Ah, food. It is an all time love of mine but I hate thinking about a few years ago when I wasn't so ingredient conscious and I ate processed foods with things like hydrogenated oils in them. To eat healthy and green you do not have to completely skip out on your favorite take-out chinese ,indulge in a twizzler now and then or totally get rid of the Doritos in the pantry but it does mean you should be aware of what those types of things can do to you. They can add unwanted pounds and do not give you the right kind of energy unprocessed, natural foods give you!
To be green you should eat local, organic foods. Here in CT there are many great farmers markets as well as in surrounding states. In our neighboring town of Lyme, CT there is an amazing farmers market at Ashlawn Farm than runs from spring to fall and offers fresh produce, pies, salsas and a mix of other unique things.
Ashlawn
The fresh air, the sun and great organic food is one of the many perks of coming to the farmers market at Ashlawn farm. Also, at the farm there is an AMAAZING coffee shop where you can find organic , fair-trade coffee ranging from the farm blend ( a morning coffee) to dark, bolder blends. This stuff is good, I mean deeeelish. Not to mention the yummy baked goods ,seasonal lemonade and smoothies. There is also fun clothing merchandise and other fun things that are eco-friendly. Find out more about it at www.Ashlawnfarm.com. If you eat local you know where your food is coming from. If you get it from a store ( which is fine of course!) it may be there fresh but it has traveled thousands of miles to reach that destination which is not as fresh as a farmers market or stores that sell locally grown food.
Mostly everyone loves to treat themselves once in a while ( or some more than that) and go out to a nice dinner. If you are health and green conscious you may be weary of this but many restaurants are becoming green. Check out the list of restaurants at www.dinegreen.com
Eating organic means that you are assured the foods you take in are not grown with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. These foods also are not grown with any type of hormones or antibiotics. This is good for your body and will allow you to live a healthier, longer life!
Try these things first if you are going to start eating organic because they have thinner skins and can be loaded with chemicals if not bought organic-
Strawberries, grapes, peaches, rasberries, cherries, apples
Other foods: celery, cucumber, spinach,lettuce, peppers etc.
WINE
One of the simple pleasures in life that my friends and I love to indulge in is wine. At first it was whatever we could get our hands on when we were younger, then it became the legendary box o' wine. Little did we know that there were better, tastier wines out there, but hey- we were fine with fffranzia :-) Now as I enjoy cabernet and the other girls pinot noir and grigio I find that there are great and delicious organic wines at my local liquor store! You may think these organic wines may be more expensive but they range from about $9 and up! Check your local stores for organic wine, many are adding more and more everyday.
BEER
There are also some great organic beers for those beer lovers out there. The hops and barley are grown without insecticides and herbicides-- yuck! Try www.Buttecreek.com for some ideas and check your local liquor stores too.
Buttecreek brewing company below http://www.greenwaveent.com/assets/content/images/BCB_logo_Pioneer.jpg
below: Ashlawn Farm/ coffee
(Above) Ashlawn Farmer's Market at Ashlawn Farm & Coffee shop- Lyme, Connecticut.
