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 BOOMERS' NUTRITION MISSIONEat, drink and be healthy |
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by Lynn J. KirkA stroll through Richmond’s 17th Street Farmers’ Market offers more than shopping and entertainment. It’s a lesson in healthy eating. As local growers arrange attractive displays of fresh produce, they chat about “food miles” and “certified organic.” Customers ask questions about “clean food” and “free-range” products. Parents discuss the health benefits of “raw, non-pasteurized” goat milk and cheese. And, at other booths, CSA (community-supported agriculture) signs direct member investors to bags heaping with this week’s pick of the harvest. “Until recently, the Richmond area has had little access to these concepts,” says Molly Harris, co-owner of the Edible Garden Restaurant in Goochland. Support for local farmers, as a means of eating healthier, “has been so prevalent in California, New England and other areas of the country for years . . . we hoped the trend would come to Richmond. And now it has, through the growing popularity of farmers’ markets and CSAs. This has raised curiosity about where the food we eat comes from. Now everyone is becoming more aware of how far food travels before it reaches the table. We have a better appreciation of the impact we as individuals can have in the health of our communities. “Today, our customers come to Edible Garden expecting local products,” Harris notes, “and they leave with a truer understanding that ‘fresh from the farm’ can be synonymous with great flavor, innovation and a delicious celebration of the simple pleasures of food.” Amy Hicks agrees. “Early on, in the 90s, our customer base was predominantly young adults to middle age folks. Now it spans all age groups and a larger majority of the public understands what ‘organic’ means.” Hicks, who, with her husband, owns Amy’s Garden and two USDA Certified Organic farms, has seen the “demand for organic vegetables, herbs and fresh-cut flowers . . . increasing every year. “Folks need to take advantage of local growers’ food that was harvested yesterday and traveled 30 miles — not 1,500 environmentally expensive miles,” says Hicks, noting that 40 percent of the nutritional value of produce is lost in long-distance cartage. “Local food is fresher and better for you.” Motivated to change“Folks typically begin to show interest in clean food after a bout with illness or after reading about the many benefits,” says Paul Lawler, owner/operator of Faith Farm Foods in Green Bay, Virginia. “Or they want clean food for their children, though sometimes they won’t go to the expense for themselves.” Lawler explains that his products — grass-fed beef, pastured pork and chicken, fresh, free-range eggs — are considered clean because they are all free of antibiotics and added hormones. “There’s no need for drugs for our animals since we use rotational grazing. It’s a lot of work, very labor-intensive, so it’s two or three times the cost [of conventionally produced meats and eggs]. Everything’s from our pastures to your family.” Charlie Collins, a boomer who owns Victory Farms in Hanover, gives another reason for increased interest in healthier foods and farming methods. “Boomers were the first generation to experience chemical farming [where crops are grown with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides], so they didn’t know anything different. Now we’re starting to remember the homegrown tastes from our fathers’ and grandfathers’ gardens, and we want it back.” Others are influenced by their Generation Y children. “We became vegetarians about 18 or 19 years ago when our teenager was an exchange student in Costa Rica,” says Sallie Tinney, a boomer who lives in the West End. “He wrote impassioned letters about vegetarians and how they conserve the earth by using less water, feed more people on less land and take care of animals. His letters were convincing. Plus, when he came home, it was easier fixing vegetarian dinners than several different meals.” Reflecting how times are changing, Tinney explains that, “Up until six to eight years ago, we sometimes didn’t say we were vegetarians because people thought we were crazy. Now just about every restaurant offers some dish you can eat – it’s not a problem anymore.” “Health wasn’t why we got into [vegetarianism], but now it is,” adds Sallie’s husband, Rick Tinney. “We look around and see other folks our age, and we’re happy with the path we’ve chosen.” “Eating healthy is not a trend. Fortunately, it’s becoming mainstream,” notes Lisa Granger, president of Zed Cafe in Lakeside, which specializes in locally grown, healthy fare that is celiac-, vegetarian- and vegan-friendly. “I believe that food should not deplete you of energy. Food should make you enormously energetic, it should give you life. What we feed you will make you feel good — and make you feel good about the environment!” How do you start?During Richmond’s annual Vegetarian Festival, Fredericksburg resident Lynne Wood shared the importance of informed choices influencing what you eat and drink. “The more education you have, the harder it is to eat bad because you know what it’s doing to your body,” she asserts. “The standard American diet is just that — S.A.D. I don’t know how people are still alive with what they eat.” Wood, a boomer who has been a vegetarian on and off since the early ’80s, says she’s “a big nut on healthy eating and cooking. I’ve read about this and good nutrition has become my passion. We’re probably the healthiest of our batch of friends.” “It just takes a while to get used to [a vegetarian diet],” admits her husband, Bill Wood. “You have to change your tastes and find ways to cook more flavorfully. Another challenge is being able to get and stay satisfied. Sometimes I miss the ‘chew factor.’ But then I look at America’s obesity and its various diseases — all those things are due in large part to lifestyle and cravings you carry from your childhood to adult life. Eating healthy is a gradual process. You just have to take it one step at a time.” Why select locally grown?Food that travels no more than 100 miles from field to table is typically: • fresher 17th Street Farmers’ Market runs to October 28. Weekly Growers’ and Bakers’ Market: Thursdays and Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open Heirloom Market on Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.17thstreetfarmersmarket.com The Richmond Vegetarian Festival is an annual celebration featuring an eclectic mix of vegetarian dishes from local restaurants, cooking demonstrations and entertainment. www.veggiefest.org A sampling of Richmond’s health-conscious, boomer-friendly restaurants
Terms to knowCertified organic - Produced according to certain standards and certified by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). Crops certified organic are grown without use of chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or genetic modification, and processed without artificial additives or ionizing radiation. Animals certified organic are reared without use of growth hormones or routine use of antibiotics. Clean food -Produce and meat free of added preservatives, coloring, MSG, synthetic chemicals, growth hormones, etc. CSA - Community-supported agriculture, where consumers buy local farm shares in exchange for produce supplied during the growing season. Farmers enjoy upfront capital, consumers reap nutritious fare. Food miles - Distance food travels from producer to consumer. Free-range meat - Farming husbandry where animals roam freely rather than being contained in fenced areas. Natural - Not necessarily organic, but free from artificial additives. Related websitesFor more information, visit: www.localharvest.org Lynn Kirk is a boomer and happy to be one, empty nest and all. She’s discovered newfound joy in convertible rides with her husband and quiet times in the garden, mission work and Pilates workouts, three grandkids, travel adventures across the world, and a recently realized vocation as a writer. |
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