Six Reasons to Love Farmer's Markets

Photo credit: Michelle Loy. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.

I have a confession.  I'm a glutton for farmer's markets!  I'm really grateful that there are so many farmer's markets within a short distance of where I live so that I can get my fix on a regular basis.  My experience with farmer's markets goes all the way back to my childhood when my mom would take me to our small town farmer's market on weekends.  In grad school, my friends and I would head to a couple of local farmer's markets on the weekends.  As a traveler, I also love to check out the farmer's markets to get the best of the local fare.  While there are many reasons to love visiting farmer's markets, I thought I'd boil it down to my top five.

Enjoy fresh, seasonal produce that is harvested at the peak of freshness and taste.  There's really something great about food that hasn't traveled thousands of miles, been stored for long periods, or been treated to enhance the ripening process.  Not only is the produce fresher, but I can also honestly say that produce from the farmer's market is tastier and seems richer than that from the grocery store.

Photo credit: Michelle Loy. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.

Enhance your connection to your food.  I really enjoy the fact that I get to meet the actual farmers or the employees of the farm from which I'm purchasing my food.  When I get to talk to them face-to-face, I find out so much more about my food:  how it's grown, where it's grown, and who's growing it.  Two weekends ago I purchased strawberries from a farm that is about 5 miles from my home.  I've learned that while the farm is not "certified organic", their crops are still organically produced.  To top it off, the workers are just nice people!  Somehow those strawberries were just that much more enjoyable to me.

Learn insider tips on how to choose and prepare produce.  Farmers and vendors are experts on the food that they sell, so they can give you tips on how to select the best vegetable or fruit.  They also are very excited to share preparation tips with you,too.  I find it very hard to get that kind of service in many grocery stores.

Photo credit: Michelle Loy. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.

Save money.  Not only do you get nutritious, delicious, and fresh produce, but you can also save money while you're at it.  Not everything is offered at a rock bottom price at the farmer's market, but you sure can get some great deals.  This weekend I purchased a 5 lb bag of oranges for $2.50 and a huge bag of lemons for $1!


Support the local community.  By supporting your local farmer's markets, you are supporting local farmers, which helps keep them in your community and maintains local food systems.

It is an experience.  I don't know about you, but when I shop at the grocery store, my goal is to get in, get my food, and get out most of the time.  However, when I go to a farmer's market, I actually like to take my time there.  I want to talk to the vendors, sample the food, and check out all of the offerings.  I enjoy sharing this experience with my family.  I love that the farmers and I can all teach my children about food.   I love that my daughter met the cattle rancher that raised the grass-fed beef that we've had for dinner and that she asks about him when we go to that farmer's market.  

Are you interested in finding a farmer's market near you?

If you're in California, you can search for certified farmer's markets in your area here.

If you're in another state, you can search for farmer's markets in your area here and here.

Do you visit farmer's markets?  What do you enjoy about it?     

5 Kids' Snacks That Might Be Less Nutritious Than You Thought

As I cruise through the grocery store, I often find myself on the prowl for the latest snack foods available for kids. Lately, I've noticed that when I pick up the product and take a closer look at the Nutrition Facts Panel and read the ingredient list that I am quite surprised by what I find upon closer investigation. I thought I'd share my insight on 5 kids' snacks that may be less nutritious than you thought. 

• Fruit Snacks: These are the "fruit" snacks that look like gummy bears.  They seem to be popular with parents because they're handy, and having the word fruit in the name must mean that they're nutritious, right? The first three ingredients for most of these snacks are basically sources of sugar. In fact, one serving of many of these products I've reviewed provide around 13 grams or 3 tsp of added sugar! Some say "Made with Real Fruit" right on the label. So, what's the problem?  The first two ingredients before the source of fruit (apple puree concentrate) are corn syrup (= added sugar) and sugar.  While it might be "made with real fruit", just how much real fruit?  Not enough to make it equally or more nutritious than the real "real fruit"! The products also often claim to "high in Vitamin C". Wow, that's great, right?  Even though it might be high in vitamin C, what other nutrients is it high in?  Not many other than sugar.  And although the one of first three ingredients is a blend of fruit juice or fruit puree concentrates, fresh fruits will still be better sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and will likely have more between-meal staying power.  
• Yogurt or yogurt smoothies for kids: These snacks do contain yogurt, which is a high quality source of protein and other nutrients, such as potassium, calcium, and Vitamin D. They are also a source of probiotics (aka, friendly bacteria). However, even though the name of the yogurt (eg, Strawberry Explosion) might suggest that it contains fruit, there is often no actual fruit involved. For instance, the label on one yogurt smoothie product targeted towards children states "Strawberry Explosion contains no fruit juice". A look at the ingredient list also shows that this food contains added sugar. A 3.1 ounce serving contains 14 g of sugar, some of which most likely comes from the naturally-occurring milk sugar; however, the rest is added sugar. You might be better off mixing or blending whole fresh or frozen fruit with plain yogurt for a more nutritious homemade version. 
  
• Squeezable, freezable fruit: I checked out a few of these products and found that two of the first five ingredients are fruit purees and two of the first five ingredients are also sources of added sugar. I'm not sure how much of the 26 g of sugar per 1 cup is added sugar, but I am sure that the little ones might be better off with a homemade version for which you can control the sugar content.
• Yogurt-covered snacks: Take a look at the ingredient list of these yogurt-covered and you'll find that these are less yogurt and more added sugar. First ingredient = sugar! Second ingredient = coating, which is composed mostly of sugar and partially hydrogenated palm and palm kernel oil, which are sources of trans fat. In fact, one serving provides 13 grams or ~3 tsp of added sugar! It does contain 60% of the Daily Value for Vitamin C; however, it's pretty scant on other nutrients, such as vitamin A or iron. Plus, I can think of plenty of other foods that would be better sources of vitamin C as well as other vitamins, minerals, and fiber. 
• Organic snacks: They're organic, so they're more nutritious right? Granted, organically-produced foods may be better for children; however, organic and healthy are not synonymous. After reviewing an organic fruit snack product, I found that, although organic, 4 of the first 5 ingredients are sources of added sugar, and with 10 grams or 2 1/2 tsp of sugar per pouch, it can really add up. 

So am I saying hands off to these kids' snack foods? Not necessarily.  I'd definitely recommend practicing moderation with these foods.  Maybe you offer these foods sometimes but not everyday.  And when offering these foods, maybe you could balance out your child's nutrition by also offering other more nutritious foods throughout the day, too.  It's best not to take kids' snacks at face value.  Look beyond the front label to scope out that Nutrition Facts Panel and the Ingredients List for more information.  

Go organic?

Organic...it's all the trend these days. You've heard about it, but maybe you don't know exactly what the hype is all about. Well, let me try to shed some light on this issue. First of all, why are people choosing to go 'organic'? Well, lately it primarily stems from two reasons: 1) increased awareness about the link between diet and health, specifically pesticide use and 2) increased desire to protect the environment. While pesticides have known benefits (killing potential disease-causing organisms and controlling insects and other pests), there are also known risks associated with their consumption (possible damage to the nervous system, disruption of the endocrine/hormone system leading to reproductive disorders, birth defects, immune suppression and other disorders, and potentially cancer-causing). These issues may be even more concerning for fetuses, infants and children since their internal organs are still developing and they have much smaller bodies.

So, what does organic mean? Well, organically produced foods must be grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, sewage sludge, irradiation, or genetically modified ingredients. The standards for organic food production are regulated by the USDA. In terms of food labeling, something that is labeled as:

• "100% Organic" must contain only organically-produced ingredients
  
• "Organic" must consist of at least 95% organically-produced ingredients
• "Made with organic ingredients" must contain at least 70% organically-produced ingredients

There are a few tips I like to offer when it comes to making informed decisions about going organic.

• Organic does not = healthier! Examples...organic potato or tortilla chips, organic cookies, organic candy, organic donuts. When the organic craze was really on the roll, I loved seeing all the great, new organic products, and I'd hear people say how much 'healthier' these products are. One would still be better off snacking on fresh, whole vegetables and fruits more often than these types of organic foods.
• Organic produce isn't necessarily pesticide-free. While organic produce tends to be lower in pesticide residues, according to testing by the USDA, 23% of organic produce contained detectable levels of pesticides in comparison to 73% of conventionally grown produce (the result of drift off or seepage into water systems from nearby conventional farms). However, only about 0.2% of the contaminated samples exceeded the EPA guidelines on pesticide residue limits.
• Some organic foods offer more nutritional value in comparison to non-organic foods (i.e., vitamin C in leafy green vegetables and corn; iron and magnesium in leafy greens, potatoes and radishes). However, organic foods, especially produce, also costs up to 50% more, so if it's a choice between no vegetables/fruits or organically-grown...something is better than nothing, but more is better than a little. Research shows through and through that high intake of vegetables/fruits reduces the risk for many different types of chronic diseases, without regard to organic vs non-organic. So, one might be able to consume more of the affordable non-organic foods vs the organic foods, and this may be more beneficial in the long-run.
• If you are concerned about pesticide consumption but still have a budget to stick with, you might consider prioritizing your organic purchases. "The Dirty Dozen" includes 12 items that are the most commonly contaminated, so it might be more worthwhile to purchase the organic version of these most often: Apples, cherries, grapes (imported), nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes, and spinach. The least likely to be contaminated, and therefore, the ones you may want to skip the big bucks for are: bananas, papayas, kiwi, broccoli, onions, asparagus, peas, mangoes, cauliflower, pineapple, avocado, corn, and peas. If budget is not a problem and/or if you want to go organic for reasons other than health, then by all means go all out because there's really no harm in it.
  
• Aside from purchasing organically-produced foods, you can also do some other things to reduce your exposure. 1) Buy locally grown and fresh vegetables/fruits in season as less chemicals will be needed to prevent spoilage 2) Trim tops and outer portions of leafy vegetables where pesticide residue is most likely found 3) Peel and cook or wash/scrub produce with a brush to remove or reduce pesticide residue 4) Consume a wide variety of vegetables and fruits to reduce exposure 5) Purchase items that are subject to USDA regulations as imported items are not grown under the same regulations 6) Trim the fat from meat and fat/skin from poultry and fish as this is where pesticides tend to accumulate in the body.

I could go on about organic as I love this topic; however, this is just a blog (and probably too long as it is!). I just hope that it helps someone make a more informed decision when it comes to going organic:)

Eat well - Be well!