Sodexo at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center: Farmer's Market by guest blogger- Rebecca Bradley, MS, RD, LDN, CDE, Clinical Nutrition Manager/Renal Nutrition Specialist, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center

Guest Blogger-

Rebecca Bradley, MS, RD, LDN, CDE

Clinical Nutrition Manager/Renal Nutrition Specialist

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center

Farmers’ Markets will be starting up soon, featuring spring greens and continuing on throughout the summer with a dazzling sequence of fresh vegetables and fruits. Many markets also feature grass fed meats, fresh fish, free range eggs, milk, honey, maple syrup, and prepared foods.

There are many advantages to purchasing food at farmers’ markets. The most obvious is that the food is fresh and produced in the local area. It is picked at its peak condition, and provides the most nutrients, as there is no loss from delay in transporting from the field to the consumer. Purchasing at the markets supports the local economy and saves the cost of packaging and transportation, reducing the carbon footprint. Many items available are organic, and may be more affordable than organic foods purchased at supermarkets. There are likely to be more varieties of foods available, and the farmers are happy to help with suggestions for preparation and serving. Some farmers welcome consumers to their farms, and this allows children to appreciate where their food comes from.

To find a farmers’ market in your area, look at these web pages:
https://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/
http://agriculture.nh.gov/publications-forms/documents/farmers-market-directory.pdf

Another resource for fresh fruits and vegetables is the Community Supported Agriculture. http://www.localharvest.org/ provides information on CSAs in the area where you live. As with farmers’ markets, there are different types of CSAs and different arrangements to suit consumers’ needs. Lahey Hospital & Medical Center offers shares in a CSA each spring.

If you are working at Lahey Health, watch out for "The Post" for more information.