Posts from — September 2009

Hold onto your sunhats, D.C., the White House is welcoming its first farmers market! Two Thursdays ago, Vermont Ave between H St and I St was filled with pasture-raised meats, artisan cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and yogurt, breads and baked goods, preserves, cut flowers, and more. There was talk of produce from Michelle’s garden being included, but due to negative media mania over lead contamination in the garden, the city will have to wait for vegetables from the heirloom seeds of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello garden. ( Test results have been released saying that the lead levels are far below what is considered harmless. )

The farmers market is long in coming for the downtown population of D.C. This past summer my cousin Katey participated in an environmentally minded bike trek with the goal of bringing environmental stories from across the country to our capitol. Upon their arrival in D.C., riders lobbied with their state representatives for clean energy, complete streets ( a street with individual lanes for pedestrians, bikers, cars, and public transportation ), and improved public transportation. A few of the riders were able to meet with White House Representatives from the Department of Energy, and when asked what they were each doing on an individual level to live “greener” and healthier lives, almost all responded that it was very difficult to live a green life in D.C. Local produce was hard to come by, streets were not bike friendly, and the recycling program left much to be desired. Although Obama is turning our country’s environmental morals around, the capitol is taking a bit longer to turn theory into practice. Fortunately, the White House farmers market will be available every Thursday from 3 to 7pm thru October 29th for politicians, city workers, students, and residents alike to take advantage of delicious local produce!

Thanks to Fresh Farm Markets for the info and photo.  To read more, head to freshfarmmarkets.org

When my parents moved out to a hobby farm when I was a kid, fall turned into a dreaded time of year.  I suffered from a stuffy nose, itchy watery eyes and low energy. I was that victim you see in all the Clariton commercials who can’t enjoy the outdoors, pet the cat, or garden, etc. In fact, every year the symptoms seemed to get worse. Eventually the move to college came and my family and I all thought my allergies would go away being away from the farm and all, but they didn’t. So for years I had my annual doctors appointment with the allergist and he prescribed me pills and nose sprays.  But, even with the prescription I had major side effects:  drowsiness, dry mouth, itchy skin, constipation, etc.  

Well this year was different.  Now that I am educated that most allergies are caused from food or lack of nutrients AND a lot allergies come from consuming dairy.  I decided to take charge of my own health and not be dependent on the prescription this year.  So I tried eliminating all dairy products.  I have been dairy free now for over 6 months!  AND here is hay-fever season and I’m not going to the doctor.  Now, it was’t easy quitting dairy…once you try you will find out it is in EVERYTHING!  

Tip: When you are eating out, tell the server you are lactose intolerant.  [I know, I was never really 'diagnosed' by a doctor, but hey looks like my body is operating much better without it...so if a server asks "I'm lactose intolerant" today. It makes both of our lives easier anyway.] 

I’m happy to report better health but not perfect health. I am doing a little sniffling and sneezing when I first rise and late into the evening when my body is tried and my immune system is telling me to stop and rest.  I have found some herbs and natural supplements to help:  such as hot pepper spray and herb blends like horsetail, osha root, plantain leaf, licorice root, nettle, etc.  I am looking forward to my results next year, when I will be diary free for over a year!  

Most importantly, I am eating more foods that are helpful in combating environmental allergies, such as: perservative and additive free, high in fiber and rich in vitamins especially high in vitamin A and C foods: asparagus, bell peppers, beets, black beans, broccoli, canatouple, leafy greens, mango, cold-water fish, squash, etc. 

Quercetin-rich foods are also helpful to the diet:  apples (w/skin), blueberries, onion, scallions, and herbal tea.  

Foods rich in protein and high in zinc like sunflower and pumpkin seeds, mushrooms and organic chicken or turkey may also be helpful.    

Foods to avoid:  all dairy, red meat, processed foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and fried food.  

And finally, keep those primary foods in check!  Include self care everyday, get your sleep, move your body and avoid stress as much as possible.  Lack of sleep and rest are one of the biggest factors to weakening the immune system and minimizing the systemic support to your body.  When your immune system is down the histamine and other molecules thrive causing you to have itching, sneezing, swelling, redness, nasal drip, and stuffed sinuses.  

Moral of my story, listen to your body. It is communicating to you all the time! 

Want to learn more about the dairy debate: Check out this book, Don’t Drink Your Milk

So what do drink instead of cow’s mink?  Try:  nut milks, such as Almond, rice milk, or hemp milk.  Watch out for soy milk, as it is also mucus forming just like cow’s milk.  

Do you suffer from allergies, try a food elimination diet. Have you already tried, and have a story to share?  Love to hear it, post below.  

Or not sure how to do it… contact me.

Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks is a Chicago based Local, Organic Delivery service.  So, many times I have clients who express frustration about finding organic locally grown produce other than at their local Whole Foods store.  We’ll here is an orginization that was started up by a couple with 2 children.  Their mission is to eliminate as much middle men as possible to get consumers clean food while supporting Chicago’s local economy.  With a background in economics, community work and non-profit…these guys seem to know what they are doing!  So, check out their website, enter your zip code and find out when your scheduled delivery day is. They offer:

1.  Fresh Pick Produce Boxes
2.  Local Meat/Fish
3.  Local Dairy/Eggs
4.  Baked Goods
5.  Prepared Goods

So, support your health with the highest nutrient dense produce [Local & Organic] available while supporting our local farmers/economy and our valued earth!   

Note:  Keep and eye out for the next garden party invite, where we discuss and answer questions about Local and Organic eating, growing and buying!