high blood pressure, dangerous cholesterol levels, high blood sugar levels and weight gain, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The good news is that the risk of developing many of our deadliest conditions—heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer, to name a few—can be significantly reduced with the help of a healthier diet and lifestyle changes. Plant-based eating is finally going mainstream, and many respected studies show it can treat, reverse and even prevent chronic disease. It’s so doable! Read more in our feature article, “Food as Medicine.”

The bad news is that way too many Americans don’t have the convenient access to healthy, alive food the rest of us take for granted. More than 35 million Americans faced food insecurity in 2019 and a reported 54 million in 2020. Where’s the good news? People are creating and discovering innovative and sometimes fun ways that you and I can help turn the problem around if we choose to. Check out “Growing Food Security.”

The good news is that it’s summer! That means it’s time to brush off your grill and brush up on your grilling techniques. “Sizzling on the Grill” gives invaluable advice on how to grill healthy, delicious meals that avoid objectionable ingredients like carcinogens and chemicals.

There’s more good news in that, thanks in part to the pandemic, more people are catching on to the benefits of natural health products. Check out the trends in “COVID Raises Fever for Natural Products.”

Okay, here’s the hot good news! Summertime is a great time to de-quarantine, escape the tedium of life and immerse oneself in something meaningful. For many of our readers, that means going on a retreat. In Noah Chen’s story “Time for a Retreat?” find out why some people find them profoundly rewarding.

Or learn about how combining energy work with yoga asanas can be a more powerful way for people to find balance and well-being than either practice alone in Sheila Ewers’ story, “Energy Balancing Plus Gentle Yoga.” And Patricia Wallenburg, Owner of OAK Sanctuary in Kennesaw, tells us how flower essences can help heal body and mind in "Bach Flower Essences.”

Finally, with sadness, we say “Happy Trails!” to gifted writer and contributor Kim Green, who recently moved with her family to Tucson, Arizona. Read her wonderful final essay for us, “Calculating Risk,” in our Walking Each Other Home segment. ❧

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Diane Eaton is the managing editor of this magazine.