Woodford Files: Obesity Linked to Human Microbiome; Annual Guide to Organics; Free Digital Magazine

One of the things I love about working for Vitality is that it regularly blows my mind. The new research, revelations, and information that regularly arrives in our office is sometimes disturbing, sometimes wonderful, and always a little disruptive to what I thought I knew. At the very least, it keeps me from getting too old, too crusty, and too comfortable in my assumptions.

The latest piece of disruptive news comes to us from great-grandmother and medical science journalist Helke Ferrie, who offers a feature this month on The Link Between Obesity and the Human Microbiome. In it, she throws out the old assumption that being overweight is caused by too much food and not enough exercise, and instead makes a compelling case for a new way of looking at things. More specifically, she presents evidence to prove that the levels of healthy bacteria in our guts are what really control our ability to achieve a healthy weight. And when those intestinal critters are weakened or killed off by environmental pollutants, antibiotics, bad foods, or stress, then our inner terrain goes haywire and starts building barricades of fat to try to defend itself from toxic assault.

So Helke’s article presents a fascinating look at the internal intelligence that governs our body’s wellbeing and affirms that the more we’re able to tune into its messages, the better off we’ll be. As well, this article points to a universal truth that is becoming painfully clear – our insides are in constant contact with the outside world as we eat it, drink it, and breathe it in. And if that intimate exchange results in a body saturated with toxins from dirty air, water, and food, then disease will result. So the more we can do to clean up our waterways, skies, and food sources, the more our inner terrain can be supported to grow healthy microbes.

This month we also bring you our popular annual Guide to Organics, a feature that celebrates the farmers, suppliers, and small businesses that go the extra mile to bring us clean food. These are the people who care most about the quality of what goes on our table, and so we tip our hats in gratitude for their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. With extreme weather events going on around the world, it is inevitable that the global food supply will often be disrupted. But the more we are able to support our local farmers and businesses, the more strong and resilient the organic food networks will be, and the more secure our food supply can become.

Meantime, if you love Vitality and want to share it with friends and family far and wide, it’s easy to order a free digital subscription for anybody you like. Just send an email to: subscribe@vitalitymagazine.com with your request. Or if you want to find out if the print magazine is available in your neighbourhood store, email: circulation@vitalitymagazine.com. And if you still can’t get enough of us, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (updated weekly). Have a terrific summer! We’re back in September.  JW