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EAT RIGHT

Letter from Maggie

Fall into Better Eating Habits

The beginning of autumn is the start of a new season and the new school year. Even for those of us who don’t have school children or grandchildren to get back to school it’s a transition from less structured summer living to the shorter days of winter. I think of Labor Day as the “Fall New Year” and it might actually be a better time than January to rethink our eating habits - before the winter begins and holiday eating becomes a challenge. And the days are not too short to fit in some exercise before or after the workday.

Even though weather makes it less enticing to cook out or eat outside, we start to think of comfort foods, soups, stews and heartier favorites. There are opportunities to include fruits, vegetables and whole grains into our seasonal menus.

Goodbye peaches, hello pears and apples… Goodbye summer squash, hello butternut, celeriac and pumpkins. We still have many types of fruits, vegetables and nuts that are available as part of the harvest season. It is still easier to eat right locally and seasonally than it is in winter.  You can visit local orchards, farm stands and farmers’ markets to get closer to the source of your food, especially whole healthy foods like apples and root vegetables.

Here are some links to eating well and picking the freshest food in any season in any part of the country where you live:

www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles/default.asp  Find out what’s fresh near you
www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_cg_produce_guide  Food TV Seasonal Produce Guide
www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/ Local Harvest guide to Farmer’s Markets
www.starhollowfarm.com/crop_season_chart.htm  Star Hollow Farm (Pennsylvania) Produce Availability Chart

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