The New Movement Towards Bringing The Food We Eat Closer to Home

If you’re in the East and not used to sunny weather year round, I don’t have to remind you that it is Spring time once again. I am sure you’ve already snatched the shorts, flip flops and sun glasses from their resting places already. Dear old winter has finally made its exit.

Spring happens every year, and around this time we usually give more of our attention to freshness, as the warm weather supports many more produce choices for the season. But this season it may be a little different.

Restaurant and Home Cooks alike are increasingly supporting local farmers and in many cases growing their own food. The ‘getting closer to your food’ movement is evident everywhere. Food Advocate Michael Pollan has for a long time recommended growing general produce like tomatoes and peppers in you own backyard. He was on Oprah the other day speaking of how having your kids help in planting their own fruits and vegetables improves their relationship with their food and increases the likelihood that they would actually get to love these foods.

Right now yourbackyardfarmer.com featured in Springwise Business Ideas website, offers a service to get you started with your own garden if like most of us you don’t happen to have a green thump. However, a simple trip to your plant nursery is all you need to begin exploring this home garden option and to get a little inspiration. At least it’s a start.

And if like me you don’t happen to have a backyard, then a good idea is to take part in a community garden project in your area. It may be an experience which transforms and greatly improves your relationship to food and nature in general.
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Selecting The Best Juices is an Issue of Utilizing The Highest Criteria When Visiting The Supermarket

Most of us do not regard the calories and nutrition (or lack there of) coming from liquids as much as that from solid food. But be assured, liquids, fruit juice in particular, do count just as much as solids towards your daily caloric quota and your overall nutrition.

It’s a matter of weighing the better choice over the least desirable. Liquids other than water contribute to your fluid needs as well, and it’s not necessary to exempt them altogether, particular when they are chosen wisely and in moderation.


1) Soda vs. Fruit Juice 'In Brief':

When it comes to nutritive value, soda is definitely out of the game all together. Most sodas on the market are really ‘sugar water’ with flavorings; its an ‘energy shot’ and that’s it. At up to 150 Calories per 12 oz can, it is basically adding empty calories with no nutritional value. Soda with artificially sweeteners is even worse from a nutritional perspective, because it is practically all synthetic. So other than creating a fake image of a 'healthier low-calorie' alternative, diet soda does not deserve to take up any room in your kitchen or on your dinner table.

Fruit juices offer a sensible alternative, but it's important to consider whether they are really fruit drinks or fruit cocktails with very little actual fruit. 100% fruit juice has the most value nutrition wise; and incorporating it is simply a matter of personal choice when going grocery shopping.

2) Choosing The Best Juice:

• Read the label: Is it 10%, 20, or 100% juice?-Always choose 100%

• Is one of the first ingredients high fructose corn syrup or added sugar?- In such a case you already know you are not getting 100% fruit juice and should move to the next choice.

• What is the nutritional makeup of the juice? Juice labels usually display % of Vitamin A, C, Calcium and Iron. Other nutrients may be voluntarily displayed by the manufacturer if they are applicable. Always make sure that it at least has 100% Vit C. The percentages of the other nutrients will vary depending on the type of fruit juice, the different fruits used in the juice, or whether the juice is also mixed with vegetables as with V8. Calcium fortification and the addition of pulp for added fiber are also great extras when choosing a juice.

NOTE: Vitamin C improves the absorption of Iron, and so including a Vitamin C rich fruit juice drink with a meal is a good idea.

If you are drinking juice you want to make it a nutritional powerhouse in your diet and the more nourishment you can get from it, the better.

3) “Juicing” is a great idea if you have the time. The best juice is always the one you make yourself, because you can control what goes in it. For example you can mix carrot with apples or mix a less acidic fruit with a citrus fruit. You are also gaining the benefit of preserving the fiber content of the fruit as well.

4) Organic juices have solidified their place in the beverage market, and provide a great healthful option.

Even with the healthiest drink however, you should refrain from the urge to overdo it which is very easy to do with juice. After all it’s a liquid which can be gulped down your throat quickly and with little effort. So you should be mindful to drink the best, but drink sensibly. Besides contributing to surplus calories, too much beverage in the diet has been attributed with replacing milk in the diets of Americans, especially children. So a couple true 80z servings(about 120 calories/serving) a day of juice is quite adequate.

When choosing soda over juice or choosing the type of juice you will consume, remember always one fundamental attribute of The Non-Dieter Mindset-QUALITY, QUALITY, QUALITY! Making it a priority to choose the 'creme de la creme' amongst your food choices, is a sure way to begin redefining your relationship with food and creating more positive food related experiences.

A Great Produce Market Find at 'Three Guys From Brooklyn', and A Fruit Fiesta

Fruit is something I hold to very high standards. I've bought fruit from many produce markets only to be disappointed on the first bite. Plums and grapes I find to be especially inconsistent in flavor and quality. Too soft, too sour or just plain lacking. Within the last year my fruit buying has been narrowed to trips to BJs, Stop and Shop, and Shoprite. Farmer's markets are good too, although I don't get to go that often.

But last week I had a special treat when I tasted the sweetest pineapple I've had for a long time, and it didn't come from BJs, but a place called 'Three Guys from Brooklyn' . I like it even more when such great food is also at a great price, and the price was definitely right on this pinapple-about $2.00. The pineapple was the true star of a fruit fest consisting of succulent dark red cherries for under $1.50/lb and strawberries. My boyfriend's surprise, one of many, since he found out that one of the keys to my heart is the best and greatest food he can find.

So we decided to take a trip to our new favorite spot yesterday in the intense 100+ degree weather. But it was worth it-2 containers strawberries, 3 oranges, 1 sweet red pepper, 1 orange sweet pepper, 1 nicely sized eggplant, a full box of mangoes (about 14 total), about 5 ears of corn, l pineapple, 2 medium sized pears, 2 kiwis, 2 huge parcels of prepackaged cherries, 1 good sized parcel of $1.79/lb cherries(probably around 2lbs), 1 5lb bag potatoes, one huge bundle of asparagus for about $48. Well what can I say? When you find quality produce at reasonable prices, you should go a little overboard. Getting the up to 2 cups per day fruit recommendations is just so much easier with fruit that is worth eating. One thing you can do for yourself is really find a produce market or farmers market that gives you consistently good fruits for a decent price.

Well when I got home, my boyfriend and I made a rich smoothie with strawberries, cherries, kiwi, some yogurt, milk, crushed iced, and those super sweet pineapples off course. Today I made some fried, breaded eggplants and aspargus. I'm thinking many meals and fruit creations are going to come from just that one trip to the produce market. I'm looking forward to another 'fruitful' (no pun intended) trip soon.