MIAD CD4_14 Veggheads

FALL 2014 ISSUE ONE

an interview with

The food system in

and what we can do to help

Ginger

Aromatic, pungent and spicy, ginger adds a special flavor and zest to Asian stir fries and many fruit and vegetable dishes..

Beet root

The greens of beet-root have exceptional nutrional value, packed with calcium and vitamin C and A.

nutmeg

Nutmeg matches well with alot of fall vegetables including brocouli, cabbage and carrots.

broccoli

Broccoli can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming.

Photos by: istock

carrots

While we usually associate carrots with the color orange, carrots can actually be found in a host of other colors including white, yellow, red, or purple.

red Potatoes

Red potatoes’ flavor and texture lend themselves best to boiling and roasting applications.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has a long history both as a spice and as a medicine.

It is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which is available in its dried tubular form known as a quill or as ground powder.

Yellow Squash

The delicate flavor, soft shell and creamy white flesh of squash is a perfect addition to any fall meal.

Seasonal staples An unpretentious piece of nature’s art such as an acorn squash, inspires me to no end; what a shape it has, and what sensation that its thick, waxy skin provides my fingers as they run across its ridges and peaks. Sliced open, it has an almost flower-like look, one that reminds me of the simple but colorful flower-on-stem that I used to doodle over and over again as a little girl. With its stringy seeds scooped out and its bright orange flesh unobscured, an acorn squash seems to beckon to be roasted until soft and buttery, and filled with other complimentary morsels to create a brand new “whole”; a healthy, well-balanced and nourish-

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ing whole to be enjoyed and appreciated for what it provides one’s body. And that’s where I begin to see an interesting lesson forming, one that inspires me to find a parallel for my own life.

I begin to recognize those elements of balance and well-being that a meal like this can bring to a person, all contained within an interesting and lovely package; and I consider that on a human level, I too, aspire to contain those very elements of balance and healthiness, of nourishment—that I may enrich, touch and make better another human life.

Prep: 20 MIN COOK: 45 MIN Makes: 4 Servings 2 Acorn Squash ¼ lb Tofu ¾ Cup Cooked Brown Rice ½ Cup Black Beans 1 Green Onion, Chopped

2 cloves of pressed garlic Pinch cumin Pinch cayenne pepper Pinch cinnamon 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

¼ Cut in quarters, 1 cup cut in halves

¼ tsp orange zest ¼ Cup Sharp White Cheddar Cheese

1¼ Cup Cherry Tomatoes 1 tbs sunflower seeds Olive oil Salt Cracked black pepper ¼ onion, finely diced

Chopped, divided use on salad

finely shredded

1 tbs fresh lemon or lime juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

2. Prepare the acorn squash by cutting off the bottom point and stem to create a flat surface. Next cut the squash in the center, width-wise creating four halves; scooping the seeds and stringy bits out. Drizzle a bit of olive oil into each half, adding a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cavity facing down, place each squash of baking sheet roasting for 35 min. or until flesh is fork tender. When finished allow the squash to cool slightly until they can be handled.

3. While the squash roasts cook tofu, adding and sautéing the onion, a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, garlic, cumin, cayenne and the cinnamon. Next, add to the tofu the cooked brown rice, black beans, cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, sunflower seeds and the orange zest. Combine the ingredients very well; add another pinch of salt if needed, and set the mixture aside for a moment.

4. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, spoon equal portions of the beef/rice mixture into the cavity of each squash half, sprinkle over the top about 1tbs of the sharp cheddar cheese, and place the halves back onto the baking sheet and into the oven to bake for an additional few minutes just until the cheese melts; serve with Tomato-Cilantro Salad on the side, for a fresh and bright addition.

Simple Tomato-Cilantro Salad Preparation: Place the halved tomatoes into a bowl, and add in the cilantro, the lemon or lime juice, a pinch of two of salt and a drizzle of olive oil; toss all ingredients together, and keep in fridge until ready to serve.

Written by: Ingrid Beer

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our food system in crisis and what we can do to change it

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n March of 2009, a few weeks after Michelle Obama

animals raised on factory farms generate more than one million

York Times published a cover story with the headline

lagoons, which are prone to leaks and spills, having devastating

planted the White Houses first organic garden, the New “The Food Revolution Now in Season.” However the

word revolution implies a new system and shows how

far society has gone off the path when it comes to sustainable

measures for growing food. The term food renaissance is more

accurate than revolution because up to the 1920’s all agriculture was primarily organic. It was not until the Second World War that farming methods changed dramatically. The research on

chemicals originally designed as nerve gas showed that they were also had the ability of killing insects. The contemporary organic movement started before grocery stores such as Whole Foods

came on the market and began at the same time of Industrialized Agriculture. Slow starting at first, the food movement as many

people call it is a direct response of the customers as they become sick of the health hazards of the chemicals in our food. The

health hazards are only a part of the problem with industrialized growing methods, as society is becoming conscious of the

harmful effects that mass production, corporate farms and dangerous pesticides ato our bodies and our environment.

The goal of a factory farm is it cram as much as possible in as small of space as possible. Designers of these factories

especially animal factories appeared to have taken inspiration

from concentrations camps and prisons. Those who defend this

mass production believe that they concentrate animals only but they also concentrate the waste matter, which then leads to the

concentration of disease organisms. The practice of concentration is having a negative impact on the animals, which are inhumanly treated and on our environment. There are over nine billion

animals raised and slaughtered for human consumption in the

United States. This puts an incredible stain on natural resources like land, water and fossil fuels. In the United States alone,

tons of manure per day. To store animal waste, they use open-air consequences. In 2011, an Illinois hog farm spilled 200,000

gallon’s of manure into a creek killing over 100,000 fish. When these lagoons reach there capacity, instead of having the waste taken off site, they apply the manure to surrounding areas

which contaminates water supplies and omits harmful gases

into atmosphere. Animals such as cattle, sheep and goats emit methane, a greenhouse gas which is a major reason for global

warming. Between 1990-2005 the EPA estimated that methane emissions from pigs and cows rose from 37% to 50% due to the greater amount of concentration of manure lagoons. The

concentration of animals threating to the natural balance, the health of animals and our environment and with little result.

Poor sanitation and waste management has lead to a breeding ground of disease that effects animals and humans alike. To

combat this the factory farms feed the livestock a number of

antibiotics. Since the 1950’s antibiotics have been used on factory farms to increase the growth in animals. The exorbitant use has put the human population at risk for chronic disease such as

obesity and drug resistant bacteria and most of the antibiotics

used on the animals are non-therputic. As a result bacteria are

now becoming drug resistant, leading to killing 90,000 humans a year because of antibiotic infections. The problem of poor

waste management, sanitation and use of excessive antibiotics are killing thousands of humans and animals a year, contaminating our water and food, killing our environment with little return.

The factory farms have little regard for the health of the animals, humans and surrounding communities. Instead of serving the

family and the community they suck value out of the land and local community while harming everyone in site. They lock

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the farmer at the bottom of the corporate hierarchy all for the

assumption of great economic return. The people running these farms have demonstrated there lack of good intention and

have come repeatedly before elected representatives to ask for

special exemptions while acknowledging the great risk that they are putting us at. A farm should minimize the risks, and use

ecological sound methods to the communities they serve at risk.

These risks are larger than that produced by meat factory farms but also the harmful pesticides that are used produce are fruits and vegetables. They are used extensively by industrial crop

producers and have damaged the crops and livestock. Pesticides

are not a modern invention and were use in ancient and medieval civilizations. Farmers during the medieval period experimented chemicals such as arsenic to protect there crops from insects.

Today the most common pesticides are insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides and fungicides. They are tested and approved by

the EPA, which establishes resilience levels, which describes the amount a pesticide can be used and still harmlessly remain in

our food. The methods of testing these tolerances are short term testing on laboratory animals exposed to a single chemical at a time in high doses. In real life though humans are exposed to

small amounts of a variety of these chemicals over a period of time that cannot be examined in a short period of time.

Fruits and vegetables that contain the highest level of pesticides are apples, celery and peaches and strawberries according to the

USDA and FDA testing and are not even reaching the targeted

pests. David Pimentel, Cornell entomologist estimated that 0.1% of applied pesticides reach the target pests, leaving the bulk of

pesticides, 99.9% to impact the environment. The harmful effects that the pesticides are having include, loss of bio-diveristy and

the downsize of key species including bees, water pollution, soil contamination with the outcome of pest resistance resulting in

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the need to boost application. The loss of bees is particularly

levels, according to CDC standards. Children are especially in

food sales in the United States but are dying at a rate of 60% due

high rate of consumption. When children ate organic good,

alarming because there work contributes up to $15 billion in

to occurrence known as Colony Collapse Disorder. The health of bees and the environment are linked to together directly and the suspected offender is pesticides.

danger due to there lower body mass, rapid development and there levels were very low or undetectable. Another group at

risk is farm workers because of there accelerated exposure to

The film, Vanishing of the Bee’s, directed by George

Langworthy, points out that since 2003, farms have begun using synthetic pesticides, which appears to confuse and disorient the bees when in contact with these products. This leads scientists to believe that the accumulation of pesticides in the honey

bees are interfering with their nervous systems and or there

immune systems. Another study done by Harvard University,

led by Chensheng Lu, has pinpointed the collapse of honeybee colonies on a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids

insecticides that also act as nerve poisons and mimic the effects

of nicotine. Scientists specifically looked at how low doses of two neonicotinoids, imidacloprid and clothianidin, affected healthy bee hives over the course of a winter.

The results of the study “reinforce the conclusion that sub-

lethal exposure to neonicotinoids is likely the main culprit for

the occurrence of CCD,” In 2007 congress recognized Colony

Collapse Disorder as a potential disaster yet, these pesticides are still being used and the bee population continues to decrease.

Pesticides have also been linked to a number of health problems including, neurologic and hormone systems, birth defects,

cancer and other diseases. Even though it is widely known that exposure to pesticides are dangerous to humans, Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention have found and tested that there is a high percentage of some pesticides and breakdowns of them

in people’s blood and urine. The average American child between the ages of six and eleven has shown to have an unacceptable

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different types of pesticides. Pesticides pose risks of short- and

control and using practices that utilize more sustainable methods

(immediate) health effects of pesticide exposure include rash, eye

different ways to eliminate pests while reducing damage done on

long- term illness to farmworkers and their families. Acute

irritation, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and headaches. More

serious acute effects include difficulty breathing, seizures, loss of consciousness and death. Chronic (long-term) effects can result in cancer, neurological disorders, hormonal and reproductive health problems, birth defects and infertility.

The exact number of workers injured each year by pesticides

is unknown, because there is no national surveillance system

for acute pesticide illness reporting and no surveillance system for tracking chronic illness related to pesticide exposure. 30

states require health professionals to report suspected pesticide

such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This approach uses the environment. Some of these techniques include the use of

predatory insects to kill plant eating ones, mechanical pest traps and plowing under harvested crops to extinguish pest nesting.

Other sustainable methods include planting crops in different

location each season to replenish nutrients or planting crops in close proximity which assist in eliminating pest cycles, allows

the soil to replenish naturally, reduce weeds, and develop plant diversity. There is no “sustainable” label, so eating sustainably

means understanding the issues, getting involved with your food, and knowing the people who grow and sell it.

poisoning, but many incidents go unreported due to a number of

Many of United States systems are in need of repair, education,

seeking medical care in Mexico, medical misdiagnosis, and

that it will be for nothing. The relationship with food is one of

factors, including workers’ failure to seek medical care, workers

health provider failure to report. Factors deterring farm workers

and their families from seeking medical care for pesticide illness include lack of health insurance, language barriers, cultural

factors, lack of transportation, lack of awareness of or exclusion from workers’ compensation benefits, and fear of job loss.

The issue between factory farming and use of pesticides is all connected when looking at the bigger picture. Pesticides are

used on factory farms as feed and about 80% of corn and 22% of wheat produced in the United states is used for animal

consumption which is all grown in industrial farms that use

a large amount of pesticides and rely on genetically modified methods. As a result pesticide residues can accumulate in an

animals fatty tissue and milk which is them given to humans.

Although the agricultural world is still primarily controlled

by these factory farms, consumers are looking for better more

sustainable places to buy there food. Organic farms are taking

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health care and energy but if we do not fix our food system

the most basic relationships that we have, and in a world were we have to produce every ingredient we will eat not doing so in a sustainable manner will lead to our extinction. The food

movement and organizations like Growing Power are showing the way that it is possible to eat healthy food without hurting our bodies, animals and environment.

Written by: Allison Amber

Vanishing of the bees. Dir. George Langworthy.

True Mind :, 2011.

Hesterman, Oran B.. Fair food: growing a healthy, sustainable food system for all. New York: PublicAffairs, 2011. Print.

Berry, Wendell. Bringing it to the table: on farming and food. Berkeley: Counterpoint :, 2009. Print.

“Pesticides.” GRACE Communications Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2014. <http:// www.sustainabletable.org/263/pesticides>.

the last farm and greenhouse facility in the City of Milwaukee.

Featuring six traditional greenhouses, two aquaponic hoop

houses, seven other hoop houses, a worm depository, an apiary

with fourteen beehives, hens ducks and goats with a retail store in front of the site it is a far cry from what it was 20 years ago and continues to grow strong. This location is were all herbs,

vegetables and fruits began and then are relocated to Growing

Powerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other farms in the greater Milwaukee and Madison Area.

One of the most admiral things about Growing Power is that

food and education go hand in hand. While most of the 6,000 annual volunteers work at the national headquarters, the other two locations serve not only for vegetable productions and to

grow sustainable hays and grasses, it also provides the opportunity for young people to gain knowledge on the basics of organic Growing Power began with a plot a land, a farmer and a dedicated group of young people. Today it has become one of the leaders in urban farming and agricultural education while providing

safe, healthy and affordable food to the community. Founded by Will Allen, former basketball player turned farmer, his original intention was to reshape the landscape of the north side of

Milwaukee has turned into a commitment to sustainable food

agriculture and develop leadership skills. The Metron Rural Farm in Harland, Wisconsin hosts a variety of events including the

Immigrant Farming Project, Food for Fitness with the Greater Milwaukee Boys and Girls Club. In conjunction with these

activities they assist with school gardens, year round gardening activities for the youth and sell there food at farmers markets.

Farming is hard work and the 100 plus employees are what keep

systems in reaching as far Chicago, Il. Along with the work

Growing Power running smoothly. All trained in sustainable food

one of the most distinguished practitioner of urban agricultural

a passion for farming. They also serve as teachers for the 6,000

that he has done at Growing Power, Will Allen is recognizes as nationally and worldwide. He has been an pioneer in methods

of composting, using worms to refine the soil and growing fish

and plants in a closed system known as aquaponic. His passion

for farming shared with his desire to teach the community about the importance of good food and sustainable methods has made Will only the second farmer to every receive the Genius Grant.

Although an internation ambassador for urban agriculture he still continues to farm at the original location on Silver Spring Drive.

Starting off as a roadside stand, the location on West Silver

Spring Drive is a now the community food center and national headquarters were I have spend my time volunteering. An

impressive and momentous site, the national headquarters is

growing and animal upkeep each Growing Power employee has annual volunteers that come through the door were they help

the employees with tasks such as collecting and cleaning eggs,

feeding the animals, cleaning or sifting through soil. Sadly though the staff has seen a decrease in volunteers, with most of them

only coming on Saturday and only staying for a couple of hours.

However through the recent decrease in volunteers it still remains a highly successful and innovative organization always looking

for new ways to full-fill their vision of inspiring communities to create sustainable and food secure systems.

Written by: Allison Amber .

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Interview

Photo by: Ant Clausen Photography

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A Sit Down With

Known for his innovative vegetarian food of his Manchester restaurant Greens, which opened in 1990. This season he sat down with veggheads to discuss his style of vegetarian cuisine, philosophy on food and his love of beet roots.

Written by: Allison Amber & Siobhan O’Neill VH: You’re not a veggie yourself. How did you get your reputation as a vegetarian expert?

SR: It was opening up my first restaurant in Manchester. It was already vegetarian when I bought it, a bit scruffy and downbeat with mainly student customers, so I decided to keep it vegetarian. It wasn’t well run before, but the area it was in was up and coming, so I decided to make a real go of it and offer a much more sophisticated vegetarian experience. It became really popular. We were turning away 600 people a week, so we had to expand. We still have to turn away about 250 people a week, which I think says a lot about our food.

VH: So Simon not being a vegetarian yourself but a champion in vegetarian cooking and brains behind, Greens, an award winning vegetarian restaurant what inspires you?

SR: I am inspired by the idea that I believe that it is important to encourage more meat, eaters to occasionally ditch the ubiquitous chicken and try something that is just a little but different, and more than likely, healthier. I have even written two books about this subject, The Accidental Vegetarian and the The Seasoned Vegetarian.

VH: Why do you think people still think vegetarian food is boring and tasteless?

SR: There’s that whole thing associated with veggie food, a political agenda. A lot of it is denial. I can’t eat that, or I won’t, and a lot of non-vegetarians just don’t get it, but vegetarian food is absolutely delicious. I think more people are in tune now

with what veggie food is all about and appreciate it, even if they aren’t vegetarian. Top restaurants now offer fantastic vegetarian choices, and thankfully the days of veggies being offered veggie moussaka or a cheese omelette are over, but there is still some resistance. I think a lot of chefs still have that aversion to cooking vegetarian. They just don’t seem to be able to think creatively about vegetarian food. They try to do veg and two veg and that doesn’t work. My theory has always been not to replace the meat.

We do really tasty veggie meals without silly made up names, so the customer knows what they’re getting. For example our chic pea and goat’s cheese pie with mash, mushy peas goes down well and the customers love it.

VH: Making it a success for the past twenty years, tell us a little but more about Greens and what drives you?

SR: Being a self-made vegetarian cuisine expert, I saw a lack of restaurants that made vegetarian cuisine exciting to people who eat meat. Our plan was, you could have a vegetarian restaurant that was regarded in a similar way as, say, going for Chinese?

You don’t have to be Chinese to enjoy Chinese food, therefore you don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy vegetarian food, and it’s worked, our customer base in 70% carnivorous. It appeals obviously to veggies but it is an interesting way of food. The food is created is inspired by South Asian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern cuisines etc. What we do is very exciting food that happens to have no meat in it.

VH: Do you think local, seasonal produce is important?

SR: Yes, and no. There’s a lot of snobbery now around the ‘local and seasonal’ label. How come it’s OK to use imported lemons from Amalfi, for example, but not asparagus from Spain? I almost feel that the danger with the locally sourced movement is a lot of people jump on the back of it. And just because food is locally sourced doesn’t always mean it’s good. I eat in a local restaurant where the beef is flagged up as locally sourced and it’s rubbish.

You should always use the best ingredients available. I like using seasonal vegetables. Asparagus is probably my favorite. We use asparagus from Formby, which has a very short season, but it grows out on the sand dunes.

VH: Fall is almost in full swing, what seasonal vegetable are you looking forward to the most?

SR: Beetroot. It’s my favorite ingredient in the world. Seriously, I love it, it’s brilliant. I’ve always loved it, I think it very versatile. I don’t think there are many other ingredients that you can eat raw, that you can roast, that you can pickle, that you can put into sweet things, into savory things…I just think it’s great. To me its one of those things that tastes of the earth in its purest form that is also a secret ingredient to his moist sponge cakes.

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A guide around the

The why and how of buying from Local Growers Written by: Sarah Haen Photography by: Allison Amber

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From hot summer days through cool early fall months, farmers markets are in full swing, yielding a bounty of beautiful, fresh, local produce. Visiting a farmers market is a lovely weekend outing, but there are reasons to bypass the market for your weekly fresh vegetables.

While grocery stores boast convenience, the absence of seasons (strawberries and tomatoes are available in the heart of winter and imported bananas sit on shelves year round) and rock bottom prices, why would anyone shop at a farmers market? Here are a few reasons.

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if you spend

$100 dollars at a farmers market, $62 dollars goes

back into the local

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

economy.

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across the country. No longer will you bring home fruit that

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at the farmers market was harvested at the last possible moment,

living. When buying at a grocery store, produce comes from

Enjoy Better Tasting Food. First and foremost, the

produce is unbeatable fresh. Forget buying veggies that

sat in a refrigerated truck for three days to make their way

traveled across an ocean to reach your kitchen. Typically, produce at peak ripeness. The flavors, textures and colors are noticeably better compared with most supermarket produce.

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Get More Nutrition for Your Money. Generally speaking, produce that is fresh and local is nutritionally superior to the fruits and veggies in many grocery stores. Many factors affect the nutrient quality of these foods, such as when the crop was harvested, how it was grown, how it was handled and processed, and how long it’s been sitting on the supermarket shelf. All of these factors can decrease nutrient quality. Farm-fresh food goes through fewer nutrientdiminishing steps and gets from the earth to your table sooner.

This means it is probably richer in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals (thanks to less transport, processing and storage time).

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Meet Your Farmer. When you’re at the market, you can pick up some produce—and pick the farmers’ brains, too! The same people who grow the food are usually

present to sell their crops at the market, and they have a wealth of knowledge to share. They can tell you how it was grown,

how much longer it will be available this season, how to grow

Support local business. When you shop at the farmers market, you’re keeping money in your own community, which helps create (and preserve) jobs and makes

your hometown more economically stable. Your money goes

directly to the farmer, not a middleman, so he can earn a better commercial growers all over the country (and overseas). These

growers earn about 25 cents of each dollar you spend. Put more

of your money into your local farmers’ pockets (and in turn, into your local economy) by purchasing fruits and veggies from the

market, where farmers keep 95% of what you spend after paying expenses such as rent for their market booth.

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Eat more vegetables (and fruits). The best reason to visit farmers markets is to continue to raise your awareness of the health of eating fresh fruits and vegetables each day.

Studies show that people need about nine daily servings of fruits and vegetables for cancer prevention, far more than the five-a-

day often promoted. The more fruit and vegetables are available and accessible, the more everyone in the neighborhood will eat

them. Farmers markets are growing trends and it’s hard to think of a healthier craze, and this is one that’s likely here to stay.

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Explore artisan, homemade and handmade products.

You might not know that farmers markets usually sell

a variety of items in addition to produce. At large and

the same fruits or vegetables in your garden, and how to store

small markets alike, you just may find vendors who sell fresh-

advantage of one-on-one contact with local farmers.

and jellies, honey, eggs, meat, cheese and milk, baked goods

and prepare the food that you buy. You can’t afford not to take

cut flowers, seedlings and plants, herbs, handmade soaps, jams (muffins, cookies, bread and more), canned salsa and tomato sauces, and much more! Farmers markets sometimes offer unusual or less common varieties of fruits and vegetables, too. It’s fun to experiment with produce you’ve never tasted.

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When you’re used to supermarket steals, you might be surprised

If you bought items that came in a container from your last

comparably, or lower, than supermarket foods. In some cases,

the vendor. Many farmers who sell eggs will happily reuse egg

at the cost of food at a farmers market. Some items are priced

local produce is cheaper because it skipped all the shipping costs

and the mark-up added by grocery stores. But, supermarkets deal in big volumes and with commercial farms, which means they depend on high volume to keep costs low. Your local farmers operate on a much smaller scale, running independent small businesses. While items might cost more than at the store, many shoppers agree that it is worth the added cost.

First things first: Find a farmers market by visiting www.

localharvest.org or by searching state or zip code. Most markets are listed on one of these sites, but other “markets” that aren’t

listed online may take place regularly in church parking lots,

neighborhood parks and hospital lobbies. A great way to find a market is to ask around or call your county health department!

Each market has its own feel depending on the vendors

participating, the neighbors it’s serving and the area of the

country it’s in, but some rules will apply to most. Once you’ve decided where to go, get these items to navigate the market: • Cash (preferably smaller bills). Markets in smaller towns

might take checks, and some in cities accept food stamps.

• Reusable bags or containers (optional).

Depending on what you plan to buy, it’s a good idea to bring

an extra plastic bag or hard container to put any wet items like berries. Most farmers do provide paper and/or plastic bags for

customers, but when you bring your own, you’re saving resources and keeping the farmers’ costs down.

• A note-pad (optional)

• Food containers (optional)

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visit to the farmers market (or grocery store), bring it back to

cartons which helps reduce waste keeps their costs down. This is not an expected practice, but it is a nice gesture!

When heading to the market, timing is everything. Arriving

early will give you first dibs on the best crops and help you avoid the crowds. Special seasonal items, go fast; if you arrive too late, you might miss out. Arriving later in the day may help you get some good deals from farmers who would rather sell what’s

left rather than pack it up and haul it home. If you’re hoping to negotiate a deal, the end of the day is the best time.

Most farmers will price their fares competitively with the other vendors. You’ll likely see similar prices on tomatoes from every farmer, but organic produce might cost more, as will special

varieties of foods. When you arrive, scope out the prices and

variety at each stand before you buy to ensure that you get the

best deal. If several items, such as beans or tomatoes are grouped

together at one price, don’t be afraid to ask for a smaller amount; most farmers will be happy to accommodate you.

Finally, take your time! Enjoy your experience at the farmers market. Walk slowly, take in the sights and the people, enjoy

the free samples, and look carefully and with gratitude at the beautiful foods produced by the farmers in your community.

the how

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arriving early will

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help you avoid the

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Health & fitness

With these four fall vegetables

It’s that time of year when it starts to get dark early, the days get cooler--in other words, it’s the fall. And something else happens as well we start eating more.

People show a marked seasonal rhythm with increased total caloric consumption in the fall, associated with an increase in meal size and a greater rate of eating.

(Interestingly, alcohol intake has a different seasonal pattern, with the highest intake occurring in the summer and the lowest in the fall.)

According to John de Castro, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas, El Paso, “We have a tendency to eat about 200 calories more per day during the fall.” What does that translate to in terms of potential weight gain? As much as three to four pounds a year. “We tend to blame much of this ‘fall’ weight gain on the holidays; but there are other causes,” says de Castro, who excluded the holiday periods.

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Why do we eat more in the fall? More than likely, it’s biological, putting on weight in preparation for

the potential winter famine our ancestors faced. “It all makes sense--the fall harvest, storing up for the long winter months,” explains de Castro. Historically, we have a tendency to eat when food is plentiful, because we did not know when are next meal is going to come.

Kurt Krauchi, a scientist at the Psychiatric University Clinic in Basel, Switzerland, studied patients with seasonal affective disvorder (a type of mood disorder that is caused by lack of light). He found that they ate more carbohydrates, particularly sweets but also starch-rich foods, during their depression in winter, and their intake could be reduced with light therapy.

“There seems to be a relationship between light and depression, which leads to consumption of additional carbohydrates,” says Krauchi. De Castro, however there was also a link found in increase fall eating of decreased light and/or depression.

Written by: Allison Amber and Health Magazine Photos by: iStock and Allison Amber

The potato is packed with as much or more potassium (620 mg) than either bananas, spinach, or broccoli. It provides 10 percent of the daily value of B6; and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, and zinc. Is packed with as much or more potassium (620 mg) than either bananas, spinach, or broccoli.

Squash, Cubed, Cooked Nutrient Vitamin A Vitamin C Fiber Vitamin B6

DRI/DV 59%

26% 23%

19%

One cup of cooked winter squash is high in both vitamin A (214 percent of the recommended daily value) and vitamin C (33 percent), as well as a good source of vitamins B6 and K, potassium and folate.

DRI/DV: Dietary Reference Intakes/Daily Value

Broccoli, Chopped, Cooked Nutrient Four cooked Brussels sprouts contain 50 micrograms of folate, 12.5% of the vitaminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recommended daily intake. Each serving of four cooked Brussels sprouts contains 69% of the RDA of vitamin C for an adult.

Folate 12.5%

Vitamin K Vitamin C Chromium Folate

DRI/DV 245%

135% 53%

42%

Studies at Johns Hopkins University have shown that compounds in broccoli, rich in antioxidants, may be beneficial in fighting stomach cancer and ulcers. Though raw broccoli offers the most health benefits, quick cooking preserves its sweet crunch and many of its nutrients.

Based off the Recommended Dietary Amount

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youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll save animals

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll spend less money You will have more energy

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P

Written by: Elizabeth Turner Illustrations by: Catilin Tindal

eople are drawn to vegetarianism by all sorts of

motives. Some of us want to live longer, healthier lives or do our part to reduce pollution. Others

have made the switch because we want to preserve Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural resources or weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always loved animals and are opposed to eating them.

Thanks to an abundance of scientific research that

demonstrates the health and environmental benefits of a

plant-based diet, even the federal government recommends that we consume most of our calories from grain products, vegetables and fruits. And no wonder: An estimated 70%

of all diseases, including one-third of all cancers, are related to diet. A vegetarian diet reduces the risk for chronic degenerative diseases such as obesity, coronary artery

disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain cancer including colon, prostate, stomach, lung cancer.

Ward off Disease

Vegetarian diets are more healthful than the average

American diet, particularly in preventing, treating or

reversing heart disease and reducing the risk of cancer. A low-fat vegetarian diet is the single most effective way to

stop the progression of coronary artery disease or prevent it entirely. Cardiovascular disease kills one million Americans annually and is the leading cause of death in the United States. But the mortality rate for cardiovascular disease

is lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians, says Joel

Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to Live: The Revolutionary

Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. A vegetarian diet is inherently healthful because vegetarians consume

less animal fat and cholesterol (vegans consume no animal fat or cholesterol) and instead consume more fiber and more antioxidant-rich produce another great reason to listen to mom and Eat Your Veggies!

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more disability at the end of their lives. Animal products clog your arteries, zap your energy and slow down your immune

system. Meat eaters also experience accelerated cognitive and sexual dysfunction at a younger age.”

Want more proof of longevity? Residents of Okinawa,

Japan, have the longest life expectancy of any Japanese and likely the longest life expectancy of anyone in the world,

according to a 30-year study of more than 600 Okinawan centenarians. Their secret: a low-calorie diet of unrefined

complex carbohydrates, fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and soy.

Build Strong Bones

When there isn’t enough calcium in the bloodstream, our

bodies will leach it from existing bone. The metabolic result is that our skeletons will become porous and lose strength

Keep your Weight Down

The standard American diet, high in saturated fats

and processed foods and low in plant-based foods and complex carbohydrates is making us fat and killing us

over time. Most health care practitioners recommend that

we increase our intake of calcium the way nature intended through foods. Foods also supply other nutrients such as

phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D that are necessary for the body to absorb and use calcium.

slowly. According to the Centers for Disease Control

People who are mildly lactose-intolerant can often enjoy

National Center for Health Statistics, 64% of adults and 15

lactose-free milk. But if you avoid dairy altogether, you can

and Prevention (CDC) and a division of the CDC, the

percent of children aged 6 to 19 are overweight and are at risk of weight-related ailments including heart disease.

You’ll Live longer

small amounts of dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and still get a healthful dose of calcium from dry beans, tofu,

soy milk and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collards and turnip greens.

“If you switch from the standard American diet to a vegetarian

Reduce Risk of Illnesses

Michael F. Roizen, MD, author of The RealAge Diet:

account for 76 million illnesses a year, resulting in 325,000

diet, you can add about 13 healthy years to your life,” says

The CDC reports that food-borne illnesses of all kinds

Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat. “People who

hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the United States.

consume saturated, four-legged fat have a shorter life span and

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According to the US Food and Drug Administration,

foods rich in protein like meat, poultry, fish and seafood are frequently involved in food-borne illness outbreaks.

Ease the Symptoms of Menopause Many foods contain nutrients beneficial to

perimenopausal/menopausal women. Certain foods are rich in phytoestrogens, the plant-based chemical compounds

that mimic the behavior of estrogen. Since phytoestrogens

can increase and decrease estrogen and progesterone levels, maintaining a balance of them in your diet helps ensure

a more comfortable passage through menopause. Soy the

most abundant natural source of phytoestrogens, but these compounds also can be found in hundreds of other foods

Help Reduce Pollution

Some people become vegetarians after realizing the devastation that the meat industry is having on the environment. According to the US Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA), chemical and animal waste

runoff from factory farms is responsible for more than

173,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams. Runoff from farmlands is one of the greatest threats to water quality

today. Agricultural activities that cause pollution include confined animal facilities, plowing, pesticide spraying, irrigation, fertilizing and harvesting.

such as apples, beets, cherries, dates, garlic, olives, plums,

Avoid Toxic Chemicals

with weight gain and a slowed metabolism, a low-fat, high-

in the typical American diet comes from meat, fish and

raspberries, squash and yams. Menopause is also associated

The EPA estimates that nearly 95% of the pesticide residue

fiber vegetarian diet can help ward off extra pounds.

dairy products. Fish, in particular, contain carcinogens

Have more Energy

cadmium) that can’t be removed through cooking or

Good nutrition generates more usable energy, to keep pace with the kids, tackle that home improvement project or

have better sex more often, Michael F. Roizen, MD, says

(PCBs, DDT) and heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, lead, freezing. Meat and dairy products can also be laced with

steroids and hormones, so be sure to read the labels on the dairy products you purchase.

in The RealAge Diet. Too much fat in your bloodstream

About 70% of all grain produced in the United States is

muscles won’’t get enough oxygen. The result? You feel

animals in the United States consume five times as much

cholesterol-laden, artery-clogging animal products that

“If all the grain currently fed to livestock were consumed

button morning after morning. Because whole grains,

be nearly 800 million,” says David Pimentel, professor of

carbohydrates, they supply the body with lots of fuel.

would boost the US trade balance by $80 billion a year.

means that arteries won’’t open properly and that your

fed to animals raised for slaughter. The 7 billion livestock

zapped. Balanced vegetarian diets are naturally free of

grain as is consumed directly by the American population.

physically slow us down and keep us hitting the snooze

directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would

legumes, fruits and vegetables are high in complex

ecology at Cornell University. If the grain were exported, it

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Food Full of Color

It’s a Breeze

their rich, varied hues. They come in two main classes:

good-for-you vegetarian foods, whether you’re strolling

Disease-fighting phytochemicals give fruits and vegetables carotenoids and anthocyanin’s. All rich yellow and orange fruits and vegetables; carrots, oranges, sweet potatoes,

mangoes, pumpkins, corn—owe their color to carotenoids.

Leafy green vegetables also are rich in carotenoids but get their green color from chlorophyll. Red, blue and purple fruits and vegetables plums, cherries, red bell peppers

contain anthocyanin’s. Cooking by color is a good way to ensure you’re eating a variety of natural substances that boost immunity and prevent a range of illnesses.

It’s almost effortless these days to find great-tasting and the aisles of your local supermarket or walking down the

street at lunchtime. If you need inspiration in the kitchen, look no further than the internet, your favorite bookseller or your local vegetarian society’s newsletter for culinary tips and great recipes. And if you’re eating out, almost

any ethnic restaurant will offer vegetarian selections. In

a hurry? Most fast food and fast casual restaurants now include healthful and inventive salads, sandwiches and

entrees on their menus. So why have you not gone vegg?

Spare Animals

Cancer Prevention

for animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human

are only about one-half to three-quarters of the general

Many vegetarians give up meat because of their concern

consumption each year. And, unlike the farms of yesteryear where animals roamed freely, today most animals are

factory farmed: —crammed into cages where they can barely move and fed a diet tainted with pesticides and

antibiotics. These animals spend their entire lives in crates or stalls so small that they can’t even turn around. Farmed animals are not protected from cruelty under the law in fact, the majority of state anticruelty laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection.

Save Money

You’ll save money. Meat accounts for 10% of Americans’

food spending. Eating vegetables, grains and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken and fish each non-

vegetarian eats annually would cut individual food bills by an average of $4,000 a year.

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Studies of vegetarians show that death rates from cancer population’s death rates.

Breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in countries where diets are typically plant-based. When people

from those countries adopt a Western, meat-based diet, their rates of breast cancer soar. Vegetarians also have

significantly lower rates of colon cancer than meateaters.

Colon cancer is more closely associated with meat consumption than any other dietary factor.

Why do vegetarian diets help protect against cancer? First, they are lower in fat and higher in fiber than meat-based

diets. But other factors are important, too. Plants contain other cancer-fighting substances called phytochemicals.

For example, vegetarians usually consume more of the

plant pigments beta-carotene and lycopene. This might

help to explain why they have less lung and prostate cancer.

nutritional yeast, and fortified soy-milk. It is especially

important for pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers

to get enough vitamin B12. When reading food labels, look for the word cyxcyanocobalamin in the ingredient list. This is the form of vitamin B12 that is best absorbed.

Also, some studies have suggested that diets that avoid

dairy products may reduce the risk of prostate and ovarian cancer.Some of the anti-cancer aspects of a vegetarian

diet cannot yet be explained. For example, researchers are

not quite sure why vegetarians have more of certain white blood cells, called â&#x20AC;&#x153;natural killer cells,â&#x20AC;? which are able to seek out and destroy cancer cells.

Planning your Vegetarian Diet

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to plan vegetarian diets that meet all your nutrient needs. Grains, beans, and vegetables are rich in protein

and iron. Green leafy vegetables, beans, lentils, tofu, corn tortillas, and nuts are excellent sources of calcium, as are enriched soymilk and fortified juices.

Vitamin D is normally made in the body when sun

shines on the skin. People who are dark-skinned or live at

northern latitudes have some difficulty producing vitamin D year-round. Vitamin D can easily be obtained from

fortified foods. Some sources are breakfast cereals, soy milk, other supplemental products, and multivitamins.

Regular intake of vitamin B12 is important. Good

sources include all common multiple vitamins (including vegetarian vitamins), fortified cereals, some brands of

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