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Butte County first graders enjoy ‘ricetastic’ day at local farm
UC Cooperative Extension advisors, educators join growers in showcasing rice production
When Tracy Schohr volunteered in her son's pre-K class a couple years ago, she was stunned to find out that only two of the 20 children had ever been around a tractor. And this was in the rural Butte County community of Gridley, in the heart of California's rice-growing region.
Seeking to introduce more young children to agriculture, Schohr – the University of California Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor for the area – and her friend Lisa Donati created an event to showcase rice farming.
After the debut of “Ricetastic Day” last year with about 140 students from Gridley in attendance, this year's event on Sept. 19 attracted more than 240 schoolchildren – this time from across south Butte County.
First graders from McKinley Primary School in Gridley, Manzanita Elementary School, Biggs Elementary School and Richvale Elementary School – along with their teachers and many family members – enjoyed hands-on experiences at Schohr's rice and cattle ranch.
“There's a dwindling population that produces the food that we eat across America, so how can we have more people know, appreciate and love agriculture if we don't give them that opportunity?” said Schohr. “That's what this day is really about – to teach them about rice, to teach them about their community, how healthy rice can be, and how the farming and ranching can also create habitat for wildlife. It's all-encompassing.”
Event stations share different aspects of rice
Schohr, who grew up on the family ranch in Gridley, remembers coming with her McKinley schoolmates for a visit. But those field trips had comprised only lunch and a quick “drive-through” tour of the historic farming operation.
For Ricetastic Day, however, Schohr organized – with generous help from local growers and community partners – a more comprehensive half-day of activities. After her brother, Ryan Schohr, welcomed the participants to the family farm, the students formed groups that were led by Gridley FFA youth on a rotation through a variety of stations.
At the milling station, Luis Espino, UCCE rice farming systems advisor, demonstrated how his mini mill machines remove the husks from rough rice to make brown rice, and then polish away the bran layer to make white rice. He had the children see and feel the difference as the rice moved through processing.
“I didn't even know brown rice existed!” exclaimed Elsie, a first grader at McKinley.
A native of Peru, Espino came to study agriculture through his lifelong fascination with biology and living things – and he said events like Ricetastic Day can inspire a similar passion in young people.
“It might spark their curiosity so that they might go into these areas of work in the future or have a career in agriculture, when they see that people do this for a living,” Espino said.
Ray Stogsdill, another McKinley school alumnus, returned to Gridley after college to pursue just such a career. A staff research associate in the lab of UC Davis professor Bruce Linquist, Stogsdill manages on-farm rice variety testing across the region. He volunteered to help Schohr with Ricetastic Day by talking about some of the heavy equipment and providing his perspective for the kids.
“They drive by the fields and they don't know what's out there,” he said. “This gives them a chance to know what they're driving by, so they can say, ‘We have rice here and this is how it works; this is how it grows.' It gives them an idea of what's going on around them.”
Where rice fits within a healthy diet was the focus for the CalFresh Healthy Living, UC Cooperative Extension team, comprising nutrition educators Sunshine Hawjj, Joanna Aguilar and Kenia Estrada, as well as community nutrition, health and food security advisor Veronica VanCleave-Hunt. They talked about how rice – like other grains in that vital food group – gives people energy, and then taught the students an energetic “ricetastic” movement activity.
“Because our program is part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, it's important to make the connection between where our food comes from and how it gets on our plate – especially with young kids, so that we can promote value for our local agriculture and our food systems,” VanCleave-Hunt explained.
Activities spark further conversations, learning about agriculture
With rice harvest late due to late planting in the spring, Eric Waterbury of Waterbury Farms was able to take some time to attend the event. Although his family has been growing rice for three generations, he said he appreciates opportunities for the broader community to see all aspects of his work – from the equipment to the processing.
“If the kids walk away from this with one thing, I hope it's that they realize every time they have a meal, somebody was out there working hard to provide that meal,” he said. “It wasn't just the person at the grocery store that provided it for them.”
Schohr added that Ricetastic Day was only possible through the support of the community. Butte County Farm Bureau and Natural Resources Conservation Service staff helped kids make art with colorful dyed rice; neighboring farmer Tinker Storm described how the harvester and “bankout” wagon work; and rice farmers Shelley Beck and Sue Orme read aloud “Daddy's Got Dirt: A California Rice Story,” a children's book written by a local rice grower.
With rice at the center of physical activities, arts and crafts, and science lessons for the day, the students learned a lot to take home.
“It's nice that the kids got these hands-on learning experiences,” said Ryan Schohr, “so they can go home tonight and, at the dinner table, talk about it with their parents or brothers and sisters, over dinner or over homework – and share what they learned here on the farm and about their community.”
Rebecca Christy, a first- and second-grade teacher at Biggs Elementary, said she is excited to return to the classroom and hear from her students about all that they learned during the day.
“Every morning right now I'm seeing the big trucks going by our school, and so I'll be able to point that out to them, ‘Where are they going? What are they doing?'” she said. “I can't wait to get back to school and let them tell me about all of this.”
One of her students, Ximena, was finishing her brownbag lunch as the group watched one of the Schohr Ranch harvesters rumble over the field. Despite enjoying a rice cake and a rice cracker earlier, she said her meal was missing one thing.
“Where is my rice, Miss Christy?” she said. “I want rice!”
Rachel Surls has cultivated a healthier LA County through gardens
UC Cooperative Extension advisor who promotes school gardens, urban agriculture to retire after 35-year career
A stroll through a leafy, green garden can give one temporary relief from life's harshness. During her career, Rachel Surls has used gardens to cultivate healthier communities, whether they are growing nutritious food or providing science lessons for students.
Over the past 35 years, Surls, University of California Cooperative Extension sustainable food systems advisor in Los Angeles County, has witnessed many changes – such as promoting public events on Instagram rather than typing and mailing press releases. A comforting and consistent presence has been the UC Master Gardener Program, part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
“As I look back, the UC Master Gardener Program has been a constant in my work. It helps so many people,” said Surls, who joined UCCE as a school and community garden coordinator in 1988.
“My new job with UCCE-LA was my dream job. I organized community gardens around the county and supported teachers who wanted to start school gardens,” recalled the Michigan native, who plans to retire at the end of the year. “I had a bachelor's degree in agronomy and was freshly out of a stint with the U.S. Peace Corps in rural Honduras. My work there inspired me to pursue community development work related to gardening.”
Louisa R. Cardenas, trustee of Los Angeles County Natural History Museums, was a UC Master Gardener volunteer for 25 years.
“Among Rachel's many skills and assets are her willingness to listen to and consider ideas from Master Gardeners that eventually reach and empower Los Angeles County residents to grow food that supplements their nutritional needs,” Cardenas said.
To complement the nascent UC Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles County, Surls organized “Gardening Angels,” a cadre of volunteers to work with teachers and students to develop school gardens. She edited a guide for teachers, parents and volunteers to build gardens for children.
“I met Rachel in 1992 and was so blessed to come up through the ranks with her,” said Rose Hayden-Smith, UCCE emeritus advisor in digital communications in food systems and extension education. “We were in neighboring counties, and had many similar programmatic interests, including school gardens. Her research informed my work and was so helpful to me.”
Advancing food security, community nutrition
In 1994, after earning her master's degree from Cal Poly Pomona in agricultural science with a focus on agricultural education, Surls accepted a newly created position: UC Cooperative Extension urban horticulture advisor.
To retain Los Angeles County funding in 1992, the UCCE staff had become part of the county's Housing Authority/Community Development Commission. As the UCCE urban horticulture advisor, Surls was tasked with developing gardens at five public housing sites. At one of these locations, Carmelitos Housing Development in Long Beach, she worked with community partners to select landscape trees, hire a greenhouse contractor and design a horticulture job training program for public housing residents. This site became known as the Growing Experience Urban Farm.
“I'm pleased that 29 years later, the Growing Experience is still an active community farm where UC Master Gardeners offer workshops for the community,” Surls said.
In 1997, when George Rendell retired as director of UCCE in Los Angeles County, Surls applied for the job. For the next 14 years, she oversaw more than 70 employees and local programs, including the 4-H youth development program, which launched afterschool, hands-on learning for children.
Surls, who participated in 4-H herself as a child, worked closely with 4-H funders. She helped secure grants, contracts and gifts for 4-H as well as the UC Master Gardener Program and UCCE nutrition programs for projects that encouraged Angelenos to eat more fruits and vegetables.
“Rachel was incredibly creative and innovative as a leader,” said Hayden-Smith, who served as director of UCCE in Ventura County. “Rachel models a kind of quiet leadership that invites people into the process, honors the group and moves work forward in important ways.”
While working, Surls earned her Ph.D. in higher education administration at Claremont Graduate University in 2008, with an eye on pursuing other leadership roles. Instead, the global financial crisis inspired her return to working directly with Los Angeles County residents on urban gardening to reduce food insecurity.
To focus on outreach, the UCCE sustainable food systems advisor handed her UCCE director duties to Keith Nathaniel, UCCE 4-H advisor, at the end of 2011.
Developing, sharing resources for urban farming and gardens
In 2012, she organized colleagues within UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and community partners to study the needs of urban farmers and begin offering workshops for them. She led the development of an urban agriculture website, with resources covering business management, food safety, marketing and regulations. She served on the leadership board of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council and began advising cities on policies that would make it easier for residents to grow food.
“These have been my favorite and most productive years of my career,” Surls said.
Drawing on skills she began honing as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech as a news writer for the Virginia Extension Service, Surls co-authored a book about the history of agriculture in Los Angeles County, called “From Cows to Concrete: The Rise and Fall of Farming in Los Angeles.” She is currently working on a second book about urban farming in the U.S.
The Grow LA Gardens Initiative – which helps aspiring gardeners start their own gardens quickly – is one source of pride for Surls. Hundreds of people have taken the four-week course and, after participating, nearly 70% planted gardens.
In 2018, Surls was honored with the Bradford-Rominger award by the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis for her work promoting community gardens, school gardens and urban agriculture.
With community gardens and school gardens now commonplace, Surls chuckles as she recalls veteran UCCE colleagues advising her to choose a more “serious” academic focus early in her career.
“It's gratifying to see so many people in academia working on farming in cities, school gardens and community gardens,” Surls said.
Advocating for equity
In 2022, while Surls was on sabbatical, she and Cardenas – the longtime UC Master Gardener volunteer – requested and received $100,000 from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to hire an equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator and to fund outreach. This UC Master Gardener project championed by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl specifically reaches underserved populations within the county. “Such a significant achievement would not have been possible without Rachel's encouragement and support,” Cardenas said.
After she retires, Surls plans to volunteer her expertise for online training of UC Master Gardener volunteers statewide. To support their program efforts including outreach to the Spanish-speaking community and scholarships for underserved communities, Surls has pledged to give $5,000 as a matching gift to donations to the UC Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles between Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28, and Dec. 31 at https://ucanr.edu/LAmastergardener.
Productores obtienen ideas para ahorrar en mano de obra durante el Día de la Uva en UC
¿Reemplazarán algún día las máquinas el romántico cultivo a mano de uvas para vino? Un viñedo “sin contacto” es parte de la investigación más reciente sobre escasez de mano de obra, malezas y manejo de plagas, realizada por científicos de Extensión Cooperativa de UC y discutida durante el Día de la Uva, celebrado el pasado 6 de junio en la estación Oakville de UC Davis, localizada en el epicentro de la región vitivinícola de California.
Aproximadamente 200 productores de uva para vino, asesores vinícolas y otras personas de la industria asistieron con el fin de conocer lo más reciente en investigaciones de Extensión Cooperativa de UC. Administradores vinícolas de bodegas como Fork in the Road y Pine Ridge Vineyards, a compañías vitivinícolas de Fortune 500, como Constellation Brands, se reunieron en el viñedo experimental de la estación de investigaciones. Varios representantes de compañías de equipo para viñedos trajeron consigo sus máquinas para demostrar las habilidades que tienen para sacar maleza, podar y cuidar del dosel.
Abordando la escasez de mano de obra
Para ayudar a los productores a atraer y retener a los trabajadores agrícolas, Monica Cooper, asesora de Extensión Cooperativa de UC para el condado de Napa, y su asistente de investigación, Malcolm Hobbs, llevan a cabo un sondeo entre los trabajadores agrícolas para determinar los factores que afectan su satisfacción laboral. Determinaron que el número de mujeres empleadas se ha incrementado rápidamente en el condado de Napa a partir del 2013. “Las mujeres podrían estarse moviendo al grupo de trabajadores para llenar las vacantes dejadas por la reducción de trabajadores hombres que inmigran a USA en busca de trabajo agrícola”, señaló Cooper.
Ellos planean proveer a las compañías que participan con recomendaciones personalizadas para reclutar y retener a los empleados.
“También generaremos un resumen genérico que compartiremos ampliamente con participantes y no participantes al final del estudio. Por ahora, no podemos llegar a conclusiones o recomendaciones generales porque la recopilación de información continua”, manifestó Cooper. “Nuestro objetivo es distribuir nuestro reporte final este invierno, así que estén al pendiente”.
Para ayudar a los productores a reducir la necesidad de mano de obra, el especialista en viticultura de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, Kaan Kurtural,diseñó un viñedo de demostración “sin contacto” que es manejado mecánicamente. El viñedo mecanizado es uno de seis sistemas de espalderas que estudia en torno al uso de agua, el uso eficiente de nitrógeno y producción y calidad del fruto en la uva para vino.
“Siempre buscamos formas de mejorar la producción y calidad y reducir el costo”, dijo Francisco Araujo, director de viticultura para Atlas Vineyard Management. “Ante la escasez de mano de obra a la que nos enfrentamos ahora, Kaan explora nuevos sistemas de producción que incluyen nuevas espalderas, mecanización, diferentes tipos de mecanización desde poda hasta aclareo de brotes y retiro de brotes del tronco. El experto obtiene información actualmente sobre cómo es que estos nuevos sistemas de espalderas influirán en la producción y calidad”.
El experimento del viñedo que no requiere de pizca a mano empezó primero como una demostración, pero con el interés de los productores, se convirtió en un proyecto de investigación completo.
“Empezó como una forma de ahorrar dinero en el costo de mano de obra, pero cuando empezamos a ver el aspecto fisiológico de cómo crecen estas plantas, vimos los beneficios desde el punto de vista de calidad, además del ahorro en mano de obra”, indicó Kurtural, quien tiene su base en el Departamento de Viticultura y Enología de UC Davis.
Un viñedo tradicional en el área de Napa se encuentraproximadamente a 36 pulgadas sobre el suelo con los brotes verticales fijos con alambres, los cuales se mueven manualmente.
Ahorro de agua
“Dijimos, ‘¿por qué no invertimos en el sistema?' Cultivamos todos los troncos altos y colocamos todos los cordones bilaterales a alrededor de 62 pulgadas sobre el suelo del viñedo, de esa manera, podemos acercar más las hileras”, dijo Kurtural, quien supervisa el viñedo experimental de 40 acres en Oakville. Las hojas crecen hacia abajo para generar la misma área de hojas de un viñedo tradicional, pero las hojas en el viñedo mecanizado usan el agua de manera más eficiente, por lo que el viñedo sin contacto requiere menos agua comparado con los sistemas de viñedos tradicionales.
“Este es un sistema denso, es de 1.5 metros por dos metros, casi 1,340 plantas por acre – hasta aquí estamos utilizando de un tercio a un cuarto de acre pie de agua”, agregó Kurtural.
“Ahora, nos cuesta alrededor de un dólar la operación de mano de obra para el manejo de cada planta en un viñedo tradicional de casi 1,300 plantas por acre en Costa Norte”, senaló Kurtural. “Las plantas que no requieren ser tocadas nos están costando alrededor de siete centavos en operación de mano de obra”.
“El mayor gasto es la podada, después de ello, pasamos por lo que se conoce como deschuponado de los troncos, lo cual aquí se hace también de manera mecánica y después de eso se realiza la remoción de brotes para abrir el dosel. Eso también se hace de manera mecánica. Después, si se necesita, se retiran hojas, algo que también se hace de manera mecánica. Y un último recurso, si la cosecha es mucha, se sacude el exceso de bayas con una cosechadora”.
El sistema convencional produce cinco a seis toneladas por acre, mientras que el viñedo mecanizado produce de siete a ocho toneladas por acre.
“Estos racimos producen mucho menos bayas que un viñedo manejado tradicionalmente a mano, pero el tamaño de las bayas es también muy pequeño, algo que a los productores de vino les gusta”, explicó el experto.
Durante la cosecha, las uvas que son pizcadas por una máquina son clasificadas a bordo de la cosechadora para que lleguen al vinario en tamaños uniformes, mientras que las uvas cosechadas a mano, tienen que ser clasificadas en una charola antes de ser colocadas en el tanque de la prensa.
“Producimos vinos esta uva el año pasado y los comparamos con los de viñedos tradicionales. No fue hasta que les dijimos a la gente de qué se trataba, que pudieron distinguir entre la calidad de la fruta o el vino”.
Manejo de malezas y plagas
John Roncoroni, asesor sobre plagas para granjeros de UCCE en el condado de Napa, habló sobre el control de malezas en las parras jóvenes.
En el pasado, muchas de los viñedos eran fumigados para el control de enfermedades antes de plantar y eso también ofrecía un control contra las malezas para las parras jóvenes.
“Con la pérdida de la mayoría de los fumigantes que se usaban en los viñedos, con frecuencia se hacía el deshierbe a mano”, dijo Roncoroni. “Un incremento en el costo y una reducción en la mano de obra han hecho del deshierbe a mano algo impráctico. El cultivo mecánico, en este punto, es muy impreciso, ya sea que deja malezas muy cerca de las parras jóvenes o causa daño al acercarse mucho a ellas”.
Las cubiertas en las parras jóvenes permiten el uso de muchos herbicidas post surgimiento para controlar las malezas, pero Roncoroni advirtió que la aplicación de los herbicidas post surgimiento en las parras que no están protegidas por corteza madura podrían dañar o hasta matar a las parras.
“El uso de herbicidas en las parras de menos de tres años es un proyecto arriesgado”, manifestó Roncoroni. “Siga todos los requerimientos de la etiqueta, poniendo atención especial a las recomendaciones del suelo y riego”.
Lynn Wunderlich, asesor de Extensión Cooperativa de UC para Central Sierra y Franz Niederholzer, asesor de Extensión Cooperativa de UC para los condados de Colusa, Sutter y Yuba, hicieron una demostración sobre cómo calibrar los rociadores y obtener un rocío uniforme cuando se aplican fungicidas.
En el 2016, los investigadores de UC Davis identificaron un membrácido de la alfalfa (Three-cornered alfalfa hopper), Spissistilus festinus, como vector del virus de la mancha roja del viñedo (Grapevine red blotch virus). Cindy Preto, candidata al doctorado del Departamento de Entomología y quien asiste a los científicos de UC que estudian la biología del membrácido de la alfalfa y plantas huéspedes, ofreció un resumen de su investigación.
Araujo, el asesor en viticultura, dijo que él y sus colegas valoran la investigación de la universidad. “El Valle de Napa es un lugar donde la calidad es fundamental, sin embargo, cada vez más y más nos enfrentamos a una escasez de mano de obra, tenemos inflación y los costos de producción se están incrementando”, indicó. “Si encontramos formas de obtener una calidad máxima junto a niveles de producción eso pagará por el incremento en los costos de producción, es la única manera que podemos ser sustentables ahora y en el futuro”.
Los costos de mano de obra son de siete centavos por parra en el manejo de un viñedo “sin contacto”, comparado con un dólar en un viñedo convencional, indicó Kaan Kurtural, especialista de Extensión Cooperativa de UC.
Los granjeros cuentan con la ayuda de UC para calcular los costos de producción de la frambuesa
A los granjeros que estén considerando plantar un nuevo cultivo y empiecen a calcular los gastos e ingresos, la ayuda por parte de la Universidad de California, podría venirles bien. Un estudio sobre costos y rendimientos en la producción comercial de frambuesas, dado a conocer por el Centro de Asuntos Agrícolas y Extensión Cooperativa de ANR de UC, incluye una sección amplia en torno a la mano de obra.
El reporte titulado Ejemplo de los costos para producir y cosechar frambuesas para el mercado de productos frescos de la región central de la costa –2017 (Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Fresh Market Raspberries in the Central Coast Region – 2017), ofrece ejemplos sobre el costo que conlleva establecer, producir y cosechar frambuesas para el mercado de productos frescos de los condados de Santa Cruz, Monterey y San Benito.
“El estudio se enfoca en muchas de las complejidades y costos de la producción de la frambuesa primocane durante un periodo de tres años, incluyendo el establecimiento del cultivo, prácticas de fertilidad, gastos generales, cosecha y el costo creciente de la mano de obra”, manifestó Mark Bolda, asesor de granjas de Extensión Cooperativa de UC y coautor del estudio.
El análisis se basa en una operación agrícola hipotéticamente bien administrada que utiliza prácticas comunes para la región. Los costos, materiales y prácticas mostradas en este estudio no se aplican a todas las granjas. Los granjeros, los asesores de Extensión Cooperativa de UC y otros colaboradores agrícolas aportaron información y evaluaron los métodos y resultados del estudio.
“Este estudio sobre costos y rendimientos es el resultado de un esfuerzo significativo por parte de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, el Centro de Asuntos Agrícolas y varios colaboradores agrícolas y de la industria quienes compartieron sus experiencias y contribuyeron enormemente al producto final”, dijo Laura Tourte, asesora de administración agrícola de Extensión Cooperativa de UC y coautora del estudio.
Esta investigación supone la existencia de una granja del tamaño de 45 acres continuos de tierra alquilada. Las frambuesas se encuentran plantadas en una superficie de 42 acres. Este cultivo se cosecha a mano en charolas de 4.5 libras. Hay una cosecha en otoño durante la producción del primer año, una en la primavera y otra en el otoño del segundo año y una en la primavera del tercer año. Cada cosecha tiene una duración de tres meses.
Los autores describen las estimaciones usadas para identificar los gastos actuales del material de producción y rendimientos. Las tablas muestran los calendarios para el salario mínimo de California y las leyes del pago por tiempo extra hasta el 2022. Otras tablas muestran los costos mensuales en efectivo, costos y rendimientos por acre, costos del equipo por hora y del equipo de la granja al año, costos de inversión y costos generales de la empresa.
Usted puede obtener una copia gratuita del estudio en inglés “Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Fresh Market Raspberries in the Central Coast Region - 2017” descargándolo en el sitio Web del Departamento de Agricultura y Recursos Económicos de UC Davis. En este mismo sitio puede también encontrar estudios sobre el costo de producción de otros productos básicos.
El programa para los estudios sobre costos y rendimientos es financiado por el Centro de Asuntos Agrícolas y Extensión Cooperativa de UC, siendo ambos parte de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de UC y del Departamento de Agricultura y Recursos Económicos de UC Davis.
Para más información o para obtener una explicación sobre el tipo de cálculos usados en los estudios, póngase en contacto con el Centro de Asuntos Agrícolas llamando al (530) 752-4651 o a los asesores de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, Mark Bolda en el (831) 763-8025 o Laura Tourte al (831) 763-8005, condado de Santa Cruz.
The joy of eating green: Ten things you should know about saving money and eating healthier
You're famished. The potato chips look good. The glazed doughnuts look even better. And that chocolate candy bar? To die for.
Bring ‘em on!
No, wait a minute. Let's get real, let's get green and let's get healthy. And let's save some money.
Nutritionist Amy Block Joy, Cooperative Extension specialist emeritus, teaches a University of California, Davis, freshman class on “Eating Green” and we asked her for the 10 best ways to save money and eat healthier.
Joy, who holds a doctorate in nutritional sciences from UC Berkeley, specializes in nutrition and health disparities of diverse populations and nutritional ecology, as well as workplace ethics.
Her advice needs to be posted on every refrigerator in the country. (Along with that shopping list!)
- Shop with a list: Using a list will keep you focused on meal planning and reduce the temptation to buy unneeded items.
- Don't shop when you're hungry: Temptation is high when you're hungry. Eat first and you'll be less inclined to spend extra dollars on those food items placed near the check-out stand that are high in calories and fat and low in nutrition. That would be snacks! Try shopping after a meal and you will find yourself less tempted by those chocolate-covered pretzels!
- Read the nutrition facts label: When shopping for the healthiest foods, you should read the nutrition fact labels to check out fat, calories, fiber, carbohydrates and sodium. Aim for low-fat, high-fiber foods that have essential vitamins and minerals. For example, if you want the best source of fiber - buy fresh oranges and eat them raw rather than selecting orange juice. However, if you want juice, be sure that you are getting real juice. And, some juices are now fortified with calcium - a big plus for increasing your calcium intake if you are not drinking milk.
Please don't pass by the peas. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) - Read the ingredient lists: The ingredient list will provide important clues on products that you'll want to include in your diet. One of them is to look for whole grains. The information on the product may make you think the product is "natural" but what does that really mean? Not much because the phrase you want to look for is the "USDA organic" label. With so many choices of breads these days, you'll want to find ones that have whole grains and fiber. Find the information by reading the label (compare fiber amounts) and ingredients (look for "whole" grains).
- Compare prices: Supermarkets provide price-comparison information located by their products. You can compare the "unit" costs so that you'll be able to determine the lowest cost of the product. Two words of caution: products "on sale" may not be the best bargains.
Asparagus is part of going green. There's also a white variety now. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) - Shop the perimeter of the store: Marketing experts have placed the healthiest foods at the farthest corners of the store so that the shopper has to stroll through the other items before finding fruits and vegetables, protein sources (poultry, meats), dairy products and cereal products.
- Think protein: Buy meat and poultry on sale and use these foods to make stews, soups and chili. This way you can stretch these more expensive food sources. Beans are a great source of protein and are low fat and high in fiber.
- Plan meals ahead: The best way to save money is to plan your meals in advance. Buying unprocessed foods will improve your health and also save money. It costs to add preservatives, food additives and packaging of products that you, the consumer, are paying for. It's much cheaper to buy rice in bulk rather than already prepared rice products. Brown rice contains more fiber than white rice.
- Cook! Your grandmother was right. Food prepared from scratch will taste better, be healthier and save money. Research has shown that cooking not only saves money but improves nutrition.
- Enjoy! Food is meant to be a pleasant happy experience. Don't forget to enjoy it!
So, the next time you're racing out the door on your way to the supermarket, be sure to eat first so you're not tempted by foods that you know aren't good for you.
And that shopping list? You can also key that in on your cell phone so neither the list, nor your phone, will get left behind.
Meanwhile, we all ought to follow Amy Block Joy's great advice on saving money, eating green, and being healthier.
As I wrote on one of my college essays, "We have a choice in the matter and it matters that we have a choice."
The produce aisle is a good place to "go green and eat healthier." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Grocery stores usually place fruits and vegetables around the perimeter. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Broccoli--a food everyone should love. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
