Showing posts with label now. Show all posts
Showing posts with label now. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Seasons Eatings Whats Fresh Now
In these United States, Memorial Day weekend heralds the unofficial start of the summer season. Communities will gather to pay tribute to the men and women of our armed forces with parades, prayer services, and the placing of flags in local cemeteries. Grills will get fired up as families and friends host backyard cookouts.
But here in the arctic tundra, Memorial Day weekend also means the long-awaited opening of the farmers markets. YeeeeHaw! No more tasteless produce. No more eating fruits and veggies that have traveled further than Ive traveled in a lifetime (and Ive done a lot of traveling!). Think Im kidding? Check out this oldie but goodie from the archives: Does Your Food Travel More Than You Do?
So, Whats In Season in Your Region?
But here in the arctic tundra, Memorial Day weekend also means the long-awaited opening of the farmers markets. YeeeeHaw! No more tasteless produce. No more eating fruits and veggies that have traveled further than Ive traveled in a lifetime (and Ive done a lot of traveling!). Think Im kidding? Check out this oldie but goodie from the archives: Does Your Food Travel More Than You Do?
So, Whats In Season in Your Region?
Exact crop availability and harvest times vary year-to-year, but this summary will give you an idea of what to look for now in your neck of the woods. You can also look up produce availability by state at Field to Plate.
The Northwest
Arugula, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Chard, Cherries, Collard Greens, Edible Flowers, Fennel, Fiddleheads, Kale, Lettuce, Mint, Morels, Oregano, Potatoes, Radicchio, Radishes, Rhubarb, Rosemary, Sage, Scallions, Sorrel, Spinach, Thyme, Watercress, Zucchini
The Southwest
Apricots, Avocados, Blackberries, Carrots, Cilantro, Chard, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Kale, Lettuce, Nectarines, Oregano, Peaches, Peas, Sage, Snap Peas, Sorrel, Spinach, Summer Squash, Sweet Onions, Tomatoes, Zucchini
The Midwest
Arugula, Asparagus, Beets, Cabbage, Chard, Collard Greens, Fava Beans, Fennel, Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Parsley, Parsnips, Radishes, Rhubarb, Spinach, Turnips
The South
Asparagus, Beets, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Green Beans, Lima Beans, Okra, Peaches, Plums, Pole Beans, Spinach, Strawberries, Summer Squash, Sweet Onions, Valencia Oranges
The Northeast
Arugula, Artichokes, Asparagus, Chard, Fava Beans, Fiddleheads, Garlic Scapes, Green Onions, Lettuce, Mint, Nettles, New Potatoes, Parsley, Parsnips, Pea Greens, Rhubarb, Spinach, Thyme
Purchasing food close to the source ensures freshness and a smaller impact on the environment since fewer resources are used to transport the food from farm to table, but thats not the only reason I love shopping at my local farmers market.
"Knowing where your food comes from can change your life."
~ Alice Waters
Truer words were never spoken. Wanna change your relationship with food? Meet the farmers who grow it!
How Green Does Your Garden Grow?
Conventional farmers apply chemical fertilizers to soil to grow their crops and use insecticides and fungicides to get rid of insects and disease. Theyll typically control weed growth by applying synthetic herbicides.
The Environmental Protection Agency considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides and 30% of insecticides to be carcinogenic. Yikes! I dont like those odds, do you?
Aside from pesticide contamination, conventional produce tends to have fewer nutrients than organic produce. On average, conventional produce has only 83% of the nutrients of organic.
Organic farming differs from conventional farming in the methods used to grow crops. Organic farmers build and feed soil with natural fertilizer such as compost. To control insects and disease, an organic farmer will employ natural methods like insect predators. For weed control, organic farmers use crop rotation, hand weeding, and mulch.
Now listen, just because youre shopping at the local farmers market, doesnt necessarily mean that all the produce you see is organic. But heres the thing: the folks who grew it are standing right in front of you, so ask.
The Dirty Dozen
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been publishing guides to the "dirty dozen" of the most pesticide-contaminated foods since 1995, based on statistical analysis of testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The dirty dozen list only reflects measurable pesticide residues on the parts of the foods normally consumed (meaning, after being washed and peeled). But, according to the EWG, consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% just by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and veggies.
Thanks to our liver, which serves as a super filtering system, we can all handle a certain amount of chemicals and toxins while still remaining reasonably healthy. But, what happens over time is the liver becomes overwhelmed. This happens much more rapidly in young children.
We can help our liver function more efficiently by adding in an assortment of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains to our daily diet. At the very least, wed be wise to avoid the dirty dozen by purchasing those items organic.
Download your own Shoppers Guide To Pesticides and keep a copy in your wallet. Visit Local Harvest to find a farmers market near you. As my friend Penni in Tulsa says, Know Your Farmer - Know Your Food.
So, tell me, what will you be buying at the farmers market this holiday weekend? How will you celebrate Memorial Day?
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been publishing guides to the "dirty dozen" of the most pesticide-contaminated foods since 1995, based on statistical analysis of testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The dirty dozen list only reflects measurable pesticide residues on the parts of the foods normally consumed (meaning, after being washed and peeled). But, according to the EWG, consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% just by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and veggies.
Thanks to our liver, which serves as a super filtering system, we can all handle a certain amount of chemicals and toxins while still remaining reasonably healthy. But, what happens over time is the liver becomes overwhelmed. This happens much more rapidly in young children.
We can help our liver function more efficiently by adding in an assortment of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains to our daily diet. At the very least, wed be wise to avoid the dirty dozen by purchasing those items organic.
Download your own Shoppers Guide To Pesticides and keep a copy in your wallet. Visit Local Harvest to find a farmers market near you. As my friend Penni in Tulsa says, Know Your Farmer - Know Your Food.
So, tell me, what will you be buying at the farmers market this holiday weekend? How will you celebrate Memorial Day?
Now Entering Raw Food Land
Its been four weeks since I landed in this Garden of Eatin and holy guacamole, the changes! No more fire-breathing dragon heartburn. No more debilitating headaches. No more aches and pains. No more popping Ibuprofen like M&Ms. No more constant fatigue or mid-afternoon-I-have-to-take-a-nap-right-now syndrome.
Oh, and did I mention, Ive released 27 pounds? Adios. Goodbye. See ya! Twenty-seven pounds without counting points, calories, fat grams, or carbs. No weighing and measuring my food. In fact, I eat waaaaaaaay more now than I did when I was consuming a "normal" diet.
So what convinced me to make the transition from a Standard American Diet (SAD) to a primarily RAW diet of fresh fruits and veggies? Well, besides feeling crummy from all the aforementioned symptoms and a host of others, I happily stumbled upon a wonderful book at my local library.
Kris Carrs Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips tells the inspirational and insightful story of a young woman diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and her journey to living a fully-awake, vibrant, healthy life. A significant part of that journey has been her exploration and transition into a raw vegan lifestyle. The back of Kris book is loaded with helpful resources and heres where my own exploration began.
I scoured dozens of websites and started reading anything I could get my hands on, either at the library or the neighborhood Borders Books. It was when I read The Raw Food Detox Diet by nutritionist Natalia Rose that I thought I can do this.
Natalia, whos eaten a 100% raw diet for over seven years, took about six years to get there. She outlines a simple program that anyone, regardless of their present state of health or what they typically eat, can follow to safely and gently transition to raw foods (plant foods not heated above 118 degrees).
I say safely, because raw foods contain an abundance of live enzymes that pull waste matter out of cells. The more raw foods you incorporate into your diet, the more nasty stuff pulled from your cells thats now occupying space elsewhere in your body – the bloodstream, kidneys, liver, colon. Garbage in, garbage out as the saying goes.
If your over-burdened system is not strong enough to push those toxins out of the body, youll basically just poison yourself all over again, recycling those bad boys into the bloodstream. Kinda defeats the purpose of choosing to eat healthier, you know?
Which brings up a really important point: its not what we put into our bodies that makes us healthy, but the removal of waste matter that brings us into a state of glowing health.
I was an overweight vegetarian for years. I know plenty of vegans who look anything but glowing, with their sallow complexions and dark under-eye circles. But if were eating whole, live foods AND eliminating toxic waste from our body, our skin tone improves, chronic health problems disappear, excess weight is released, our energy levels increase, we gain greater mental clarity and become more centered emotionally. I can certainly attest to that, after only four weeks.
Okay, heres the scoop...Ive basically embraced a diet of 85 to 90 percent raw foods, essentially eating "raw till dinner" every day. Before noon, I only consume fresh fruit. I pay attention to proper food combining (more on that in another post). If I am going to consume meat, poultry or fish, I do it at dinner so my digestive system has a whole night to deal with it and I always eat my raw veggies first.
So far, so good. I know lots of folks just pass through looking for a quick fix, but I have a feeling I may be taking up residence in Raw Food Land.
Oh, and did I mention, Ive released 27 pounds? Adios. Goodbye. See ya! Twenty-seven pounds without counting points, calories, fat grams, or carbs. No weighing and measuring my food. In fact, I eat waaaaaaaay more now than I did when I was consuming a "normal" diet.
So what convinced me to make the transition from a Standard American Diet (SAD) to a primarily RAW diet of fresh fruits and veggies? Well, besides feeling crummy from all the aforementioned symptoms and a host of others, I happily stumbled upon a wonderful book at my local library.
Kris Carrs Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips tells the inspirational and insightful story of a young woman diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and her journey to living a fully-awake, vibrant, healthy life. A significant part of that journey has been her exploration and transition into a raw vegan lifestyle. The back of Kris book is loaded with helpful resources and heres where my own exploration began.
I scoured dozens of websites and started reading anything I could get my hands on, either at the library or the neighborhood Borders Books. It was when I read The Raw Food Detox Diet by nutritionist Natalia Rose that I thought I can do this.
Natalia, whos eaten a 100% raw diet for over seven years, took about six years to get there. She outlines a simple program that anyone, regardless of their present state of health or what they typically eat, can follow to safely and gently transition to raw foods (plant foods not heated above 118 degrees).
I say safely, because raw foods contain an abundance of live enzymes that pull waste matter out of cells. The more raw foods you incorporate into your diet, the more nasty stuff pulled from your cells thats now occupying space elsewhere in your body – the bloodstream, kidneys, liver, colon. Garbage in, garbage out as the saying goes.
If your over-burdened system is not strong enough to push those toxins out of the body, youll basically just poison yourself all over again, recycling those bad boys into the bloodstream. Kinda defeats the purpose of choosing to eat healthier, you know?
Which brings up a really important point: its not what we put into our bodies that makes us healthy, but the removal of waste matter that brings us into a state of glowing health.
I was an overweight vegetarian for years. I know plenty of vegans who look anything but glowing, with their sallow complexions and dark under-eye circles. But if were eating whole, live foods AND eliminating toxic waste from our body, our skin tone improves, chronic health problems disappear, excess weight is released, our energy levels increase, we gain greater mental clarity and become more centered emotionally. I can certainly attest to that, after only four weeks.
Okay, heres the scoop...Ive basically embraced a diet of 85 to 90 percent raw foods, essentially eating "raw till dinner" every day. Before noon, I only consume fresh fruit. I pay attention to proper food combining (more on that in another post). If I am going to consume meat, poultry or fish, I do it at dinner so my digestive system has a whole night to deal with it and I always eat my raw veggies first.
So far, so good. I know lots of folks just pass through looking for a quick fix, but I have a feeling I may be taking up residence in Raw Food Land.
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