Dear Friends and Readers,

Welcome to our annual “Food Issue!” There are so many local people who make it possible for us to eat fresh and healthy and I doubt they know how much they are appreciated.

In the spirit of giving thanks, I’ve created a “Thankful” list to remind me of people who bless me with delicious nutrition.

Thankful for Real Food

Thank you Farmer Joe and family for your chickens and the fresh eggs you bring to market every Saturday.

Thank you Farmer Brown, Tabatha Holt, Georgia’s Farm-to-Market and all the others who make organic meat, veggies, fruit, local honey, vegetable plants and other healthy goods available to Bay Area communities.

Thank you Ellen Milstead and family at Erma’s in Nassau Bay for giving our backyard farmers a free space to share their bounty with the community at your weekly farmers market.

Thank you Rob Williams and the Clear Lake Transition Community for your dedication to REAL food awareness and the local food movement.

Thank you Jason Chaney, Federico Marques, Benjy Levit and other green foodies for making local food available to us. I hope to see similar restaurants in Bay Area Houston soon! (www.barbedrose.com, www.rugglesgreen.com)

Thank you Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Carolyn Mugar and the staff and artists who entertain and educate us about the dangers of corporate agriculture and the plight of small farmers. (www.farmaid.com)

This list could go on and on! But space allows me only one more mention. My list would not be complete without sincere thanks for the gift of being born an American. People in other countries, for various reasons, struggle for food. We are truly blessed. Fresh, healthy food is abundant here.

So why would we eat processed junk that’s disguised as food and invites disease? After reading this issue of Change, it is my sincere hope that you will rethink your food choices. Before you shop for your Thanksgiving feast, consider who, what, when and where. Who grew this food? What chemicals, additives and genetic modifications were used? When was it harvested and where does it come from? The more you know, the healthier you will grow!