May is Pregnancy Awareness Month — a month of events and media that celebrate this special time in a woman’s life. The activities this year are being kicked off with the 6th Annual Signature Pregnancy Awareness Month™ Event on Sunday May 5th from noon to 4 p.m. in Santa Monica. Dr. Greene is on their board of advisors and will, once again, speak at the kick-off event. 

In honor of this important month, we are re-publishing five posts by founder Anna Getty. Originally posted May 2009.

Nutrition and Wellness focus on eating organic foods for mother and child. Yes, of course I want everyone to pick up my book, Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic, it is a great guide to help you learn about cooking and eating organic food as well making your home kitchen a healthier environment. But above all, my book aside, I want women to make the healthiest choices during pregnancy and as far as food is concerned it is pesticide, GMO, hormone and antibiotic free food.

We now know that babies are born with over 300 chemicals in their blood stream, I bring this up a lot because I think people just don’t believe it, (I hardly can, still) but you can read the study called 10 Americans conducted by The Environmental Working Group (watch the video here http://www.ewg.org/node/27201) and see how significant it is to eat foods that are as chemical free as possible. I will also mention that DDT a chemical banned in this country for decades is still found in breast milk.

So please, do whatever you can to eat organic food even if you are on a tight budget, make it a priority over purchasing the latest trendy stroller. Whether you go to the farmer’s market, coop’s, major super stores or grow your own help create a strong foundation of health for your child. If you want a complete list of farmer’s markets nationwide go to http://www.localharvest.org. They have a list over 21,000 strong.

If you have to prioritize based on your budget stick to organic meat, dairy and eggs and avoid the Dirty Dozen. The NRDC has a list of simple steps to help stay within a tight budget. Check it out. I assure you, that when you eat organically during your pregnancy, you are making the best choice for you and your baby.

If you want to pick up a copy of my book Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic, I promise there are plenty of simple recipes to satisfy many of your cravings…organically.

Any thoughts on organic food?

A 2012 analysis estimates that today’s children age 0-5 in the US have lost more than 16 million IQ points from exposure to organophosphate pesticides. They’re exposed to these pesticides almost entirely from our food.

Organic foods are grown without the use of toxic synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, artificial hormones, or genetic engineering. They depend on cultivating healthy soil to grow healthy plants to produce healthy animals.

But not long ago, headlines blared that a new study had found that organic food isn’t any healthier. Let’s look behind the headlines, causing many parents to wonder whether organic was really worth it.

The study in question wasn’t new science, but a compilation and analysis of some of the existing studies comparing organic to conventional food. What did this paper find?

1) Pesticides

Conventional produce is more than five times more likely than organic to come with any pesticide residues. (38% of samples versus 7%).  The study didn’t go a step further and consider that when pesticides are found on conventional produce, the pesticides are often more toxic, present at higher levels, and come as mixtures of different chemicals.

The study also didn’t include the large body of literature about the toxic effects of some of these pesticides.

The authors concluded that this five-fold difference in pesticides couldn’t matter because the total amounts are so small. I strongly disagree. Pharmaceutical drugs are powerful, refined chemicals designed to improve health. They can have desired health effects on our brain function, sexual function, and fertility at concentrations in our bodies of only parts per billion. Synthetic pesticides are also powerful, refined chemicals, but designed to destroy or inhibit life. Why couldn’t they have undesirable health effects on our brain function, sexual function, and fertility when present in our bodies at similar concentrations?

If everyone in the country smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, it would be very difficult to tell that cigarettes caused lung cancer in a small, but significant, percentage of those who smoke. Today, almost all of us carry synthetic pesticides in our blood – pesticides that get there from our food. This is true even in babies at the moment of birth. I participated in a study with the Environmental Working Group where we analyzed umbilical cord blood and found pesticides in every baby tested. We found 21 different synthetic pesticides in babies’ blood.

One group of pesticides, the organophosphates, were originally produced as nerve agents during World War II. We still have much to learn about their health effects, but higher levels of exposure (in real world conditions) have been linked to lower IQ, memory problems, developmental problems, and ADHD.

The 16 million IQ points lost in young children from organophosphates carries a price tag of more than $169 billion in lost productivity when they grow up. And we take out a new debt of $28-30 billion every year – about the same amount as the total amount of money spent on organic food each year in the US.

Choosing organic food can drop a child’s organophosphate pesticide exposure almost overnight. In another study, suburban Seattle children had their urine tested multiple times for evidence of organophosphate pesticides and it was present in all samples, suggesting exposure above what the EPA set as a safe level. Then the children were switched to mostly organic food. The pesticides disappeared. They were virtually undetectable in morning and evening urine samples for five days. Then the children were switched back to their typical suburban diet and the levels found in their urine shot back up.

We can decrease pesticide exposure on the very next shopping trip.

The EPA says, “Protecting children from the potential effects of pesticides is one of EPA’s most important responsibilities. Pesticides have widespread uses and may affect children’s health in a variety of settings. We recognize that children are at greater risk from pesticide exposure.”

Choosing organic is a choice for decreasing toxic pesticides in our air, water, and farmers – as well as on our plates and in our children.

2) Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

When you buy conventional food you are three times more likely to bring multidrug resistant bacteria into your home than when buying organic. (48.4% of samples versus 15.9%).

The authors found this difference, but concluded it was unimportant because they thought bacterial resistance is fueled primarily by human antibiotic use.

Resistant bacteria are emerging as a major health threat.

According to the FDA, “Today, almost all important bacterial infections in the United States and throughout the world are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world’s most pressing public health problems. The smart use of antibiotics is the key to controlling the spread of resistance.”

We know what causes resistance. When bacteria are exposed to antibiotics they develop ways to survive, making them more resistant to antibiotics.

We also know that the routine use of antibiotics in our conventional livestock to fatten them up dwarfs the amount of antibiotics used to treat all human diseases. The FDA recognizes the problem and has asked for drug companies to voluntarily remove agricultural production from their antibiotic product labels, but widespread antibiotic use continues in conventional agriculture. Four fifths of all antibiotics used in the US are used in our agricultural animals.

The most highly resistant bacteria discovered so far were found not in hospitals or clinics, but in the soil.

Organic food, which doesn’t allow the use of antibiotics, is part of the solution to resistant bacteria – in our environment and in our own homes.

Behind the Headlines

The headlines trumpeted that organic isn’t worth extra money. The study in question found a five-fold difference in pesticides and a three-fold difference in multidrug resistant bacteria (plus significantly higher healthy omega-3 fats in organic). It didn’t even look at differences related to the use of artificial hormones or genetic engineering – or of artificial colorings, preservatives, and sweeteners in processed foods.

Every bite of food is an investment in our bodies or a debt of some kind we are taking out that we will have to pay back. Good food, organic food, is a delicious investment.

Parents are often torn between the perceived health benefits of eating an “organic” diet and the increased cost of organically grown or raised foods.  It is important to discuss the potential health effects of pesticides and herbicides, also fungicides, on our children.  This may make it seem more worthwhile to avoid these chemicals.  I will also discuss sources of exposure and options for avoidance.

Basically, pesticides are chemicals designed to kill insects; herbicides are chemicals designed to kill parasitic plants the impair crop yields; and fungicides are chemicals designed to kill parasitic fungi.  Does anyone think that chemicals designed to kill living things could be harmful to humans in some way?

Chlorinated pesticides and organophosphate pesticides are two very common varieties of these chemicals.  They are sprayed on food crops to keep insects from eating the plants and decreasing yield.  Pesticide content of fruits and vegetables varies greatly by variety, and lists can be found online mentioning which types of produce have the highest levels, and which have the lowest.

Early-life exposure to pesticides has been linked to ADHD, pervasive developmental disorder (i.e. mild autism) and poorer mental development in general.  Parental exposures have been linked to problems in the child including neurodevelopmental effects, cancer, physical birth defects, and even fetal death.  This means it is extremely important to avoid these toxins.  A recent published review article on this topic is “Pesticide exposure in children” by Roberts, et al. in Pediatrics; Dec. 2012; vol 130, issue 6.

A very common herbicide in foods, one used on numerous major crops in large amounts, is atrazine; another common herbicide is metolachlor.  A recent study of childhood cancers in association with herbicides found that atrazine itself increased the risk by 10%, metolachlor increased risk by 54%; and a combination of three common herbicides together was found to increase cancer risk in children by more than 750% (Thorpe, 2005).  This demonstrates a tremendous synergistic effect.

Fungicides like vinclozolin and others block testosterone receptors and cause hormone deficiency symptoms in males.  Exposure during fetal development and infancy could conceivably alter male sexual development.  Many pesticides and herbicides have hormonal effects as well.  These chemicals can therefore have diverse and potentially devastating physiological effects on children and into adulthood.

So, the obvious means of avoiding these chemicals is to eat only organic or wild foods.  Hopefully that sounds like a good idea and worthwhile expense at this point.  Organic food may be more expensive, but the health of our children is a top priority; and, if everyone bought only organic food they would stop producing nonorganic food.

What most don’t realize is that animal foods are the most important foods to buy organic.  Meat, eggs, butter, milk, ice cream, cheese have much higher pesticide content than fruits and vegetables.  This is because animals eating nonorganic feed for their entire lives will bio-accumulate these toxins to much higher levels.  It is extremely important to eat only wild fish and seafood as well, because the farmed varieties have extremely toxic levels of PCB’s in addition to other chemicals.

I’m always delighted when new studies emerge finding unexpected benefits from eating healthy. As a pediatrician passionate about getting kids and families to adopt healthier eating habits, the more evidence I have as to to tempting reasons why, the better. This newest study really makes me smile because the researchers found a connection between happiness and produce consumption. The study doesn’t prove which causes which – but just knowing these two are a pair is pretty cool.

A study released recently by Dartmouth University and British researchers found that people’s reported levels of happiness increases the more fruits and veggies they eat every day.

Admittedly, the increase wasn’t terribly large – those who consumed eight or more servings of vegetables daily rated themselves 0.27 points happier, on average, than those who reported no servings. But, I’d argue that any increase in happiness helps improve overall well-being, and with all the other benefits associated with eating produce, this could simply be icing on the carrot cake. (Or, should I say hummus on the carrot stick.)

Additional insights revealed from the study were highlighted in coverage on Rodale.com:

[I]n one survey, eating seven to eight portions of vegetables was more strongly associated with happiness and overall well-being than employment status. On the whole, the paper concluded that well-being peaks at seven daily servings of fruits and vegetables, but the surveys also showed that people who ate just five servings a day (the amount that the USDA recommends) were as happy—or very nearly so—as people who ate higher amounts.

The authors call their results “only suggestive” of a link between the fruit bowl and happiness levels, because even though they tried to control for income, work status, overall health, and other factors that play a role in how you feel about your life, there are a lot of other factors that can influence happiness. And, they add, it’s not clear whether vegetables make people happy or happy people eat more vegetables.

With these findings, I challenge you to introduce more fruits and vegetables into your family’s diet and let us know if you feel happier! Find easy, kid-friendly recipes using our library.

How many servings of produce does your family eat every day?

I’d like to thank co-author Ashley Koff, RD for her initiative on this issue. More of her work can be seen at AskleyKoffApproved.com.

You’ve heard the news, and in sets panic. Have I been inadvertently poisoning my family with arsenic? We share your concerns and as such created the following to help you where it counts most – in the kitchen – with this plan for reducing your family’s arsenic intake and along with it reducing the associated health risks.

To begin, take a moment to answer these questions about your family’s intake habits:

1. Do you and your family consume rice / rice products several times daily? Remember this includes cooked rice as well as some cereals, non-dairy milks, non-dairy cheese, veggie burgers, crackers, bars, protein powders, cookies and other treats made either with rice or sweetened with rice syrup as well as using brown rice syrup as a sweetener.
2. How many different types of grains does your family consume in a week? Greater than 2?
3. Do you and your family consume animal meats like chicken and ham, sausages, and eggs?
4. Do you and your family drink fruit juice? How much daily? Is it organic?
5. What is the proper portion of cooked rice for a child – ¼ cup, ½ cup, 1 cup, 2 cups? And for an adult?

Your answers will be addressed within the recommendations below and you will also learn how to develop a healthier diet – one that improves overall health including minimizing exposure to inorganic arsenic.

Understand that some arsenic is found naturally in the soil, but that humans have contributed to the problem by using arsenic-containing pesticides in some areas and by fertilizing with manure from poultry treated with arsenic compounds. Where and how your food is grown matters. Any food can contain some arsenic, but organic farming is part of the solution, not part of the problem.

No one food is the arsenic culprit, but some foods do absorb more of whatever’s in the soil – for good or for ill. With that in mind, what should you do for your family?

1. Reduce means well, reduce: the first lesson here is a simple but highly effective one – when we consume less our risk of overexposure to anything goes down.
   1. Portion control – for cooked rice, use a guideline of roughly the child or adult’s fist – so your 5 year old likely should get a ¼ cup portion and Shaq can have 2 cups.
   2. Frequency – when it comes to rice and quality rice products, consume them in your food choices but not as the exclusive or primary food choice.
2. Variety! – nature created numerous grains, and even numerous variety of the same grain, as well as fruits and vegetables etc.
   1. When it comes to rice – it appears that basmati rice is lower in arsenic than brown rice so integrate it into the mix
   2. When it comes to grains – choose from all of nature’s gifts which include quinoa, buckwheat and millet for those choosing rice to avoid gluten or einkorn, spelt and kamut which are better quality ancient grain wheat varietals
   3. “An apple a day” could also be an apple on Monday, blueberries on Tuesday, white peaches on Wednesday and so on…this way your week will deliver all the nutrient power from nature’s rainbow to help protect and clean up toxins from the body most effectively
   4. At every meal get a minimum of 3 colors with 2 from vegetables – again they provide clean up and protective powers
   5. How you cook rice matters too – if you cook it for longer, and in more water (think of cooking pasta) this helps reduce the arsenic levels
3. Rethink baby food: Babies eat more, pound for pound than we do and are more at risk from toxins. Our WhiteOut campaign replaces the old idea of white rice cereal as baby’s first food, only food, or main food. Babies learn tastes like they learn a language, so variety can be even better for babies than for us.
4. Be a Qualitarian: know where your food comes from and what’s been done to it.
   1. Choose organic chicken and pork products to avoid pesticides, GMOs, and poor quality animal feed going into the animal and later on to your plate.
   2. Choose organic fruit and vegetable juice if they are listed on the EWG.org’s “Dirty Dozen” and especially if you consume them often (hint hint, apple tops the dirty dozen list)
   3. Choose organic whole grains and sweeteners whenever possibly too. While arsenic may be today’s fear, the studies keep coming out about how pesticide residues negatively impact health, and even as we write this the first long term animal study on GMOs shows scary results for even the lowest levels of intake of GMO corn.
   4. Place of origin – just like seafoodwatch.org helps us routinely identify not just which fish are safer to eat, but also notes where from and in what form, the same appears to be true for rice. For right now, rices from California and some parts of Asia appear to be lower in arsenic.
   5. If you are consuming puffed rice crackers, cakes, and cereals as a diet tool you could benefit from a quality upgrade – when rice is puffed not only does its glycemic load go up, the nutrient levels go down – yes its low in calories but its lower in terms of what’s good and in the case of rice products it could be higher in arsenic. Try cucumbers or zucchini slices as your “cracker” or “cake.” They can be topped, can be dippers, and deliver no calories, a crunch, and plant nutrients to help protect and clean up from the inside out.
   6. Get tested – your water that is. Find out what needs to be remove and possibly what is lacking. These are inexpensive tests and a neighborhood will have similar results so you can even share the costs (may depend on the age of homes / pipes but still can be a good baseline).
5. Consider a Plant-Based diet: Studies and cultures from around the world teach us that reducing our intake of animal meats and animal products can be healthier for us all.
   1. Don’t MONO eat – try to incorporate as many plants as possible into your diet – if you currently rely just on rice milk or rice cheese or a rice veggie burger try different versions from hemp and coconut or other nuts.
   2. Many plant-based eaters and their loved ones worry about their protein intakes and turn to protein powders to deliver supplemental protein – if you are consuming 1-2 servings of rice daily, change it up – look at blends and nutrients like hemp and organic soy (remember organic here because likely trading an arsenic concern for a GMO one may not net you healthier in the long run).
   3. Just a Spoonful of (organic) sugar – Mary Poppins got it right but we need to emphasize Just in Just a Spoonful of Sugar for optimal health.
   4. If a food product (bar, cereal etc) has rice syrup or any sugar for that matter, in its first two ingredients, consider a better option.
   5. A serving of fruit juice is four ounces. It should be organic (especially apple juice when talking about arsenic). One daily spoonful of sugar – in the form of organic added sweeteners, juice or a treat is a good amount to aim for – beyond that you are over-spooning it which has negative healthy implications. Especially for kids whose sweet tooth is overdeveloped from birth (or before), you want to control exposure until the other taste buds can give the sweetie some competition.
   6. If you are using brown rice syrup as a sweetener, we do recommend considering other sweeteners more often like organic coconut palm sugar, organic cane juice and maple syrup, and as age-appropriate, raw honeys.

If you follow these tips, you will not only reduce your family’s overall intake of inorganic arsenic but you will also improve your family’s health via a better quality diet.  We see this as a win, win. We hope you will too.

^{I’d like to thank co-author Ashley Koff, RD for her initiative on this issue. More of her work can be seen at AskleyKoffApproved.com.}

Generally, I hate shopping, and I especially hate shopping with kids in tow. Yet shopping with my kids at my small not-too-crowded farmer’s market is always a positive experience. I don’t have to put them in a cart (my market is small enough that I let my 3 and 5-year-old wander a bit as long as they stay where I can see them). There are no Hot Wheels cars or candy bars to trigger whining, power struggles, and tantrums. You also don’t have to explain why you are unwilling to buy the ten dollar melon in February. There are no magazines with scantily clad women or weeping socialites on the covers at the checkout. And I love for them to see all that fresh produce and get to know the farmers that grow it. Here are some tips for enjoying the farmers market with your kids.

Take young children to a small farmers market at the least crowded time. Some farmers markets are probably too large and too crowded to enjoy visiting with small children. My market only has about 20 vendors. I let my 3-year-old and 5-year-old wander a bit because they are almost always in view and never too far away. You could take a stroller or hold hands the entire time, but it’s fun for the kids to wander a bit if the market is small enough. If there are multiple markets in your area, visit several to find the smaller markets where you would feel comfortable taking your small children, even if you most often shop at the larger markets.

Name the different fruits and vegetables. If you don’t know what something is, ask the farmer about it and try a sample. You can help give your kids a sense of seasonality (and delayed gratification) by discussing what is no longer available, what is in season now, and what will be coming into season next.

Enjoy the free samples. They are healthy and delicious and might get your kids interested in new foods.

Let your children help with the purchases. Older children can be given a little money or encouraged to bring their own money to spend on a few things of their choosing. Younger children can help select carrots, potatoes, and other non-delicate foods from the stand and put them in your bag.

Encourage your children to thank the farmers. I value the opportunity the farmers market gives our family to have a direct relationship with the producers of our food.

Are you a farmers market shopper? What are your tips for getting the most out of the farmers market?

Shopping at the farmers market means all of your money goes to the farmer, and none to the middlemen and advertisers, which often means cheaper prices for you. Here are some tips for making your dollar go even farther at the farmers market.

Shop when the prices are lowest. If you want the best selection, go to the farmers market in the morning. But if you want the best prices, go shortly before the close of the market, when farmers are often willing to haggle, especially if you buy a large amount. Always go when it rains. When the weather is bad and turnout is poor, farmers are often willing to make deals.

Find out when specific fruits and vegetables are cheapest. Ask the farmers, when will this be the cheapest? It might be a specific week or month when it is peak season or it might depend on the weather. You could also ask the farmer what is the cheapest price a product is sold for and then watch for that price.

Buy in bulk and preserve. Most farmers will give you a discount for buying in bulk. Buy in bulk at peak season, on a rainy day, or when the farmers market is about to close and you will save even more. But then you have to be able to use or store all that produce. The easiest way to preserve produce is to freeze it. If you have a dehydrator (or a friend with a dehydrator), you can dry it. You could also learn to can produce. I recommend finding a friend who already knows how and has the equipment. I canned tomatoes for the first time last year. It wasn’t rocket science, but I was very glad to have an experienced friend at my side.

Ask the farmers questions about the produce. What tastes the best? When was this picked? How long will this last and what is the best way to store it? Buying the freshest and tastiest produce will give you the biggest bang for your buck and minimize your food waste.

Prioritize what you buy organic. If you can’t buy everything organic, prioritize shopping organic for the “Dirty Dozen,” a list of the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide load. The Dirty Dozen is published annually by the Environmental Working Group based on data collected by the USDA. Although the list changes a little each year, the Dirty Dozen are generally those fruits and vegetables with thin skins that you can eat (apples, peaches, celery, etc.).

Look for non-certified organic farmers who don’t use pesticides and fertilizers. Some small family farms don’t use these chemicals but can’t afford or haven’t yet achieved organic certification. Buying from these farms will give you the benefit of organic farming for a lower price.

Pay with food stamps/ EBT (electronic benefits transfer), WIC and Senior checks. In general, you will pay cash at your farmers market. Many markets are also now accepting forms of government assistance, such as WIC checks or food stamps.

I love that shopping at the farmers market takes all the mental effort out of shopping locally and in season. When I shop at the farmers market I don’t have to decide if I’m willing to eat organic blueberries grown in Chile.  I’m shopping local and in season without even thinking about it.  I have really enjoyed re-learning the seasonality of produce through my farmers’ market. But shopping at the farmer’s market also means that you will not be buying tomatoes in January. If you have been ignoring seasonality for years and buying South American produce in the winter without noticing, shopping at the farmers market will likely require a shift in how you meal plan. Here are some tips to help you enjoy eating seasonally.

Ask what is coming into season next.  You won’t find watermelon in January or apples in June at your farmers market. However, I find that there is a certain joy in waiting for strawberries or zucchini or tomatoes to come into season instead of eating the tasteless wonders at the grocery store year-round. Anticipation is half the fun of the farmer’s market. Around February, I ask the farmers almost every week, “when are you going to have tomatoes?” And then in June I start asking, “When are you going to have grapes?”

Try new things and ask the farmers and other shoppers how to use them. I tried kale for the first time this year. I know all you super-foodies have been making kale chips for years, but I never bought it because I really didn’t know what to do with it. I ended up steaming it briefly and adding it to my stir fry after consulting with a few folks at the market. Delicious (and nutritious).

Learn to cook using what you have. I used to plan the dishes I wanted to make during the week, then make a grocery list based on the recipes, then shop for my list at the grocery store. Now I keep my pantry stocked with non-perishables, and cook based on what is in season at the farmer’s market. Look for cookbooks that recognize seasonality or allow you to cook using whatever you have on hand. Other useful resources include food blogs with seasonal recipes and recipe websites (which often let you search by ingredient).

Interested in shopping at the farmers market? Here are some tips to get you started.

Find a market. In order to get the most out of the farmers market, I recommend first gathering information about the different farmers markets in your area. The website localharvest.org makes it easy to search for farmers markets in your area by zip code. You might also try a simple web search for farmers market associations in your state, county, city or metropolitan area. There are two main farmers market associations where I live, and their lists are more comprehensive than those on localharvest.org. You could also ask friends or check local magazines for information about farmers markets. You might want to try several different markets and see which one has the size, selection, and schedule you prefer. Most markets are on Saturdays or Sundays but some are on weekdays. If you can’t find a farmers market in your area, you can use localharvest.org to search for a CSA (community sponsored agriculture) in your area. I personally shop at the farmers market and participate in a CSA.

Find out what time the market really opens. Officially, my farmers market opens at 9 am and closes at 1 pm each Saturday. After shopping there for nearly a year, I found out that almost all the farmers showed up by 7 am in the summer, and 8 am in the winter. Before I figured this out, by the time I showed up at 9 am or 10 am, farmers were often out of items they had in limited quantity. Now I go at 8 am, especially if raspberries are in season.

Get to know the farmers. For me, having a personal relationship with the producers of my food is one of the most important benefits of shopping at the farmers market. I prefer to purchase from farms that send someone (like a family member) closely associated with the farm who can answer specific questions. For the stands I regularly purchase from, I know where the farms are, how long the family has owned the farm and how many generations have farmed it, and where their ancestors immigrated from. Also, if you make yourself known to the farmers, they will consider you a “regular,” which has certain perks for you and your kids. It is also really convenient to have the farmer know you well enough that you can say, “I want to can tomatoes next week. Could you bring me 20 pounds and give me a bulk discount?” And have them bring you 20 pounds of tomatoes in a large crate and let you take the crate and return it the following week.

Ask the farmers about how they grow their food. Not every small-scale family farm can afford the organic certification process, so it is worthwhile to ask a vendor if they use fertilizers or pesticides if you are interested in their produce.  Some farms might do something in between organic and conventional. For example, I asked one farmer if they sprayed their peaches and nectarines. He told me they sprayed the trees, but never the fruit. This is definitely preferable to sprayed trees and sprayed fruit.

I buy almost all of my produce at the farmers market. It’s the only place I shop on a weekly basis. There are so many benefits that come from this direct producer-to-consumer arrangement.  Here are some of the things I love most about the farmers market.

Price. The organic produce I buy at my farmers market is the cheapest organic produce I can buy.   If you are trying to figure out how to make eating organic more affordable, this is one of my best suggestions.

Taste.  Even if you can find cheaper produce elsewhere, the farmers market almost certainly sells the tastiest produce you can buy. The produce I buy at the farmers’ market is fresher and tastes better than any produce I can buy at the grocery store. Often picked the day before, you cannot beat the freshness of the farmers market.  I’ve noticed that produce I buy there lasts much longer than produce I purchase in the store (which probably spent weeks in storage/transportation).

Environment. Shopping at the farmers market allows me to buy local seasonal foods that require fewer fossil fuels to produce. When I buy food at the farmers market, I’m giving my entire food dollar to the farmer (according to the USDA, for every dollar Americans spend on food, less than 16 cents goes to the farmer; the other 84 cents goes to marketing).  Supporting local farmers helps to promote a local food economy, healthy agricultural land and open space where I live. By bringing your own reusable shopping and produce bags to the farmers market, you can purchase groceries without any packaging waste, further reducing your food’s footprint. Many containers, such as berry baskets and egg cartons, can be returned to farmers for reuse.  Special bonus: no annoying tiny stickers on your produce!

Just Food.  Farmers markets are the anti-Super-Walmart. I like to buy my produce fresh and often, so it is wonderful to have a place where I can shop for just produce and nothing else. No sales displays.  No packaged junk food tempting your will-power.  Just produce (and maybe some bakery bread, pastured eggs, locally raised meat, or handmade soaps depending on your market), plain and simple.

I hope I’ve convinced you to visit your local farmers market. Stay tuned for posts all week about how to get the most out of your farmers market.

What do you love most about the farmers market?