The Martha’s Vineyard Whole Health Alliance board of directors invites Island holistic practitioners and those interested in what they do to a potluck get-together on Wednesday, May 29, at 6 p.m. at the Island cohousing community room on Rock Pond Road in West Tisbury. If you plan to attend, bring a dish to share.

Call Paul Farrington at 508-693-0561 for more information.

Cathleen Vincent believes people have an inherent ability to heal themselves. “You already have all the key ingredients in your body,” the acupuncturist said from her studio at the Yoga Barn in Chilmark. “It’s up to me to hear it and recognize it and hopefully activate it so your body can do what it needs to do to become more balanced.

George Bernard Shaw once said, “You see things, and you say, Why? But I dream things that never were and I say, Why not?” For Kimberly Cartwright, founder and owner of the indoor cycling studio Om of Motion, the quotation carries weight. “Om is my Why not?’” Ms. Cartwright states on her website, omofmotion.com.

Eating is crucial to what goes on inside the body. It also has a lot to do with appearance and vitality, too. Skin is bombarded daily with the stressors of pollution, the natural aging process and environment, in particular the sun, cold, humidity and wind. The rate of skin cell damage begins to exceed the rate of repair after about 27 years of age. Poor nutrition accelerates this damage. The good news is that the right nutrition can help.

Lately I’ve been thinking about Island hearts. With the opportunity to write this, my first Gazette article and the launch of what I hope will become a regular column about nutrition, I’d like to focus on our community of hearts.

What can we as individuals do nutritionally to protect and strengthen them? There are dozens of foods known to help fight heart disease, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke. What follows are a few of my favorites, with some tips on how to include them in your diet.