On Saturday, August 27, I will be participating in an “Ask the Nutritionist” webinar hosted by Marilyn Farms. In this free one-hour session, participants can send in questions and I will answer as many as I can in the time we have. It will be a nutrition question feeding frenzy! Below are a few examples of questions that I received during our last “Ask the Nutritionist” webinar. To take advantage of this offer, please register here or through our website, www.marilynfarms.com. I look forward to talking with you!

Q: What are the top veggies/fruits that we should buy organically?

A: Each year, the Environmental Working Group sends out a list of the “Dirty Dozen”, which are the top 12 produce items that should be purchased organically. This year, that list includes apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines (imported), grapes (imported), sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries (domestic), lettuce, and kale/collard greens.

Q: Are there nutritional supplements that a child can take after a course of antibiotics to prevent diarrhea and other side effects?

A: The most important thing for recovery is of course going to be a healthy diet that minimizes sugar and maximizes nourishing foods such as green vegetables, meat, poultry, bone broths, and fermented foods such as yogurt or kefir. As far as supplements go, the #1 most important thing to take after (and if possible, during) a course of antibiotics is probiotics (healthy bacteria). There are many different probiotic formulations for children available, just make sure that they contain a blend of bifidus and acidophilus bacteria to re-colonize all areas of the digestive tract. In addition to this, taking cod liver oil (recommended dose for most children is 1 tsp per day) can help to restore levels of nutrients that may have been depleted by antibiotics.

Q: Can diabetics use cod liver oil?

A: Cod liver oil is a wonderful supplement for diabetics because it contains omega-3 fats, natural vitamin D, and natural vitamin A—all three of which help with blood sugar control and nerve health. The one caution with any fish oil is that it can thin the blood, so a person on blood thinners such as aspirin or Coumadin should be sure to check with their doctor to make sure medications are in balance.

Last week, the Environmental Working Group released this year’s “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” list to highlight which fruits and vegetables had the most and least amount of pesticide residue when tested. I thought this was good timing for this month’s blog focus on eye health during the month of June since pesticides have an incredibly detrimental effect on eye tissue. They should be especially avoided by pregnant women, since pesticides have been found to affect the development of fetal eye tissue. This is a really amazing guide, and the EWG website has a lot more information as well as a full list of all produce tested available at http://www.ewg.org/foodnews.

This list can be very helpful in helping to re-prioritize how you’re spending your money for organic produce at the market. The Environmental Working Group even offers a handy PDF version of the shopping guide at the link above that you can print and take with you to the store. When using this list it’s important to keep in mind that the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables (even if they aren’t organic) are more important than avoiding produce altogether in the name of avoiding pesticides! To minimize pesticide intake on produce that you are unable to purchase organically, be sure to wash produce well. A produce brush, natural produce wash, and/or a soak in diluted white vinegar or food-grade hydrogen peroxide can be helpful.

Here are the lists!

Dirty Dozen

Buy these organic! Listed with the dirtiest first.

Apples, Celery, Strawberries, Peaches, Spinach, Nectarines (imported), Grapes (imported), Sweet bell peppers, Potatoes, Blueberries (domestic), Lettuce, and Kale/Collard greens

Clean 15

Least likely to contain pesticide residue. Listed with the cleanest first.

Onions, Sweet corn, Pineapples, Avocado, Asparagus, Sweet peas, Mangoes, Eggplant, Cantaloupe (domestic), Kiwi, Cabbage, Watermelon, Sweet potatoes, Grapefruit, and Mushrooms

As a garden vegetable, kale is an all around winner.  It is easy to grow, has great taste, and is an attractive plant which can add beauty to your garden.  From a nutritional standpoint, it is a super-food loaded with nutrients and compounds such as beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin C.  It is rich in minerals such as iron, manganese, calcium and potassium and has sulfur containing phytonutrients. 

Kale is related to collard greens and the cabbage family.  It is a cool / cold weather plant that can be seeded as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring for late spring or early summer harvest.  It can also be seeded in late summer or early fall for harvest throughout the winter.  Its taste will actually improve when it has been nipped by a frost.  However, it will turn rather bitter when temperatures heat up.

We decided to give kale a try last fall and the result was a great learning experience for us.   Over the last few years we have endeavored to extend the growing season into the late fall and early winter by using row covers and cold frames.  We planted the kale in late September with the hope of harvesting young leaves from the plants throughout the winter months.   The garden bed was under a covered hoop tunnel to protect the crop from the extreme winter temperatures that are possible here.  Then it began to snow and snow and snow! These repeated heavy snows resulted in the hoop tunnel collapsing on the garden bed.  Our kale was hopelessly buried and the row cover was now frozen to the ground.

In March of this year the snow and ice melted enough to where we were able to get the row cover off the garden bed.  The crop was matted down, but seemed to be alive.  It wasn’t long before this valiant warrior plant began springing (no pun intended) to life.  The end result was a bountiful harvest of this fresh, tasty green throughout the spring.

Kale is a versatile vegetable which adds a unique flavor to salads.  It can be added to soups and omelets; it can be braised or sautéed with onions and garlic.  Kale is also easily dried and stored, and wonderful for adding to soups, etc.   There is a great recipe for making baked kale chips which literally melt in your mouth.  Do a Google Search for kale chips and for other great recipes.

About the authors: Ken and Bernie have a love for the land and a drive to be good stewards of that which they have been entrusted.  Their garden is located on a pristine, beautiful little corner of Marilyn Farms that is buffered on all sides from any conventional type of farming or gardening.  What started out as a little tomato patch of six plants in 1991 has since evolved into a raised-bed garden of about 20 plots all worked by hand.

We had a great “Ask the Nutritionist” webinar on Saturday – thanks to all who participated!  For the next few weeks, I will use this blog as a forum to answer the questions that we were unable to answer during the 1-hour session.  Enjoy!

Q: Sometimes when I feel like I’m getting sick I exercise, and I start feeling better.  Why is that?

A: Exercise causes lymph (a mixture of immune cells and body fluids) to be circulated through your body, which causes filtration and detoxification of the lymph.  This filtration of the lymph may help your immune system to clear infections faster, and allow you to have more resistance to sickness.  One type of exercise that is especially helpful for filtering lymph is rebounding (jumping on a small trampoline).

Q: Which Marilyn Farms supplements could I take for constipation?

A: Either of our fiber products (Essential Fiber or Essential Fiber – Psyllium free) may be helpful for adding bulk.  Colon Cleanse capsules are useful for short-term relief from constipation during times such as travel or cleansing but should not be used long-term because the colon can become dependent on it as it would with any other herbal stimulant laxative.  Mag Calm is a pure magnesium supplement which can relax the colon and allow bowel movements, and any of our Vitamin C formulas (Vitamin C 1000, Fruit Chewable C, or Vitamin C Powder) can help to draw water into the colon, which will encourage a bowel movement.  For dosage info, please refer to each product’s package.

Q: What are nutritional ways to remedy dry skin in the winter?

A: One of the best ways to keep skin healthy through the winter is to eat enough healthy fats to keep skin moist.  Include plenty of healthy fat-rich foods such as fish, grass-fed meat, Ghee, organic butter, coconut, avocado, raw nuts, olives, olive oil, and cold-pressed sunflower and flaxseed oil.  In addition, coconut oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil are very helpful when applied topically to dry skin.

Q: What are the top produce items that should be purchased organically?

A: The top 5 most pesticide-laden produce items are currently Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, and Nectarines.  The Environmental Working Group offers an extensive list and a  convenient wallet guide at http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php.

Q: Should all meat and dairy be purchased organically?

A: It is best to purchase animal products that are raised in as clean and humane an environment as you can afford.  This is important because animals raised commercially tend to be exposed to antibiotics and hormones in their feed, which in turn ends up in their milk and meat.  The term “certified organic” does not necessarily mean that it is the best, however.  The best option would be to get to know the sources of meat and dairy available to you and opt for products from farms that raise animals on pasture and allow them plenty of room to move around.  Animal products from such farms may be labeled as “free range”, “grass fed”, or “pastured” and may not always be certified organic.