The last few months have brought a slew of reports on a lot of things that are apparently bad for us. I got a newsletter from a nutrition organization telling me to eat rice no more than twice a week — the arsenic in there is bad news. And stay away from canned foods — BPA in the lining may disrupt our hormones. Sugar is demonized — “It’s toxic,” declared the New York Times’ Mark Bittman. Salt consumption? It’s now linked to autoimmune disorders.

Sometimes I feel like a toddler in a fine china shop when I go to the grocery store — there are just too many ways to mess up. So instead of focusing on what not to eat, I’m thinking it’s much easier to focus on what to eat. As my kids learned in school, it’s better to eat foods with fewer ingredients. Have an apple or a handful walnuts. Peel a juicy grapefruit and eat it. A hardboiled egg makes a nice snack.

In short, the less your food has been processed, the better it is for you. And what better way to make sure your food is wholesome than to grow it yourself? I hope you’ll enjoy our cover feature on gardening — whether your plants are in a big sunny spot in the yard, growing up the wall on your porch or in a little herb pot by the kitchen windowsill, it is both healthy and satisfying to eat what you grow.

To your health!

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Anne McGregor

Anne McGregor is a contributor to the Inlander and the editor of InHealth. She is married to Inlander editor/publisher Ted S. McGregor, Jr.