Refresh Your Diabetes Diet With Locally Grown Produce
One excellent strategy for managing or preventing type 2 diabetes is eating plenty of whole, fresh, unprocessed foods.
Great places to find whole, fresh, unprocessed foods are local farmers markets.
This year, the first week of August (2 thru 8) is National Farmers Market Week, a great time to discover or re-visit the markets in your area.
Why Shop Farmers Markets
Farmers markets help preserve farmlands, rural livelihoods, local economies, and they promote sustainability. They help protect natural resources, promote community health, and animal welfare.
Farmers markets also increase our access to a colorful array of the fresh, nutritious foods our bodies thrive on:
- Almost half of the market vendors sell organically labeled products, and even more offer chemical or pesticide-free labeled items.
- Much of the food we buy travels, from production point to the supermarket, over 1,000 miles. Foods sold at farmers markets cannot be transported more than 200 miles, and many markets only sell produce grown within 50 miles.
- A 2015 survey of farmers who sell at local markets indicates that three out of four use farming practices consistent with organic standards, and four out of five use on-site composting, and healthy soil farming methods.
- You can purchase a wide variety of food items from local farmers: 69 percent of them vend vegetables, 53 percent offer livestock, poultry, or eggs, 47 percent sell tree nuts and fruits, and 31 percent offer various other products.
- Shopping farmers markets is generally economical. Studies in Vermont and North Carolina reveal that many market products are less expensive than at nearby supermarkets. Items are also easy to buy—many market vendors accept credit and debit cards.
- The American Fitness Index reports the number of farmers markets per capita is positively correlated to overall community health since it gives more people access to fresh veggies and fruits.
To find farmers markets in your neck of the woods go online to Local Harvest (localharvest.org), Farmers Market Online (farmersmarketonline.com), the USDA Famers Markets Directory (search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets), or Google “farmers markets in (your city).”
Sources: Farmer Market Coalition; FMC Fact Sheet
Photo credit: djjewelz
More Articles
With its slightly nutty flavor, chewy texture, and nutritional punch farro is an ancient whole grain worth a place in our pantry.
Farro...
Having diabetes is cause for concern, however it doesn’t mean that you need to eliminate all of your favorite foods from your diet completely....
With diabetes becoming more of an epidemic each and every day, being knowledgeable about the disease, its effects on the body as well as ways to...
If you’re a diabetic or live with one, it can be tough trying to figure out the best foods to eat because your priority is to control your blood...
In this post, I will show you the 10 best ice creams for diabetics.
When you think of sweetened foods that a diabetic shouldn’t consume,...
More Articles
If you’re living with diabetes, snacking is a necessity because going for more than 3-4 hours without eating can be detrimental to your health....
For diabetics, choosing healthy snacks can be a daunting task.
A good rule of thumb is to pick out snacks that are rich in protein, fiber,...
According to information available through the National Institutes of Health, there’s an estimated 462 million people in the world who are...
Eleven Clinical Studies
After eleven clinical studies and 300,000 participants, researcher Vasanti Malik and her team of researchers...
Diabetic women often have a harder time losing weight than non-diabetic women. A study funded by Jenny Craig proved that diabetic women have an...
Many recent studies have proved that magnesium levels are lower in patients with diabetes than in non-diabetics. This magnesium...
Fluid retention, also known as edema, is a problem that affects many diabetics, especially those with type 2 diabetes...
Some of us might be thrilled if we could manage our blood sugar by sitting in a hot tub or sauna, instead of working up a sweat biking, or using...
Cooking and baking with the ancient cereal grain sorghum has health benefits for people with diabetes, and those with weight control issues....
When it comes to certain foods, there are always questions as to whether or not a diabetic can have them without...
Matcha tea is a rich, creamy, full-bodied beverage with amazing nutritional properties that address several diabetes health concerns.
The...
Salads are good example of foods that type 2 diabetics can enjoy with relatively low guilt. With the right greens and other elements added, salad...
Remaining gainfully employed is important to many people. Those who live with any form of diabetes may find that some lines of work are more...
Learning that you have diabetes does mean making some lifestyle changes. One of the areas that needs attention is your diet. Most people find that...
One of the more challenging aspects of life as a type 2 diabetic is managing your diet. There’s often the temptation to avoid certain foods...