SEE YOU AT THE MARKET!

‘Tis the season, y’all! Farmer’s Markets all across the land are open for business, and for the wellness-minded woman, this is good news!

Farm-to-Table isn’t just a catchy phrase. When food is picked and eaten the same day, or within a day or two, it is fresher and tastes better, it’s more nutritious, more alive.  Local foods have not been trucked or flown in from many miles away, losing their precious bioavailability in route. Bioavailability is the portion of a food’s nutrients that our bodies actually absorb and use….and it starts decreasing the moment that food is harvested. The longer it takes for food to get from a farm to your table, the less benefit it’s able to deliver to your body. 

I’m a farm girl at heart. I used to have a beautiful garden and grew most of the veggies my family ate from March through October. I remember my son, as a toddler, reaching up to pluck yellow cherry-sized tomatoes from the vine with his chubby little fingers.  He devoured them like candy.  Warmed by the sun, they were sweet and ripened to perfection.  A better snack I could not have imagined.  It was no surprise that I later struggled to get him to eat tomatoes purchased from the grocery store.  His taste buds did not lie.  There honestly is a difference between picked yesterday, and picked a few weeks ago. 

The sad truth is that most of our diets are severely lacking in nutrients. As a mom, trying to get our kids to add more veggies to their plates is an ongoing struggle. I do see them light up a bit, though, when strolling through the farmer’s market. Somehow, enticing them to try some bok choy or chard is a little easier when it’s on display at a farm stand. Greens are such a powerful agent of good health.

One of my favorite quotes about greens comes from a leading gut specialist.  She says, “If you want to encourage the growth of good bacteria, heal inflammation, crowd out parasites, improve motility, get rid of belly fat, lose weight, eliminate yeast, dissolve gallstones, prevent diverticulosis, balance your pH, quiet down IBS, boost your energy, cut your risk of colon cancer in half, banish your bloat, and really glow from the inside out then the single most important thing you need to do is eat greens every single day.”

Mic. Drop. 

We could just stop right there, but ALL veggies are health heroes. Full of fiber, vitamins, nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants, they nourish and fuel our bodies. They contain virtually zero calories, and certain vegetables actually turn off the inflammatory response in our bodies, thereby promoting healing and longevity. 

Clients often ask me which veggies are the “best” veggies, and I say, “All of them!”  The darker the better, though, since the substance that gives darker veggies their color is the very substance that helps fight inflammation. 

If you are burned out on the “usual suspects,” and long for something newer and more exciting than a carrot or a stick of celery, your local farmer’s market will be your new BFF. Throw on your overalls, take a cute basket, and go on a treasure hunt for epic local offerings. Ask your kids to come along and choose a new veggie, then challenge them to find a recipe to prepare for the family.  

….and practically speaking, busy momma, here’s how to get more veggies in your day:

• Rather than cereal for breakfast, scramble some local, pastured eggs and stir in arugula, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

• Instead of a sandwich on bread, use leaf or romaine lettuce as the base.

• Re-think your typical salad and try to create a rainbow of color.  At the salad bar, begin with a base of several kinds of greens.  Add kale or chard to the usual romaine or iceberg.  Find the deepest, richest colors and add them to your green base.  The more colorful, the wider the variety of vitamins and minerals.  

• Add finely chopped veggies to spaghetti sauces, homemade or store-bought soups, and even to casseroles.  

Simply put:  be on the lookout for ways to invite vegetables to the party.  They need not be bystanders and will add flavor, color, and deep nutrition to any dish, any time of day!

On your next visit to the farmer’s market, take a pic and tag me! I’d love to see your bounty! 

Cheers, bon appetit, and happy marketing,

LZ