I believe that each of us is solely responsible for who we are and the condition in which we find ourselves. No one else is responsible for any aspect of our lives— not our friends or our teachers, not our employers, not our parents, and not our spouses. I believe our current state of health is the sum total of thousands of choices we’ve made during our lives.

I believe wellness is a journey, not a destination. And it isn’t just about the health of our physical body — it’s about all aspects of our lives, including our spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical bodies.

I believe the food we choose to eat impacts our lives, and the lives of everyone on this planet, in ways far greater than most of us will ever understand.

I believe we can live happier, healthier lives if we return to a food system driven by local economics and community-supported agriculture.

I believe we have a responsibility to learn how to plant a garden and grow some of our own food. I we don’t grow our own food, I believe we should know the person who does.

I believe the most important thing we can teach our kids is where our food comes from. Kids needs to understand that food— real food— does not come out of a cardboard box or plastic bag. One of the greatest gifts we can ever give our children is to show them how to plant a seed and nurture it so that it becomes something deliciously edible. I believe children need to understand that potatoes grow in the ground and that a hamburger was once a living cow.

Speaking of cows, I believe they are magnificent creatures and deserve to be treated respectfully and humanely during their lifetime, and if their purpose is to feed us, we must nourish, care for and raise them as if they were are own children. We desperately need to create better practices so they can be raised, unconfined, without drugs, and on the diet that mother nature intended. We have a moral obligation to ensure the end of their lives is brought about without pain and suffering.

Ditto for chickens, and turkeys, and pigs, and lamb, and every other animal that we think we deserve to eat. May our hunger for meat be mindful and conscious. And may we discover that plant foods (vegetables, fruits and grains) are more nourishing for us and more sustainable for the planet.

Speaking of meat, I believe it is possible for us to experience abundant good health and wellness every day of our lives without ever having eaten an animal.

I believe greed is responsible for the decline of our food system.

I believe we are losing the war against cancer and that our government, the pharmaceutical industry and large agri-business companies are trying to hide the fact that cancer, as well as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity can be easily prevented if people choose to eat the right foods.

I believe farmer’s markets should outnumber pharmacies by at least 10 to 1.

I believe gardens should be grown on every school yard. I believe we should never allow our children to eat fast-food—on any occasion, for any reason. Not ever. And ditto for our friends. Friends don’t let’s friends eat junk.

I believe in right and wrong. I believe there are foods that are just wrong and should never, ever be put into the human body. I believe some people make a lot of money convincing you that wrong foods are right.

I believe, if we stick together and stand up for what’s right,  we have the power to make great changes in the world.

What do you believe?