Food: cherries, peas, eggs

Now that the hubster is home I can move on. So, let's talk food. The cornerstone of eating well is knowing your food. Let's get acquainted with my most recent purchases at the farmer's market and find out why we love these things.



Cherries. These are super foods. Living here in Utah there is an abundant supply of them which makes these even more fantastic. Here is one food that is easy to eat locally. One of Cherries biggest claims to fame is the role they play in reducing inflammation. I became interested in cherries when my brother-in-law started battling gout. A great food to eat when battling swelling. I try to eat cherries daily as my family is genetically prone to arthritis. They are packed with antioxidants. We see a lot of sweet cherries available here. Tart cherries are a little richer in nutrients, but both are still healthful. They also have beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries) vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate. Additionally, cherries can be consumed in a juice form, dried or frozen with much of their nutritional value retained.




Who doesn't love fresh peas? They taste great and can keep the kids entertained. Peas have a great secret. Maybe this is well known, but I remember learning this and was amazed. Peas are full of vitamin K! Another great food for bone health. Frozen peas are a better option because of the sodium content of canned. Also, fresh peas should be refrigerated within a day of purchase as their sugar content turns into starch after that.




Have you noticed how many egg options there are in the grocery store? What do they all mean? There are a lot of hidden meanings behind the labeling. When you read "free range" what do you think of? If you are like me, I imagined these happy healthy roaming chickens outdoors for the majority of their day. By FDA standards, though, it means the chickens just need to have access to the outdoors. This could mean a small window, still never actually going outside. As I have learned more and more about eggs I have come to one conclusion: if possible, buy local. They are a little more expensive, but in the long run worth it. I can ask the farmers the conditions of the farms, if they really are free range, what they eat, sanitation etc.I know what we are consuming. It was eye-opening to see a documentary on chicken factories. The sanitation alone was awful, I actually felt bad I was feeding that to my kids. This is not a blanket statement about all egg producers. For me, It became hard to know which is the good and which is the bad. When buying locally you know. And here is a plug. I get my eggs for 3.00 a dozen at the Provo Farmer's Market, which is a great price. And if you get to know the farmers after the market is over you can go and pick up eggs in Payson for even less.