Sage Decisions
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring. Making good food choices–think fresh, organic and green–is to live life more fully (literally, in this case). Once upon a time, marketing campaigns used to guilt our alter egos into living more sustainably, and, while it worked, today the focus is more on thriving–looking, feeling and actually being our best. Using Whole Foods Market’s Health Starts Here program as a blueprint for how to go green and stay green, JEZ provides you with the low-down, the know-how and, if you follow our advice, the skinny.
Prep Talk
Switching up what you eat daily and seasonally not only keeps meal planning interesting, but also keeps you, the planner, interested in the quality of what you are consuming (the ultimate win-win). But prep is key. Plan meals around seasonally fresh fruits and veggies–broccoli, carrots, pecans or turnips in fall and early winter, for example, and okra, cucumbers, beans, basil and soybeans in summer. Shopping for produce at peak harvest makes for better meals and a healthier overall diet, while also supporting the natural food system and local farmers. “Many fruits and vegetables are available year-round, but if you’re buying strawberries in December, they’ve probably come from far away,” explains Whole Foods Market’s Darrah Horgan. “Buying seasonally usually means that you will get a fresher product that has been grown in season and closer to home.”
Food for Thought
To help raise awareness for healthy eating, Whole Foods Market is taking its program, Health Starts Here (a 30-year stride toward better health), a step further by providing food education to consumers. Three simple principles comprise Health Starts Here:
Plant-based – Focus on purchasing farm-fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Benefit from ingesting healthy fats in moderation from plant sources, such as nuts and avocados.
Nutrient-dense – Stop obsessing about caloric content, and eat foods that are high in nutrients. Build menus around plant-based foods that contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. These foods are naturally lower in fat.
Whole foods – Select real, fresh and natural foods that, when possible, are also organic, local and seasonal. Avoid highly processed and refined foods and those that contain artificial ingredients. The idea is simple: Eat clean and from the ground. “Move away from a plate void of nutrients but high in calories to one that is rich in nutrients and, by nature, also lower in fat and calories,” Horgan advises.
Information about Health Starts Here is available at local Whole Foods Markets and via wholefoodsmarket.com.
Crate Expectations
Eating healthy is simple and delicious, but if you still can’t stomach the thought of consuming carrots, lettuce and potatoes, get creative. Shop for unique and seasonal produce at reputable road stands, farmers markets and, of course, Whole Foods Market. Fill up your cart with the following products:
Fruits
Cherimoyas are packed with vitamin C and are rich sources of potassium and fiber. They are also fat- and cholesterol-free and low in sodium.
Guavas are not used for the Skinny Margarita craze just for the hell of it. These fruits are low in fat (none of it saturated), cholesterol and sodium, but full of potassium, fiber, folate, and vitamins A and C.
Ugli fruit is, well, a bit ugly. But what this fruit lacks for in appearance it makes up for in nutrition. Fat- and cholesterol-free, the tangelo-like fruit is an excellent source of both vitamin C and fiber.
Persimmons can be used in a variety of ways. Munch on these fruits that are free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium and take in good amounts of fiber and vitamins A and C.
Vegetables
Chayote squash is one of many types of squash. Free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium, it is a good source of vitamin C and can be used in place of any recipe that calls for summer squash.
Fiddlehead ferns are aesthetically unique and amazingly good for you, being free of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, but still full of vitamin B2, copper, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, and vitamins B3 and C.
Fava beans equal the nutritious value of their predecessors on this list, containing vitamin B1, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, fiber, folate, and manganese. Fava beans are also low in fat and totally free of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Kohlrabi is a mix of cucumber and broccoli, free of fat and cholesterol, and low in sodium and calories. It contains vitamin C and fiber.
Check out fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov for the nutritional values of produce and totally “rawsome” tips on storing and cooking fresh fruits and vegetables.
Another great resource, georgiaorganics.org offers a peak-season produce chart, as well as information about local farmers.