Have you ever had a four-legged salmon?     Grass-fed beef has been called the “salmon of the land” because it is relatively low in saturated fat, and is brimming with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids (what you get from fish-oil). Cows were actually designed to eat grass, but due to very large corn-subsidies (your tax dollars at work) it became cheaper to feed them corn in the 60’s and 70’s. The advantage of corn feed is that it fattens the cow up quicker, getting the cow to market in half the time. The disadvantage of corn feed is that turns what should be lean, healthy meat into something packed full of saturated fat.

Are all apples created equal?     75 years ago all food was organic. It seems that organic produce has higher levels of the vitamins and minerals that your body need for optimal function. There’s 27% more vitamin C in organic produce. To put that in perspective, what if you took a 27% pay cut, or got a 27% pay raise? That would matter. It matters in your body too.

Is your dinner melting the polar ice caps?     One of the best reasons to buy local is what it can do to reduce pollution. Just think, if your green beans came from California, that is 3,000 miles worth of greenhouse gasses being pumped into the atmosphere. If you buy local, your food will only travel a small fraction of that.

What about my budget?     Local, organic and grass-fed does not necessarily mean breaking the bank. A tasty holistic breakfast that you can eat on the run: 2 hardboiled eggs ($.75 for the “expensive” eggs from an actual farm, not a factory) + an organic apple ($1.25) will cost you $2! It will give you MORE energy and help you lose fat. When you factor in what you can save down the road on medical bills and sick days and quality of life this is a BARGAIN.

Yes! Organic Market
Brookland

Timor Bodega
Bloomingdale

Josef Brandenburg is a Brookland-based fitness coach and author of The Body You Want. For more information and free workout advice go to www.thebodyyouwant.com.