Eating Seasonally

No longer do you have to drive to rural areas for the fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, and seasonal culinary creations of the farms. In the last few years, Farmer's Markets have been popping up and becoming increasingly popular in both urban and suburban neighborhoods. Towns and cities alike have happily sectioned off streets monthly, or even weekly, for nearby farms to provide residents access to locally grown food. While many look at jaunts to the Farmer's Market as occasional quaint outings, however, there are major benefits to regularly frequenting the local markets and to eating seasonally.

Health
Whether or not we realize it, the foods that are grown locally are essentially preparing us for the days ahead. Spring vegetables, like lettuce, kale, asparagus, and spinach, help to clean us out after a long winter. The summer harvest of grains and fruit helps to give us energy for the long days. The produce of autumn, including squash, apples, carrots, and beets, provide warmth and sweetness to help nourish us prior to the long winter. And finally, the winter foods, which generally are stored, like dried fruits, nuts, and other, heavy, dense foods, help to provide resilience.

Intact Nutrients
As soon as a piece of fruit (or any produce) is plucked from the tree, the nutritional breakdown begins. Certain vitamins, particularly vitamin C, are very unstable and though they may be present fresh off the vine, are largely depleted after a few days. Supermarket produce may be shipped from a thousand (or more) miles away. As a result, the produce sits around for many days constantly losing some of the key nutrients.

Since local farms must adjust to the seasonal weather, the fields are also turned over more frequently. Thus, a patch of land that held cucumbers in the summer may hold root vegetables in the fall and winter. This turnover encourages a more nutrient-rich soil, which translates into a more nutrient-dense product (not to mention a tastier product).

Freshness
Locally grown produce is typically picked the day before arriving at the Farmer's Market. As a result, the produce is picked ripe or at its peak. Moreover, after a day at the Farmer's Market, leftover produce is generally not saved to be sold the next day. Instead it is used for jams and baked goods. On the other hand, supermarket produce is harvested well before ripeness so that it can withstand bulk handling and long range shipping. That means that when supermarket produce first hits the shelf, it is at least a week old. In fact, the automatic spraying of the produce section every few minutes is mainly done to perk up the week-old vegetables. It doesn't help that nutrients of the produce leach out at each spraying.

Fewer Preservatives
Many of the small growers at Farmer's Markets are organic growers, which mean they do not use any synthetic compounds on their fields. Even for those local farmers who do use some chemicals, however, the amount which they use is far less than large commercial farms. Moreover, because local farms pick their produce at its peak, they do not use any chemical ripening agents. And because they get their produce to market almost immediately, they do not need to coat their produce in wax or add any other preservative.

Variety
Nowadays, when you walk into a supermarket, you may never know the season. Due to global trade, the supermarkets will always have melon, tomatoes, and tropical fruit. Without any new options, we can easily encounter food fatigue. And when we tire of fruits and vegetables, it is too easy to fall into the rut of treating ourselves with high-fat and high-sugar foods to perk up our food repertoires. However, when we eat seasonally, we can look forward to the juicy summer watermelon or the savory autumn artichokes. Plus, by purchasing seasonal foods, and not splurging on that $10 clamshell of blueberries in the dead of winter, you can also save money.

Incorporating seasonal eating into your lifestyle demands a bit more time, thought, and commitment. As a result, however, you will be rewarded with more robust flavors and loads more nutrients – your body, your palette, and the Earth will definitely thank you!

Seasonal Produce Calendar (New York)

This chart, adapted from the Greenmarket NYC chart, will help you determine the seasonality of your favorite fruits and vegetables.

Season	Vegetables	Fruit
Winter	Dried beans, beets, carrots, collard greens, leeks, onions, parsnips, potatoes, winter squash, turnips	Apples, pears
Spring	Asparagus, dried beans, cabbage, carrots, beet greens, mesclun, onions, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, scallions, spinach, zucchini, turnip greens	Apples, pears
Summer	Asparagus, snap beans, dried beans, beets, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, herbs, lettuce, leeks, mesclun, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, scallions, spinach, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, turnip greens, winter squash, zucchini	Apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, currants, peaches, plums, strawberries, raspberries
Fall	Snap beans, dried beans, beets, beet greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, corn, eggplant, fennel, herbs, kale, lettuce, leeks, lima beans, mesclun, onions, parsnip, potatoes, pumpkin, scallions, spinach, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, winter squash, zucchini	Apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, watermelon

Preparing for the Holiday Meal

It’s important to prepare yourself for the upcoming Thanksgiving meal when the national norm is overeating to the point of discomfort. Maybe in prior years you tried skipping breakfast and lunch, and then found yourself gorging on seconds and thirds when the stuffing was passed. When sitting down to a holiday meal, ask yourself what you really want. Try to distinguish between the foods you think you want and the foods you really do want. For example, the mashed potatoes may look good, but Aunt Betty brought them and sometimes she cooks ‘from a box’…so they might not be that satisfying. And the rolls…you can get these rolls at the bakery any day, but Aunt Linda’s corn pudding is a once a year specialty.

Think about how you will feel after the meal. Do you want to feel your stomach in your throat and have to loosen your belt? Or, would you like to feel full but not ‘bursting’? Before you eat is a perfect time to focus on how you want to feel when the meal is done.

When filling your plate with the bountiful spread, visualize your plate in thirds. Divide your foods into categories of protein, carbohydrate, and vegetable, and fill your plate in those proportions. For example, turkey is a protein, braised brussel sprouts would be the vegetable, and carrot soufflé or sweet potato would be the carbohydrate. Life is full of choices, and this meal is just another one. Choose the carrot soufflé or the sweet potatoes, or a half portion of each.

Slow it down. Put your fork down between bites, engage in conversation, and chew your food. During the time between dinner and dessert, why not suggest a family walk around the park? Take a half hour to go outside stretch your limbs. When dessert comes, check in with yourself to see how full you already are. Try filling your plate with fruit salad and including one special treat. It’s less about depriving yourself, and more about focusing on how much you really need. This is a holiday about being thankful. Be thankful that you can get up from your chair without feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, and that you have learned healthful ways of treating your body.

Get Rid of the Excess Food

This eating season from Halloween through to New Years can generate a lot of excess food. From leftover candy to leftover turkey and trimmings to leftover holiday cookies and pie, leftovers are sometimes hard to part with. If you are one of the many who can’t bear to throw out good ‘leftover’ food, don’t fret. Tossing the jello salad into the trash does not directly help feed the hungry, nor does ‘finishing it up’ or ‘getting rid of it’ by eating it. If the only way you know how to get rid of leftovers is by eating them….here are some options that will help keep the pounds off.

First of all, pace yourself. Finishing the pie in one day to ‘get rid of it’ isn’t a great strategy. If you love it, have a small piece a few times during the week, while making sure to eat your normal healthy diet throughout the day. It’s possible to incorporate holiday foods into a healthy diet. Slice turkey to top a big green salad, have a portion of stuffing as your starch at dinner. Have a high fiber cereal and fruit for breakfast and save a sliver of pumpkin pie for a snack.

If you don’t want to eat it, do what everyone else does…bring it to the office! Co-workers will be delighted to partake of your leftover corn pudding. If you really don’t want the temptation of leftovers for weeks on end…do you guests a flavorful favor. Since this is the season of giving, gift your guests with dinner for two. If guests are at your home, they won’t have leftovers. So share the wealth. Go to your local Chinese restaurant and purchase some take-out containers. During the holiday festivities, have the children decorate the boxes with stickers, markers, and ribbons. When the meal is over, hand each guest a box for them to fill with leftovers. It’s a great way to teach kids about giving and moderation. Your guests will be delighted at the thought, and you will have put your leftovers to good use.

Comfort Foods & Nutrition

Cooler weather certainly stirs the craving for warmer foods. And isn’t it funny that warmer foods conjure up steaming mashed potatoes, cheesy macaroni, and not necessarily a bowl of steamed carrots? Well if your cravings for comfort foods star the good old carbohydrate, here are some foods you that will satisfy your craving and still keep you comfortable in your clothes.

Mashed potatoes were a staple in my house growing up. Here’s a recipe I devised so that I could still enjoy that creamy taste, without overdoing the carbs. Cut one head of cauliflower into small chunks. Boil the cauliflower with one clove of garlic and a pinch of salt. Drain it in a colander, and put in a food processor. Blend with ½ cup light mayo or ½ cup 2% Total Greek Yogurt. Add pepper and serve. You can also blend the cauliflower with low fat milk, olive oil, or a mix of any of the above.

Comfort foods don’t have to be full of refined carbohydrate and fat. Think about the warm flavors of baked beans, veggie chili, chicken noodle soup, or spaghetti and meat balls. Spaghetti and meat balls? Sure! Try whole wheat pasta, Trader Joe’s frozen turkey meat balls, and a sugar free tomato sauce like Muir Glen’s Organic Chunky Tomato Sauce. Recipe makeovers like this are easy to do. Hankering for Mom’s chicken noodle soup? Combine a box of Imagine’s Free Range Chicken Broth, some leftover chicken, a can of red beans for extra fiber, a package of frozen broccoli for added vitamins, and try out Shirataki noodles by House Foods. Shirataki means ‘tofu shaped noodles’, and these noodles are low in calories, fat, and very low in carbohydrate as they are made from tofu. Perfect for wheat free diets. Found in Whole Foods, a ½ cup is 3 grams of carbohydrate and only 20 calories. Wow, that’s a comforting thought!

Here’s a sampling of some other good food choices for the season. If you look up macaroni and cheese in the dictionary, I’m sure the definition is “comfort food”. As we know, it’s not necessarily the food, but the portion that turns a food into an ‘unhealthy’ choice. Annie’s Mac &Cheese in microwavable single serving pouches supports a healthy portion size and has only 40 calories of fat for each 240 calorie serving. Now, if you make Annie’s Mac & Cheese in the box…you’ll have to remember the box makes 3 servings. A box of Kraft Mac & Cheese also serves three, yet one serving runs 380 calories and 140 of those from fat. (Not to mention the added artificial colorings).

If a bowl of creamy, steamy soup is your comfort, there are many products on the market that are low in fat and sodium than the average cream of mushroom in a can. Amy’s Light in Sodium Soups are a treat new to the market. With organic varieties including cream of tomato, butternut squash, lentil vegetable, and split pea, they will warm you from head to toe. One serving of Amy’s Light Cream of Tomato is only 100 calories and 340 mgs of sodium, with 2 grams of fat. For comparison sake, Campbell’s Creamy Tomato Ranchero packs a serving with 130 calories and 800 mgs of sodium, not to mention 6 grams of fat. Remember to read labels, pay attention to portion sizes, and to find comfort in places other than the refrigerator!

Making The Most of Lunch

Brown bagging it is not just for school kids anymore. Even if you are heading to the office, you’ll certainly eat better if you pack it yourself. Right? For adults and kids alike, making an interesting, appetizing, and nutritious quick lunch can be a snap.
How can you make a lunchbox kid- appealing, parent- approved, and adult acceptable? Here are five tips to help you or your child get a nutritious lunch that is yummy, exciting, and easy to make.

1. Pack a pallet of colors. Include colorful foods for eye appeal. A colorful meal indicates an abundance of vitamins (green jello doesn’t count). Try sweet red pepper slices, bright orange steamed yams and carrots, green broccoli trees and dark lettuce leaves, yellow apples, purple grapes and on and on.
   
2. Variety is the spice of life. Pack a variety of foods. Most people don’t have trouble with the starch and fat part of lunch. Remembering the fruits and vegetables turns a boring turkey on bread into a snazzy fiber packed turkey, avocado, sprouts, and red onion eye appealing meal.Try choosing at least one food from each category of Fruit, Vegetable, Whole Grain, and Protein. Include non meat sources of protein like beans, tofu, nuts, seeds, organic eggs and cheese. Varying your choices will make lunch more interesting.
   
3. Plan Ahead. 7:02 am Monday morning is not the best time for culinary inspiration, and often that means pb&j for the kids or pizza on the go for you. The time and stress saved by planning will really make a difference. Make a weekly lunch plan, like a school lunch calendar, and have your child help in the decision process. Make lists of lunch choices in the food categories listed above, and have your child choose what to eat on each day. Compromise. You pick the grain, she picks the fruit. Maybe you pick 3 lunches and he picks 2. Make an agreement with your child that the lunch gets tasted or eaten, and not traded or trashed. Having your child help make his lunch will teach them about good nutrition and simple cooking skills that will be valuable for a lifetime.
   
4. Be creative. If you or your child hates apples, oranges, and bananas, try some kiwi, berries, or Asian pears. Make fruit easy to eat- peel a tangerine. Pack sliced pineapple and cantaloupe with toothpicks for easy eating. Save up some small yogurt size plastic containers and fill one with sweet pepper hummus and pack colorful and crunchy veggies for dipping. Include hand eaten foods for youngsters. Eating with our hands is fun. Make it a wrap! Fill a tortilla with veggies or beans, rice, leftover salad and salsa, and roll it up. Expand your lunch options and buy an insulated lunch box or thermos to keep foods hot or cold.
   
5. Drinks. Try to focus on water. Kids get enough sodas and sugar drinks without adults giving it to them directly. And for adults, who needs those extra “empty” calories that soda provides? Beverages such as dairy, soy and rice milks can be nutritious too. Try herbal iced teas and flavored waters for variety.

A few other helpful suggestions...

Wraps are a quick and ideal way to transform a boring sandwich into a veggie packed hand held epicurean delight. Wraps can be high calorie traps, so reading labels and choosing specific brands at home can make a big difference. La Tortilla Factory has debuted a line of heart healthy, low carb, whole wheat, and organic wraps in delicious flavors such as rosemary olive oil and basil. These wraps, unlike others that deliver a whopping 330 calories, range from 50-100 calories for a single wrap. Sounds like a winner for tomorrow’s lunch. You can pick them up at Westerly Health Foods or Good and Plenty To Go in Manhattan.

Lunch Box Treats: Give an old favorite new life- spread peanut butter between two apple slices. Add raisins for fun. Freeze some grapes, and watch them turn into wonderful tiny ice-pop treats. Scoop some granola into a baggie, add a small handful of chocolate chips. Drop in a heavenly Lara or Nectar snack bar. Ingredients? Nuts, fruit, spices and nothing else!

Don’t Forget Breakfast!

We know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but did you know that what our kids eat for breakfast can have an effect on school performance? Research shows that having eggs for breakfast can enhance memory function. Choline, rich in eggs and nuts, is a nutrient important in memory cell production during childhood. So, scramble up an egg or hard boil one for the road, even if breakfast has to be quick, it can still be nutritious.

BBQ Make Over

If anticipation of the next family BBQ leaves you feeling hot under the collar, no sweat. A BBQ doesn’t have to dish out the calories and fat. Here’s how to make your next summer soirée a bit on the lighter side.

BBQ’s invariably mean hot dogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, fresh corn on the cob, potato salad, and an array of cookies, brownies, and ice cream. Sound good? Well, with a little recipe magic you can whip up a lower fat, higher fiber BBQ that is satisfying, delicious, and healthy.

The first place to start is the grocery store. There is a big nutritional difference between a regular hot dog and a lower fat, lower salt version. Ball Park Fat Free Franks and Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Franks are two brands that have taken out the fat, lowered the sodium, and still make you feel like you’re standing at home plate. By making a hot dog switch, you can spare yourself about 130 calories and 16 grams of fat per dog! Of course, you can always throw a few veggie dogs on the grill for your vegetarian niece. Tasty and cholesterol free, Yves Veggie Cuisine Fat-Free wieners are big hit with the teens.

Same advice goes for hamburgers. Buy lean ground beef or turkey, and load up on the fixings. By adding a pile of lettuce, tomato, and some grilled red onions, you add a bit fiber to help fill you up faster. You can also try a veggie burger for variety. The Morningstar line of faux meats is a sure home run.

Besides buying whole wheat buns, serving iced tea instead of sugar-laden soda, and upgrading your trans fat greasy finger potato chips to an olive oil crusted sweet potato chip, you can trim your menu by slimming down your sides. Try a French style potato salad marinated with white wine, mustard, tarragon, and olive oil, or a Greek potato salad dressed in a low fat yogurt sauce with dill and mint. Both will save you the cholesterol and saturated fat of traditional egg and mayonnaise dressing.

Coleslaw can be a colorful, low saturated fat and fiber packed addition to any meal. Keep the coleslaw honest by dressing it with rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger, and a touch of sweetener. The Asian flavor will wow your guests with its authenticity.

Baked beans are good… but a chick pea salad with fresh parsley, lemon juice, and garlic is better. Baked beans can be loaded with added sugar. Keeping beans on the menu means more fiber and a low fat source of protein. A colorful black beans salad with red pepper, corn, and cilantro will perk up any party table and keep you slim in your swimsuit.

What about dessert? Fresh fruit is a staple during summer months. Topping it with homemade whipped cream can be a delightful and healthier alternative to brownie a la mode. Focusing on fruit based desserts ensures a bit of nutrition even in dessert. Watch out for pre-made pie crusts filled with trans fats. Whole Foods sells a trans free frozen pie crust that saves the time of making it from scratch.