For years, I considered myself a model of healthy eating. I was diligent about buying only organic, minimally processed foods and spent hours in the kitchen cooking nutritious meals for my family. Despite it all, I struggled with my weight, suffered from debilitating seasonal allergies and in recent years experienced skin rashes and breakouts. I had to wonder: “What am I doing wrong?”

When I read Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis and cut all gluten from my diet, it helped. I dropped 10 pounds and felt more clear-headed and energetic than I had in years. The skin breakouts, however, were worsening. Next, I looked in a book called The Virgin Diet by J.J. Virgin. As I riffled the pages, my eye was caught by a chapter discussing the link between dairy and acne. Intrigued, I decided to try the author’s diet plan, which, together with cutting dairy, recommends eliminating gluten, soy, eggs, sugar, corn and peanuts for a period of 21 days. The change from these cumulative adjustments to my diet was remarkable.

My skin cleared up immediately, and I lost eight more pounds within the first week. The most surprising health benefit revealed itself in the fall, after I filled my annual allergy med prescription to get me through another ragweed season, and then waited for the symptoms to set in. Yet, they never started. For the first time since the age of 18, I sailed through Wisconsin’s worst allergy season with barely a sneeze. The whole experience drove home the incredible power that nutrition plays in determining our health.

It is important to recognize that we are all different; there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and pertinent knowledge is power. As we welcome you to a new year of using Natural Awakenings as a go-to resource for sustainable natural health information, we look forward to delivering fresh ideas that inspire and motivate you toward a more healthful and continually rewarding life.

A heartfelt thanks goes to our advertisers and distribution locations for their ongoing, enthusiastic support; we are grateful to each one. Please support these local businesses when you shop for needed products or services. They make this free community magazine possible.

To a wondrous new year and wonderful you,

Gabriella Buchnik, Publisher