Having hosted “Ask Dr. Brent” on Sirius for three years, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been asked how to remedy the symptoms of a chronic condition, how to make a wound heal faster, or how to lose weight… among a long litany of other “how-tos”.

While some of the answers were more complex, they almost always included the point that a healthy diet is at the center of dealing with almost any health issue – mental or physical.

Our eating habits, the foods we eat and drink – and those we don’t – play a major role in preventing 4 of the 10 leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes and also play a role in how well we age.

And every single one of the foods we eat becomes a part of who we are.  The foods are broken down into various nutrients that actually form and power the very cells of our body.  Doesn’t it make sense that those building blocks for life come from the work and toil in our own backyards and not from some laboratory far, far away?

Research has shown that even the genes we inherit that make us more susceptible to a particular disease or condition are not absolute predictors.  Their damaging codes may remain forever silent unless we make food, lifestyle and environmental choices that trigger them into action.

The recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables may seem like a lot to some people, but serving sizes are not nearly as big as we often think (generally a half-cup of raw or cooked vegetables).  And, too, variety is the spice of life.  That’s just one of the reasons we have such a large vegetable garden at my farm, Beekman 1802.

We hope this year’s Garden Party spices up your life, too (and not just the peppers).

To learn more about eating well and living the good life, visit www.beekman1802.com