That time of year is upon us, with Thanksgiving marking the start of the holiday season. It’s a season of love, fun, connection, and, of course, delicious food.

Loving locally sourced, high-quality food isn’t just a trend, it’s the future. And that’s not a bad thing.

Food waste is a massive problem globally, and you’ve probably heard about it plenty of times. It is especially prevalent in the US, who leads the world in food waste annually.

You probably know that eating poorly can have detrimental effects on your mental health--no one feels good after eating an entire 12-inch pepperoni pizza on their own. But the connection between the food you eat and mental health goes much deeper than most people realize.

Right now, many of us are working from our homes, isolating from others, and waiting for Covid-19 to finally let us resume our normal lives. No one is saying this is easy, but there are some hidden benefits to this: we have some unique control over our own schedules and work environments and eating healthier may be just a little bit easier, as we have access to our kitchen while we work. 

Around one hundred trillion bacteria live inside our digestive system at any given time. And while you’re probably too busy to be gravely concerned with your gastrointestinal system or the way in which it operates, a segment of medicine is looking into this vast and fascinating system of organisms and its effect on the body’s overall well-being.