Today – Oct 24th, 2012 is Food Day! What is Food Day? It’s a nationwide celebration and a movement toward more healthy, affordable and sustainable food. It sounds like it might be complicated, but it’s really not!
You can be part of this movement and honor healthy, affordable, sustainable food in 3 simple ways!
- Buy locally grown produce.
- Patron restaurants that purchase locally grown produce.
- Grow your own food!
We are lucky to have Cobblestone Market and the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, which has been a great partner for Food Day and in helping get producer-only markets in our area.
What are producer-only markets and retail stores? Producer only means the person who is selling the product represents the business that grew or produced the product. The nice thing about that is you can talk with the person selling to you to find out more about the product and how it was grown or made.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Programs
I’ve talked about this before, but I can’t say enough about how great it is to get a box of veggies every week. It saves me time (and money!) and means that I will eat the veggies. Don’t want them to go to waste!
CSA’s are like buying a part of a farm. You pay up front for a season of vegetables and their food is available to you weekly. To find one in your area, visit http://www.localharvest.org/csa/.
Grow Your Food
The most affordable way to eat healthily and sustainably is to grow your food! A great resource for knowing about your local soil, plants and growing seasons is the Cooperative Extension. Our local office has classes, educational materials, and a master gardener hotline. You can reach the Forsyth County Cooperative Extension at (336) 703-2850 or visit their website: http://www.co.forsyth.nc.us/ces/.
Cancer Fighting Foods
Here’s a list of the 12 most researched foods when it comes to nutrition and cancer (From the AICR’s List of Foods that Fight Cancer). Many of them are currently in season and can be grown in your own yard or in planters!
Eat at least one every day!
- Beans
- Berries
- Broccoli & Cruciferous Vegetables
- Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
- Flaxseed
- Garlic
- Grapes and Grape Juice
- Green Tea
- Soy
- Tomatoes
- Whole Grains
- Apples
Beans are a cancer-fighting food that also provides protein. Perfect for your next Meatless Monday meal!
PrintBlack Bean Chili
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Entree
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 garlic cloves (minced or crushed)
- 2 chopped onions (medium size)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste – of course, I used more!)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder … or more!
- 2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cups of frozen sweet corn
- 2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans (16 ounces each) beans — pinto, garbanzo, great northern, kidney beans, etc. — drained and rinsed
- GARNISHES: grated cheese, sour cream, green onion, or other
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute, then add chili powder and cumin and cook 2 minutes, stirring.
- Add this mixture to the crock pot along with all remaining ingredients.
- Stir well and heat until hot (20-30 minutes).
- Serve with garnishes.
Want to Know More?
Here are 2 ways you can learn more about foods, nutrition, and cancer –
- Join me on the radio (600AM WSJS in Winston-Salem; 680AM WPTF Triangle, NC) or online (click on ‘listen now’) on Nov. 4th from 8pm – 9pm for “That Cancer Show”. I’m honored to be the guest that night and the whole hour is on nutrition and cancer! For more info, click here.
- Host a “Fighting Cancer with Your Fork” session at your workplace, place of worship or community group! Contact Cancer Services at (336) 760-9983, or email me!
Happy Food Day!
– Julie
