Tag: fruit | Nourished Roots

Tag Archives: fruit

Seasonal Eating for Optimal Health

March 31, 2015

In Portland, you often hear people talking about focusing on eating locally, organically grown and seasonally appropriate foods. These buzz words can be overwhelming for someone just trying to get a meal on the table for themselves or their families. It is easy to become confused by the multiple messages about what to eat and where to buy your food. Some have even asked, “What does seasonal eating even mean?” Seasonal eating is a philosophy of eating where your diet is adjusted according to what is currently growing in your own region. Seasonal eating focuses on eating food that will support your body in the particular season you are experiencing. With today’s modern grocery stores, you can find almost any food you desire at any time of the year. This may seem like a benefit of our modern transportation, refrigeration and grocery system but many are discovering the amazing advantages of eating fresh, locally harvested food.

Benefits of Seasonal Eating

Eating seasonally benefits the environment because less pollution is created and less fuel is used to transport the food to market.
Eating seasonally is usually less expensive. Food in season is generally more abundant and has less transportation costs so it takes a smaller bite out of your wallet.
Produce harvested and eaten in season has more vitamins and minerals than foods harvested far away, unripe and then shipped long distances. Seasonally appropriate food also tastes better. Who can forget the joy of biting into a fresh, ripe tomato straight from the vine?
Eating with the season forces you to eat a varied diet. As foods move in and out of season you are forced to change the food on your plate.
Eating seasonally connects us to nature. As the variety of produce changes, it forces us to take notice of what is happening in the natural world.

Many areas of the United States have a limited growing season making it virtually impossible to eat locally and in season all of the time. Unfortunately the Northwest is one of those areas. If eating seasonally in the dead of winter seems daunting, there are some steps you can take. Portland has many year round local farmers’ markets- visiting one may spark creative ideas for new foods. You can also join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm to form a personal connection with your farmer and the foods he/she is harvesting. While it might not always be possible to purchase your seasonal produce locally, the next best thing is to purchase what’s in season in a region in close proximity. This practice will help minimize shipping time and increase flavor.

To find out what’s harvested seasonally in our area, go to www.localharvest.org to find local farmers’ markets and seasonal produce guides.

As Spring approaches, what fresh produce are you looking forward to enjoying?

Photo by Francis Andrew on Flickr.

Filed Under: Blog, Health Information

Tiny Tip Tuesday: Buying Organic

September 16, 2014

The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fourteen

People often lament to me the high cost of organic fruits and vegetables. I definitely feel their pain. I know my grocery bill has significantly increased since I began focusing on buying organic. However, I do feel buying organic is important to decrease our exposure to harmful toxins for ourselves, the environment and the farmers growing our food. But what if it is just not financially feasible for you to buy everything organic? Are there some specific areas you should focus on?

When working with clients, I ask them to think about a few different areas when deciding to buy organic. For products that you or your children consume on a daily basis, buying organic, if at all possible, is definitely advisable. When my boys were little, they consumed volumes of milk on a daily basis so this was an product I tried to always buy organic (or at least hormone free). Think carefully about your overall diet and switch those items that make a daily appearance to organic.

Also, items that are higher up on the food chain like meat are important to buy organic. Livestock that is fed a conventional diet of corn and other grains have greater exposure to the toxic pesticides used on their food. These pesticides are then concentrated in fat of the meat you eat. Also, animals allowed to graze on their normal diet of grass have greater amounts of the natural healing omega-3s. I recognize organic meat can be expensive so I have started making meat more of an accent in my meals instead of the main ingredient. This approach saves me money and increases my consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables.

Finally, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out a list of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen every year. The Dirty Dozen lists the fruits and vegetable which contained a number of different pesticide residues and showed high concentrations of pesticides relative to other produce items. Relatively few pesticides were detected on the fruits and vegetables on the Clean Fifteen list, and tests found low total concentrations of pesticides. If you are rationing your grocery store dollars, focusing on buying the fruits and vegetables from the Dirty Dozen list may be your best bet. Checkout the info graphic at the beginning of the article for your complete list. (You might notice that my list is only a Clean Fourteen. The EWG’s list contained sweet corn. In the last year, GMO corn has begun appearing on our grocery shelves. I would advise buying organic corn to ensure you are avoiding a GMO product.)

Beautiful graphic created by KCK Creative Market.

Filed Under: Blog, Health Information