We all see the reports about the crap we put in our bodies as food….right? And we know we must eat healthier if we are to live longer and healthy……right? What is the answer for finding and consuming healthy food?
The answer most of us think about at first is that we need to spend more time and money at our local farmers market.
But how do we know that the food in these markets are safer to eat…..we know it is not cheap to do so…..but is it really better?
Some say hold the bus! This may not be the best way to improve one’s health…….
Who doesn’t like a farmers market? Organic food, weird jams, and a sense of community have drawn shoppers nationwide for years. But a new study says the markets don’t really fulfill their reputation of promoting a healthy diet—and definitely don’t save people money, Pacific Standard reports. “There seems to be much enthusiasm for using farmers markets” to improve food quality in areas where healthy food is lacking, a team of researchers writes in the journal Appetite. “It is hard for us to share this enthusiasm.” Their study of 26 farmers markets and 44 stores in Bronx County, NY, found that the markets offered 26.4 fewer items of fresh produce on average, fewer commonly-purchased foods, and more expensive items overall, even among regular produce.
What’s more, 32.8% of items at farmers markets aren’t fresh produce: They’re processed or refined products like cookies, cakes, pies, and jams. The study admits that farmers markets do have upsides, however, like generally fresher produce and a slightly higher rate of organic foods. (But a two-year-old study says organic foods are no more nutritious or safe than conventional foods, except that germs in non-organic meats are more often resistant to antibiotics, the CBC reports.) Meanwhile, the growth rate of farmers markets is in decline over the past five years after markets outpaced farmers’ supply and the number of shoppers, the Los Angeles Times reports. “I think we’ve glutted the marketplace,” says a farmers market manager in Los Angeles. (Now see a few myths about washing produce.)
Well crap! Thanx for that Professor. What is the answer? For me is that I grow most of my fresh vegetables and can some for the lean months……yep, it is hard work some times but far better on the body than store bought produce. Nothing better than picking your salad stuff, wash it and then eat it………… Lettuces, tomatoes, radishes….I also grow pears, peaches, plums, figs and different citrus……I have a totally yummy yard!
Anybody else have an idea or ideas?
I’m with you. Growing your own is the way to go, and fairly easy if ya take the time to learn some simple basics and plan ahead. Nothing better than your own lettuce, carrots beets (I like to juice them) and green beans. Anyone can grow a tomato plant, even if it’s in a container.
Most of my garden is in containers…it is simple and easily maintained….beets? I like then roasted with olive oil…..
“Their study of 26 farmers markets and 44 stores in Bronx County, NY, found that the markets offered 26.4 fewer items”
This comment doesn’t indicate that fewer choices at a local farmers market reflect what’s seasonal. Buying in a big chain supermarket you can get produce from around the world where things grown in Mexico and Peru are not being gown in New York because of the climate.
I agree to a point that you don’t always get what you think you are getting from a farmers market. For me, locally grown produce – within about 50-75 miles radius – that is grown organically is indeed healthier, plus buying locally grown produce generates a smaller carbon foot print. It also ensures that fewer synthetic fertilizers won’t run off into water sources killing off the life that teems there we also love so much.
This isn’t to say that organically, local grown food is widely available, an advantage big agriculture suppliers have who draw their resources from around the world but none-the-less, where you can buy locally do. Don’t bother however if their supply comes from two hundred miles or more away and they can’t tell you how the land is farmed that the food is grown on.
I wasn’t always this choosy but I didn’t then what I do now so I make the effort
To tell you the truth I like Mexican avocados, grapes….they have a great taste…..close by the house there is a produce distribution center and that is where about 65% of the farmers market stuff comes from……I still like growing my own….it is damn cheaper and the taste cannot be beat.
“.it is damn cheaper and the taste cannot be beat.”
It all in the soils
I grow some French Breakfast radishes to die for…..and my Chard is plentiful and good for about 3-4 months…..so from April to September I have yummies just outside my backdoor….gets no fresher than that, huh?