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Natural Awakenings South Central Pennsylvania

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

Dave Korba

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ~ Hippocrates

Whenever I’m discussing the upcoming scheduled monthly themes of the magazine, I assure people that every issue is a “healthy food” issue. So when the theme this month actually is healthy food, it’s a real treat. It also includes a focus on ethnic cuisine and the use of spices.

The foods we grew up with and enjoyed were primarily traditional Ukrainian meals—homemade pierogies, smoked kielbasa, potato pancakes, pigs-in-the-blanket and of course many rich desserts, especially around the holidays.

By, contrast, I spent the last two years of my dad’s life living with him, preparing my smoothies with a variety of healthy greens and organic fruits and vegetables. He’d look at the usually green drink and turn up his nose when I offered it, until one day when I sweetened the mix and encouraged him to try it. After that, healthy smoothies became a regularly shared item between us. However, he could not understand why I paid extra for organic food, especially a commodity like eggs or fruit. Perhaps it was a generational notion, since most foods he grew up with were automatically natural.

Today the landscape for healthy food options throughout the world continues to change as demand for non-GMO, gluten-free, organic, local, grass-fed, free-range vegetarian and vegan options continues to grow exponentially. We certainly are what we eat, and if we eat better, we’re prone to feel better.

We now have such growing demand for and access to fresh, delicious, healthy, locally sourced and lovingly prepared food throughout our region that we can hardly scratch the surface toward providing a comprehensive road map of local healthy dining options.

Nevertheless, we did attempt to do so with an eclectic list of assorted options in our Healthy Dining Guide on page 24. Take a peek and see if your favorite healthy dining venue is on the list and please let us know about anyone else to include in our next guide by emailing me with your suggestions. Within these pages, you’ll also find a variety of healthy, mouth-watering recipes from local and national contributors.

Healthy dining is a decision that is becoming easier, more convenient, more affordable and tastier to make. Paying attention and loving yourself and your family enough to eat this way can be your gateway to feeling good, living simply and laughing more.

Bon appetite.