What's In Your Cart?

With the warm weather in the air, I am anticipating the fresh local food that comes along with the change in season. I can already taste the asparagus and morels as spring produces her first culinary treats. The ability to buy fresh local fare reminds me how important it is to eat with the seasons, and to always eat fresh food. Sometimes Feburary and March get pretty bleak and expensive as far as produce goes. The warm weather brings hope of blossoming gardens, farmers markets, and CSA’s (community supported agriculture).

Fresh produce becomes more abundant and more affordable in the warm weather. The difference between frozen vegetables and fresh vegetables is night and day. Fresh vegetables are more nutritious for you and taste better. Buying local fresh fare also supports the local economy. We get one chance at honoring our bodies and enjoying what is already around us. One expression of self love is choosing healthy nutritious food that has been handled with care and slowly grown in an organic environment. Being mindful of the food you choose and the people you buy it from further strengthens our connection to the community and earth.

I always thought that I was a healthy eater, but in my early twenties, I noticed I was choosing food that was organic, but processed just as much as any non-organic food item. I looked at my cart and it was full of beautifully designed boxes and cans, but not a lot of fresh veggies or fruit. I slowly started to change this trend. It was inconvenient and took more time, so I admit, I cheated a lot. But the more aware I became of my body and my health, the more I realized that cheating wasn’t really worth it anymore. I was usually left feeling bloated and had low energy. The cleaner my body became, the cleaner she demanded my diet become.

Despite the resistance and battle I put up, my health won. My body had to do a lot to get my attention, but in the end, with all the trouble and time included, it has been worth it. Now I can put about anything together and make a decent meal on a whim. It’s been 10 years that I have been cooking for myself and people no longer fear receiving a meal from me- they actually look forward to it. My mum even trusts me to bring a few dishes to family gatherings from time to time (this is saying a lot if you know my mum).

Now when I look in my cart, it looks like a beautiful array of vegetables, colorful ripe fruit, fresh herbs and sprouts along with heaping bags of nu ts, seeds and many other odds and ends. I knew I had made great strides when a new friend of mine opened my fridge and said “It looks like you are growing a garden in here,” and all I had to say was “Thank you.” So, I have two questions for you: What does your fridge look like? And, what’s in your cart?

Chandon Williams CA, CMT, CH