I heard this “nutrition” tip recently and wish I could remember who said it to give credit! What a great mantra, “Ditch the Box, Bag & Window”. It’s been 30+ years since I’ve eaten food from a window (fast food) and we’ve not had much from a box or bag in our cupboard for years, but now I’m even more aware!
In purchasing food I’ve slowly moved from the grocery store with the occasional farmers market to my January 2024 Goal of buying most of our food from local farmers. This might sound like a dramatic shift, but looking back it was baby steps that began 35 years ago.
In the late 80s our food came from the local chain market Giant Foods. By the early 90s I began hearing buzz about organic food and moved to Fresh Fields that later became Whole Foods. I wish I could see my cart back then because it was probably loaded with plenty of boxes & bags But!!! ORGANIC!!! I had fallen prey to the marketing and didn’t connect the dots that most of these foods were processed (can be made in your kitchen like cookies) or highly processed (like puffed cheese curls that cannot be made in your kitchen) with the same amounts of sugar, fat & salt as conventional products to make them addictive.
Around 2014 I began coaching nutrition at a medical wellness center and on my 40 minute commute listened to health podcasts. When I heard an interview with Dan Buettner on The Blue Zones www.BlueZones.com I got excited. The concept of eating locally, connection to family & community, a spiritual practice and daily movement resonated with what I felt was the foundation of a healthy life.
I’m now 8 months into my “goal” and I’ll report that I’m not going back! I love the connection of supporting farmers & seeing where our food comes from. Meat has been easy to purchase with 3 local, grass fed, sustainable farmers (& one sells produce in it’s farm shop) that are convenient & also deliver, dairy (butter, kefir, milk, cheese, eggs etc.) is an easy weekly pick up in my neighborhood and produce in the summer is a no brainer. I know it won’t be as easy in the winter, but I have a solution for that - 3 weeks in the sunny Blue Zone, Nosara, Costa Rica! Two weeks in town and the third at Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort.
Many times in life what’s meant to be just shows up! In 2018 Scott & I were in Nosara, Costa Rica looking for a yoga retreat location https://bodhitreeyogaresort.com/event/simplify-connect-enjoy/ and Nosara just happens to be a Blue Zone! Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort & the Nosara community are the opportunity to re-boot food and lifestyle goals in the February when we all need a sunshine immune system boost as well.
Scott & I always travel to Nosara the week prior to the retreat to make final plans and scout out “what’s new” before the retreat group arrives. We enjoy beach sunsets followed by lovely restaurant dinners, so it’s a blend of vacation & preparation.
I’ve wanted is to live our Baltimore life in the Nosara Blue Zone and I’ve convinced Scott two weeks in town is necessary for this. With the additional time to enjoy I’ll walk to the farmers market on Tuesdays to buy the food for the week. There’s also a super mini with local meat, eggs, coffee and any other items to fill in the gaps. What I imagine is after enjoying the ocean sunset and a glass of wine we will walk back to our Air BnB and Scott will close out the day’s work remotely & I’ll make dinner with farm fresh ingredients. It will be much like our life in Baltimore. We will still have plenty of time to visit our favorite restaurants like La Brasa www.labrasaguiones.com, Olivia’s Guiones, and explore new options.
Then the gift of our third week when the retreat group arrives and we all experience the bounty of Bodhi Tree. Three meals a day that are beautifully prepared for all dietary needs with locally sourced food. Everything is made fresh with whole food ingredients. My years returning to Bodhi Tree have been a part of the inspiration of my 2024 goal. In so many ways the return to Nosara & Bodhi is always like a home coming.
Dig into the Blue Zones. And I’d also recommend The Weston A. Price Foundation www.westonaprice.org If you need tips on how to incorporate more real food into your day or need farmer resources (in Maryland) just ask! Send me an email (bethgraham1206@gmail.com) and I’m happy to share.
It’s always about how to simplify•connect•enjoy!
