This week we’re going to take a break from our usual Chiropractic talk to discuss food! If you’re interested in healthy, organic living, Asheville is an awesome place to live. Did you know that we actually have 17 farmer’s markets in the area? We also have a strong tradition of “foodie” movements:
Field/Farm to table: A movement concerned with producing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers. It may also be associated with organic farming initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and community-supported agriculture. Farm-to-table chefs have increasingly come to rely upon extremely fresh ingredients that have been barely modified, sometimes presented raw just a few feet from where they grew. Generally, the farm-to-table chefs rely on traditional farmhouse cooking, and may refer to their preparations as “vernacular food” or “peasant food”, with its emphasis on freshness, seasonality, local availability, and simple preparations.
Slow Food Movement: an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem.
Free-Range Farming: a method of farming husbandry where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner.
* There are new studies showing that grass-fed dairy has health benefits. New Harvard studies have shown that cows on a diet of fresh grass produce milk with five times as much of an unsaturated fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than do cows fed processed grains. Studies in animals have suggested that CLAs can protect the heart, and help in weight loss. (Read the full details of the study.)
*Grass-fed beef is typically leaner (meaning they are lower in fat and calories) than regular beef. While it is low in “bad” fat (including saturated fat), it “gives you from two to six times more of a type of “good” fat called “omega-3 fatty acids.” – AmericanGrassFedBeef.com
Heirloom Farming: a trend towards heirloom gardening, using older species for food production instead of the current Big Agra varieties.
Visit ExploreAshville.com to find out more about Asheville’s Foodtopian Society. From their website:
“This Foodtopian culture in Asheville has gained significant support and momentum as both residents and visitors to the area insist on cuisine that is local and fresh with a twist on regional specialties and indigenous foods of Southern Appalachia. As an innate part of our collective mountain spirit, we thrive on self-subsistence and a fiercely independent take on the good life. Strong grassroots support for locally grown food, keeps the movement connected to the community. If we are what we eat, Asheville lives what it eats.
