August 2012

by Loris Sofia Gregory, Healthy Kitchen Coach, Apple Valley, MN There is absolutely no excuse for not eating your vegetables this month. Stand in the Valley Natural Foods produce department, breathe in the delightful aromas of FRESH & LOCAL and be dazzled by the bountiful healthy rainbow of pure energy. We all tend to overestimate the number of vegetable and fruit servings we eat in a day. At every meal, reserve half your plate (at least) for fresh produce. Have you or anyone you know ever been in danger of eating too many nutrient dense, calorie sparse vegetables? Go ahead and immerse yourself in bushel baskets of the earthy deep-hued beets; crisp yellow and greens summer squashes; and the dark green broccoli crowns, cucumbers, and dandelion greens, topped off with the succulent yellow, orange and red varieties of melons and you