Eating Healthy in 2022!
Try this easy New Year’s Resolution
Eating healthy in 2022 is a resolution you can make any time of year, but New Years always creates some extra motivation after indulging over the holidays.
Healthful seasonal eating is simpler than you think with fruit and vegetable boxes delivered to your doorstep. Here’s how to keep it easy-peasy:
1. ORDER WEEKLY
If you haven’t already signed up for Seasonal Roots, do it now and order every week. Online ordering is quick and convenient. And delivery is free to your home or office, saving you time.
By ordering every week, you’re getting local food that’s fresh from the fields. That’s why it’s loaded with healthy nutrients (not to mention flavor!)
2. AVOID SUPERMARKET MINDGAMES
Seasonal candy displays… scent machines to lure you to the bakery… “free” junk food samples… sugary cereals at kids-eye-level… oversized shopping carts… These are just some of the psychological marketing tricks that supermarkets use to fool you into filling your cart with unhealthy food.
(Read this Washington Post article for the inside scoop.)
By getting your fresh produce and other essentials and extras delivered weekly, you won’t have to go to the supermarket as often. And before you go, be sure to eat first, take a list, stick to it, and focus on stocking up on items you can store. That will make it easier to stay out of their devious clutches.
3. EAT IT RAW
The fact is, food that’s freshly picked or just-made simply tastes better. Time is the enemy, so if it’s fresh, it still has all its original flavor along with its nutrients. You don’t have to do anything fancy to it to make it taste delicious!
4. ROAST IT
If you don’t like it raw, you can still keep it simple. Set your oven at 400 degrees, chop and toss your veggies in olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper, then spread them on a baking sheet.
Roasting releases the natural sugars inside, making everything even more mouth-wateringly delicious. Depending on their size and density, your roasted veggies will be ready to eat within 20 minutes to an hour.
5. STEAM IT
Keep in mind that some nutrients are actually easier for your body to extract and process if the veggies are cooked. For example, spinach and other greens do you more good when you cook it first.
Steaming is quick and easy. Then sprinkle with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries, a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and you’ve got instant delish.
6. USE A SLOW COOKER
Too busy to cook? Just throw everything in a slow cooker, and voila, you’ve got an easy home-cooked meal and probably leftovers, too.
So eating healthy local food made from scratch doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of time in the kitchen (unless you want it to!)
(Here are some tips on how to make a slow cooker work for you.)
7. DON’T WAIT FOR SPRING TO START SEASONAL EATING
If you think there’s nothing local and healthy to eat in the winter, think again! There are plenty of superfoods among the produce we harvest in Virginia in the fall and winter, and some of them store well, too. With Seasonal Roots, it’s easy to get local food for seasonal eating year-round.
Need some motivation? Check out our Seasonal Eating Guide: Winter Edition for information about the benefits and uses of local superfoods. It’ll remind you of all yummy ways they’ll boost your health, starting right now.
ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS
Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our neighborhood market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grassfed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.
