Food. What was once viewed as just sustenance has become so much more. It used to be a very straightforward topic, but now can be very complicated. There is so much information about what to eat, how much of what you should eat, where should it come from and why we should eat what we eat from a health and environmental standpoint.

As you read all of the food-related articles in this month’s issue, you’ll see a variety of views represented. In our feature story, “Meaty Truths,” Melinda Hemmelgarn sheds some light on the many issues that make conscious eaters wary of the industrial meat system, while steering our omnivore readers toward smarter choices such as grass-fed beef. But in “Why Vegan?,” we learn that although their living conditions involve less suffering and fossil fuel use is less than that in factory farms, grass-fed cattle produce more methane and require more land and water. Then, in our Wise Words department, land manager Allan Savory argues that holistic pasturing—livestock aided by holistic, planned grazing that mimics nature—can actually reverse climate change. Like I said, it’s complicated!

With the variety of viewpoints this month, our intention is not to be confusing, but to foster awareness. So what will you do? Why not join the Meatless Monday movement? Or vow to learn more about where your food is coming from. Consider joining local groups that are making a difference. For those baby boomers out there and others rethinking retirement or a new family lifestyle, what about life in an agrihood where “farm, family and community life are interwoven?”

Whatever path you choose for you and your family, we want to empower readers each month to make confident informed choices so that your collective lives are the happiest and healthiest in mind, body and soul.

In health and gratitude, 

Claire Byers,

Publisher