Aly Marks is a summer intern at the Eat Well Guide. She is a senior at the University of Michigan pursuing a degree in Communication Studies and Italian. Her interests include eating organically, sustainable food policy and hiking.
“Eating locally and shopping at your local farmers’ market is the way to go,” stresses Carol Wasserman. A personal chef with a background in macrobiotics, and holistic nutritionist who helps people improve their lifestyle with whole, natural foods, Wasserman joined me to discuss the benefits of eating locally.
“It’s better for your health because you are getting all of the nutrients in your area and everything is fresh,” she said. For the same reasons, she urges her clients to shop at their local farmers’ market and support their local farmers.
In addition to working with clients on nutritional issues, Wasserman uses her cooking show,“Get Healthy With Carol,” to demonstrate how to cook locally grown, sustainably produced foods and add more vegetables to dishes. When asked what she prefers to cook, she exclaimed, “I love cilantro! I also make a lot of whole grain salads with barley and quinoa and I mix whatever vegetables I have in the salad with some toasted sesame oil to top it off.” Yum!
Wasserman gets a lot of questions about how to eat well when pressed for time. “I tell everyone to take one day a week and go to the farmers’ market. Cook a big pot of a whole grain or beans and it should last all week. Do what you can. Take baby steps!” She emphasized the exciting trend of more and more restaurants sourcing locally, and offered advice on eating locally while dining out.
“The key is to be aware and ask questions. Ask if the food a restaurant serves is local or organic. Eventually, the more people who inquire will give them the push to source locally,” she says.
Wasserman is working on a cookbook that will feature recipes based on whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Moreover, she is trying “to get more people to eat their veggies” and stresses to everyone that they should “do whatever they can” to eat and shop locally.
3 responses so far ↓
1 rebecca // Jul 14, 2009 at 5:05 pm
here here!! great interview:)
2 Karla @ Mom's Potluck // Jul 14, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I like the idea of the grain salads – I will have to try that. I make a wild rice casserole in the fall that is probably not much different.
I try for local and seasonal as much as possible, but today I passed on local berries for organic pears and bananas that were more affordable and will last longer. Later my kids and I will go raspberry picking. I try to remember what Wasserman says, “baby steps” and “do what you can.”
3 Rany // Jul 27, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Consuming fresh local organic ingredients from your farmers market will save you money and time.
Most conventional stores will provide fresh, local organic but at a cost.. Significantly higher than the your farmers market. The beauty about the farmers … is that the produce is harvested sometimes a couple of days to the night before… prior to being sold at the market verses stores couple of weeks? Why would you not wish to support local farmers for their commitment for fresh produce for you and your family?
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