Buried in the news of the summer was the reports that came out this past August of one of the largest egg producers having to recall some 380 million eggs linked to an outbreak of salmonella.  This type of news may be shocking to most, but it really shouldn’t be.

For far too long, most of us have trusted that Mega Farming Corporations have had our best interests at heart.  Obviously, it is irresponsible to paint all large corporations with a broad brush, but it is safe to say that your local, small farmer is going to be far more connected to their product AND with their community.

When I speak to patients and friends, I try my best not to be “preachy”, but this recent egg outbreak is yet another example of why I strongly encourage everyone to be more conscientious about what you put in your body, and where you get your food from.

For more information on local food or the organic food movement, check out the local news clip or better yet, take 90 minutes to view either documentary “Fresh” or “Food, Inc”.

Do you read the labels on your food?  And if you do, do you know what they mean? “Early Show” contributor Katie Lee explains what “grass fed”, “free-roaming” and other terms mean.   And I think its about time!

As the organic movement and the locally grown movement and the sustainable foods movements all gain acceptance, we, the consumer, are left to try and decipher it all.

So here are 6 basic nutritional concepts to keep in mind:

1.  Why eat Organic? There are several benefits to incorporating organic foods into your diet, but the number one reason is to Reduce The Amount of Dangerous Pesticides you Ingest.

2. What are the “Dirty Dozen”?  I wrote about this on a recent blog, but the Dirty Dozen are a group of vegetables shown to have the highest pesticide count.  These are the vegetables you should consider replacing with organic choices.  These foods include apples, lettuce, strawberries, peaches and grapes.

3. What are the “Clean 15″?  These are the fruits and vegetables shown to have the lowest pesticide count.  They include asparagus, pineapples, broccoli, sweet potatoes and tomato.

4. What is Organic Chicken? Chicken that has never been given antibiotics or hormones and have only been fed organic grains, (grains grown without pesticides or chemicals).

5. Wild caught fish are nutritionally far superior to farm raised fish.

6.  “Whole Grains” are more complete and therefore better for you than “multi grain”. Whole grain means you are getting every part of the grain and therefore all of the fiber benefits.  Multigrain simply means various grains, and more commonly, multiple forms of the stripped down refined forms of the grain.

For more nutritional information, visit my nutritional blog.

Maybe you heard…fruits and vegetables are BAD for you!! OK, that may be a bit aggressive.  But if you are one of those people who questions this whole organic food movement, or why people are being advised to buy organic foods, you should read the recent article posted on The Today Show and MSNBC.com.

As I like to do from time to time, I am going to require people to think a little outside the box.  Researchers and experts agree on one thing, they don’t know conclusively what causes cancer and several other life altering diseases.  But there is a growing suspicion that environmental factors such as food, water and air may play a larger role than we have ever thought.

(For those of you already snickering, ask yourself this question, “Would rather eat a fish out of clean, fresh water, or a fish directly out of the Potomac River?” If you are not familiar with the Potomac River, it is now against the law to walk or swim in many parts of the Potomac because it is that unhealthy.)

If we can at least agree that environmental factors can play a role in long term health, then the next logical question must be, “How healthy is it to ingest a poison who’s sole purpose is to kill other bugs and animals?”

Buying organic fruits and vegetables insures that the following fruits and vegetables are free of dangerous pesticides and are being purchased fresh and while in season:

DIRTY DOZEN

1. Apples

2. Cherries

3.  Grapes, Imported (Chili)

4. Nectarines

5. Peaches

6. Pears

7. Raspberries

8. Strawberries

9. Bell Peppers

10. Celery

11. Potatoes

12. Spinach

I am well aware that the information is a bit overwhelming, but the article does a pretty good job of cutting through alot of the confusion and distortion.  As it relates to toxic pesticides on our fruit, the US Department of Agriculture found these 12 fruits and vegetables consistently carry much higher levels of pesticides than others.  More disconcerting is that even with rigorous washing, these fruits and vegetables STILL contain unacceptable levels of pesticide residue.

Start educating yourself about the benefits of organic foods, as well as how to best shop for and budget for organic foods.

CNN Health has a great article this week about spring cleaning your diet.  With the warmer spring weather finally upon us what better time than to get rid of the heavier winter foods that we enjoyed so much while we were cooped up inside, and replace them with springtime fruits and veggies!  The article highlights 10 of them and lets you know the best time to purchase from your local farmers market.http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/14/spring.clean.diet/index.html

I’m also including the Arlington Farmers Market Schedule for this season!

http://www.arlingtonva.us/portals/topics/FarmersMarkets.aspx

One of my favor sites is RealAge.com.  They have done a wonderful job combining reasonable information that, simply put, will increase your longevity and improve your quality of life.  I find the information , user friendly, and easy to incorporate into my daily lifestyle.

Here is a recent tip from RealAge.com.

Have you heard of Aflatoxin?  Aflatoxin is a substance produced by certain molds that show up on foods like peanuts and corn.  The toxin has been known to cause damage to the liver, and is so problematic that the FDA has set limits on how much of these food source, ie: corn and peanuts, can safely be in our diet.

But here is the good news.  Researchers have found that Chlorophyll and chlorophyllin, found richly in spinach, may help to reduce the absorption of aflatoxin into the liver. Researchers believe that chlorophyll and chlorophyllin, bond to aflatoxin to form a beneficial substance that is not as easily absorbed by the intestines and therefore less processed in the liver.

Other foods with similar benefits include:

Broccoli, Parsley, Green Beens, Kale, Arugala and Leeks.

Guest post contributed by Kathleen Nixon, founder of the Falls Church Farmers Market Chef Series and Facebook fan of Capitol Rehab of Arlington

Looking around these days at the piles of snow and broken trees, you would think that spring was still a long way off. But by the looks of things these past few Saturdays at the Falls Church Farmers Market, Spring is trying to inch its way back into our lives. With pleasant temperatures and plenty of sunshine, the vendors were showing off their wares without the customary tents and some of the customers were even walking around in shorts!

With the warmer weather a few new things are showing up at the market. Wisteria Gardens is bringing back many of its salad greens, DragonFly Farms has great soups like Thai Pumpkin, and Country Gardens has brought out house plants and winter interest plants to liven up homes and gardens during these last dreary days of winter.

The sunny day seemed to attract more customers than usual for the winter-–Atwater’s sold out of bread by 11:00 a.m. But it was still quiet enough to be able to visit with many of the vendors, which is one of the joys of the winter-time market.  Vicki Fedor from Northgate Winery shared her stories of attending the Governor’s Cup award ceremony to receive her winery’s numerous medals, and I even got the chance to wish a Mother Earth Mushroom vendor a “Happy Birthday!”

The weather also served as a reminder that the chef demonstrations are just around the corner.  The first Farmers Market Chef Demonstration of the season will take place on Saturday, April 24^th, with Tracey O’Grady from Willow. And just before that, on Wednesday, April 21^st, ArtSpace will feature the movie “Fresh” along with appetizers from the Farmers Market Chef Program partners.

Links to all events to follow…

1. Eat your vegetables!

The USDA attributes 14 percent of all deaths in the US to poor diets and/or sedentary lifestyle. (I personally find this percentage very much on the low side.) You can improve your health, and the health of the planet by following food columnist Michael Pollan’s simple rule: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

2. Shop Outside of Supermarkets!

Finding locally produced food can be a hassle. They are not nearly as well marketed or a visible as the giant food chains. In the DC area, there are great farmers markets in Falls Church, the Clarendon section of Arlington, and in Georgetown. But for many, getting to know the lay of the land can be tricky.

Here are a few resources:

localharvest.org
sustainabletable.org
eatwellguide.org

3. Plan a Row for the Hungry!

As unemployment rises, more people are wondering how they will put food on their table. Here are some cool ways to help out AND boost your food security at home:

• Start a food bank out of a faith center or community center if there are no similar programs in your area to participate  (See www.yesmagazine.org/pantry)
• Contribute something from every shopping trip to a local shelter. Capitol Rehab of Arlington has worked with a local food shelter in Arlington, and believe me, the are very appreciative and could always use more assistance.
• Study (and/or teach) the art of cooking and preserving tasty, nutritious food on a budget.

Original article can be found at www.YesMagazine.org/lawn