Comments on: Buying Local Produce http://savingdinner.com/articles/buying-local-produce/ SavingDinner.com has healthy meal planning menus that are so easy and include quick ideas for busy Moms! Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:15:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Shauna Russ http://savingdinner.com/articles/buying-local-produce/comment-page-1/#comment-260 Shauna Russ Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:48:43 +0000 http://savingdinner.com/?p=1505#comment-260 This article might give better advice than you would guess. I was reading my current issue of Prevention magazine and was shocked at an article they included that tells just what we're missing in our produce that we're buying from the grocery store. In 1950, we were able to get 130 mg. of calcium from our serving of broccoli, but today we're getting a mere 48 mg. of calcium from that same serving! They went on and on naming all the deficiencies in much of our produce. However, one of the solutions they offered was to shop from our local Farmer's Markets. Although items 1, 2, 3, and 6 didn't list all the facts from the Prevention article, they support what I just read and it all goes together to make sense. Buy local whenever you can or buy frozen because it's processed very near where it's picked, but the local produce is still usually better for you - especially if it's certified organic. It made me wonder if the government's food pyramid has taken these deficiencies into consideration and if not, then just how many servings of fruits and veggies per day do we really need? Just think of it - the broccoli example shows that we're getting just slightly more than 35% of the calcium that we used to. If that were to hold true for most produce, you'd have to eat 3 times as much as expected! Some of the other solutions were to: look for bold or brightly colored produce, look for new colors (think purple cauliflower or yellow tomatoes), buy smaller items (plants don't understand super-sizing, buy a reasonable size and the nutrients will be concentrated), pay attention to cooking methods - broccoli and carrots release more nutrients when steamed rather than raw or boiled, tomatoes release more lycopene when lightly roasted or sauteed, keep produce whole (skip the pre-cut salads, carrots, etc.), eat within a week, and seek out old-timers - heirloom varieties that were bred prior to WWII are naturally hardier because they were established before the modern fertilizers and pesticides (I never would have thought of that one on my own!). This article might give better advice than you would guess. I was reading my current issue of Prevention magazine and was shocked at an article they included that tells just what we’re missing in our produce that we’re buying from the grocery store. In 1950, we were able to get 130 mg. of calcium from our serving of broccoli, but today we’re getting a mere 48 mg. of calcium from that same serving! They went on and on naming all the deficiencies in much of our produce. However, one of the solutions they offered was to shop from our local Farmer’s Markets. Although items 1, 2, 3, and 6 didn’t list all the facts from the Prevention article, they support what I just read and it all goes together to make sense. Buy local whenever you can or buy frozen because it’s processed very near where it’s picked, but the local produce is still usually better for you – especially if it’s certified organic. It made me wonder if the government’s food pyramid has taken these deficiencies into consideration and if not, then just how many servings of fruits and veggies per day do we really need? Just think of it – the broccoli example shows that we’re getting just slightly more than 35% of the calcium that we used to. If that were to hold true for most produce, you’d have to eat 3 times as much as expected!

Some of the other solutions were to: look for bold or brightly colored produce, look for new colors (think purple cauliflower or yellow tomatoes), buy smaller items (plants don’t understand super-sizing, buy a reasonable size and the nutrients will be concentrated), pay attention to cooking methods – broccoli and carrots release more nutrients when steamed rather than raw or boiled, tomatoes release more lycopene when lightly roasted or sauteed, keep produce whole (skip the pre-cut salads, carrots, etc.), eat within a week, and seek out old-timers – heirloom varieties that were bred prior to WWII are naturally hardier because they were established before the modern fertilizers and pesticides (I never would have thought of that one on my own!).

]]> By: Shirley http://savingdinner.com/articles/buying-local-produce/comment-page-1/#comment-256 Shirley Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:11:15 +0000 http://savingdinner.com/?p=1505#comment-256 We get our produce from a food co-op! It's 50% fruit, 50% veggies, and it's amazing! We've gotten our kids to try stuff like eggplant (which I never would have bought under normal circumstances). It's great. Also, there are several farms around my town that sell fruits and veggies to the public. And they have U-Pick areas where you can go in and pick your own fruits and veggies. The kids LOVE it, and they love being able to pick up a snack and say, "I picked this!" So it's a bonus! We get our produce from a food co-op! It’s 50% fruit, 50% veggies, and it’s amazing! We’ve gotten our kids to try stuff like eggplant (which I never would have bought under normal circumstances). It’s great. Also, there are several farms around my town that sell fruits and veggies to the public. And they have U-Pick areas where you can go in and pick your own fruits and veggies. The kids LOVE it, and they love being able to pick up a snack and say, “I picked this!” So it’s a bonus!

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