You may remember that I worked with a naturopath physician last year. I love to get her newsletters and this is a really great post that she sent this week. I love farmer’s markets! We have great ones in Chicago. Stacy and I went to the opening day of the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. I got all kinds of awesome new root veggies that inspired my #100happydays photo last Sunday entitled “Nature’s Candy.” I also am looking forward to some more diversity in my CSA box from Door to Door Organics. [Chicago folks can get 50% off on their first box- email me for a code!]
From Kelly Simms, ND:
“April showers are sure to have brought the first round of summer crops to the area. May is the perfect time of year to start heading out to farmers markets (or sign up for a CSA!) for in-season, locally-sourced produce, which is often organic and less expensive then the grocery store. Why support local? Eat with the seasons? Choose organic? Here’s my take:
- Shop local. The further food has to travel from farm to table increases the time from when the food is harvested to when it is eaten. This can cause a decrease in nutrients stored in the food as some foods tend to decrease in nutritional value with time. One example of this is a study that looked at Vitamin C losses in vegetables stored at 4°C for 7 days post harvest. The loss of vitamin C alone ranged from range from 15% for green peas to 77% for green beans. Typically, veggies arrive at a market about 5 days post harvest, then sit out for a few days, then sit in our refrigerator for a few days…so you can see how nutrients are slowly lost with time. Produce is at its peak, nutritionally, for about 24 hours after harvest. Check out:
- Eat with the seasons. Transportation has brought foods from around the world to our doorsteps year round. Seasonal eating helps your body stay in sync with weather patterns and our surroundings. Find out what is in season now with Seasonal Food Guides.
- Choose organic. By now, I am sure you have heard of the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen. Pesticides and herbicides are one reason to choose organic, but another is GMO, or genetically modified organisms. Research has shown that between 60-80% of the foods most Americans consume contain GMOs. The top two items that are genetically modified are corn and soy. Organic food, by definition, cannot contain and GMO seeds or foods from GMO sources. Here is a GMO Shopping Guide.
- Sick with a budget. It is a myth that eating more produce means spending more. If you first prioritize the items that you spend more money on to buy organic (dirty dozen list), buy other items in season (in season = sales!), and do some meal preparation and planning (planning=less waste) you can prepare nutritious meals for you and your family on a budget. Stock up during sales and also pay attention to unit prices when comparing similar items. Check out this Cooking Matters video on Unit Prices.
Plants are powerful medicine! Shop smarter and eat well!”
Check out more great health information and tips from Dr. Simms on her blog.
What is your favorite thing about your local farmer’s market or CSAs?
That’s all I have for now! Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there. Here’s to spring!
PS. Don’t forget to check out my Greens Plus giveaway and my Runner’s bloghop giveaway!