'Tis the season for Farmers Markets .. Eat Well .. Brush .. Floss .. and flash that Healthy Smile!

Sharing this one with you ..  From: Judith Mabel, RD, PhD  NutritionBoston.com

Farmer's  markets will be opening soon. These markets will have on display beautiful  arrays of fresh produce and also carry other items such as baked goods, fish,  meats, and eggs that are locally made or produced.                                                                                                      Some of the produce will say  "organic", "natural", or "integrated pest management  (IPM)". What do these terms mean? Organic means that the food has been  grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. These foods tend to  contain the least amount of toxic metals and unwanted chemicals. Because the  yield is a bit smaller and the labor hours are larger, organic foods tend to  be more expensive. However, the more we can support organic farmers, the less  this price gap will become.
There is one other item that  increases the cost of organic food and that is that the organic farmers have  to pay for their own testing to prove that they have followed the proper  protocols. Some local farmers choose not to do that so instead they label  their crops IPM. Other farmers find that doing one chemical spraying is  necessary to secure the crop. This is also labeled as IPM. These foods have  less chemicals than produce that is conventionally grown. Ask and they will  tell you.

Conventionally grown food  found in farmer's markers are usually fresher than the food grown in the  supermarket. They will have varying degrees of chemical or fertilizer  exposure.
Find your nearest  farmer's market ....     http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/FMFM_Main.aspx

No matter what you buy, you  know your food dollars are going to support local small farmers and other  local food producers!