Editor’s Letter: Issue 20, Mark Hyman, MD

Dear Best Selfers,

Food is medicine and if this Best Self journey has taught me anything, it’s that 1.) everything is connected and 2.) food either feeds health or health problems. And that’s a wrap (just kidding).

Admittedly, it wasn’t that many years ago that terms like microbiome, gut health, epigenetics or notions that our bodies can heal themselves and how our genes express themselves is not a foregone conclusion — were not even remotely on my radar.

And while I had grown up eating what I had assumed was a relatively healthy diet and without health problems, I had a great deal to learn.

The bottom line is that our modern world of advancement has also made figuring out what food to eat quite complex. And sadly, it’s getting increasingly more so.

In comes the work of Dr. Mark Hyman, a man on a mission to reform health policy, food systems, connect dots and provide us with the roadmap to figure out what the heck we should be eating (literally). It was an honor to sit down with him and have the opportunity to celebrate his life’s work in the world — and to learn how all roads led to here. And trust me, he’s going at it from every angle: working one-on-one with patients, advising policymakers, testifying before White House Committees, advising the Surgeon General, working with filmmakers and fellow leaders in the field, speaking, teaching, writing ten #1 best-selling New York Times books, and even implementing policy changes like the Enrich Act with our friend Congressman Tim Ryan, to fund the inclusion of nutrition into medical education. (Phew)

Yep, he’s on his soap box, doing his part to get our attention and to help us navigate through the food industry lobbying, nutritional science confusion and corrupt food policies. His latest book, FOOD: What The Heck Should I Eat? is our road map.

Most of all, he’s empowering us to reclaim our voices, to demand better of our food systems and government. With our forks and our wallets we can be the change we want to see in our food and our health on a deeper level. It’s time to step up to the plate (pun intended).

Cheers to that Best Selfers!

~ Kristen

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Return to Issue 20