By Nadia Arévalo
Wellness Food Consultant

Where do I get the healthiest and freshest food possible in the city? Let’s go to a farmer’s market! A farmer’s market is where local farmers and other artisan (food) vendors gather usually once a week to sell their seasonal crops directly to you.

Here are several advantages:

1. Shorter transit time gets you nutrient denser food. Since the nutritional value decreases with each passing day of harvesting, you’ll be getting more vitamins and antioxidants with each bite.

2. Dedicated farmers use fewer pesticides and other chemicals, if at all on produce, since farmer’s don’t what them or their families to ingest these toxins. Farmers also want to preserve the biodiversity of their soil and care for the environment in sustainable methods.

3. You are eating seasonal foods, which nourish your body as nature intended. Watermelon in December can throw your body out of balance with this cool food on cold days.

4. You are helping your local community. There’s no middle man, so your money is going directly to working farmers. This money will likely circulate in the region, helping your local areas thrive. Remember you are voting with your dollars- you are saying, “Yes” to healthy, fresh, sustainable, local foods.

5. Enjoy the array of different vegetables and fruits you may haven’t even heard about or eaten. How about some purple potatoes, edible flowers, nopals, passion fruit, celery root, raw milk?

6. It’s fun for everyone. You get to meet and greet your local farmers, stroll through the beauty of the fresh food stands, taste their samples, get motivated to eat healthier, and ask for discounts and bargains.

This weekly trip for me, as well as for thousands of others across the country, is a pleasant and vigorous action step to cultivate healthier food habits. Visit your local farmer’s market this week, if you haven’t gone. If there is no farmer’s market, I suggest searching for a co-op, community garden or health food store near you for some local, organic fresh foods. 🙂

Nadia holds a BS in Nutritional Sciences and a Certificate in Alternative Nutrition, and Beginning Culinary Arts. For more information, email food.consultant@yahoo.com

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