Our job “Healthcare Practitioner”

One thing about being self employed is that you make up your own job title. ‘Healthcare Practitioner’ has been the job title we have given ourselves for the last few months. We think of ourselves as this because for half of the year, we provide folks in our community with a box FULL of veggies, which they should eat in one week, so in our opinion we are helping them with their long term healthcare. We hear so many stories of folks not being able to eat the entire box of veggies in one week which is astounding to us. We can eat a bunch of kale, steamed, perhaps with a little chopped ginger and garlic, just as an appetizer. In addition, we can eat a Grilled Eggplant Sandwich, requiring each a pound of sweet peppers, onions and eggplant, The peppers and eggplant are grilled with a little olive oil and garlic. All this, plus basil, on a sandwich which is a meal for us. (Perhaps that is why I am not very thin.) I do know that since we live in a remote area we are not apt to eat out much which is probably another reason for us being able to eat more fresh veggies than most people.

I think in particular that the CSA program encourages eating unprocessed food because when folks get a box of produce, that they have already paid for, they feel inclined to eat the entire box so they are not wasteful; thus encouraging the consumption of more unprocessed food in their diet.

I do believe that eating fresh and unprocessed food must start when one is young because by the time you are my age (right around 50) it is a little too late in life to correct all the problems that processed food creates. My belief is a “gut feel” because research doesn’t show what illnesses are caused by regular consumption of processed foods over decades. This is probably in part because research is funded by the big companies that are so kind in bringing and promoting processed foods in our diet.

President Obama and Michelle, if you are reading, how about a portion the Agriculture and Healthcare budget be established for CSA subscriptions so that people who typically can’t afford veggies, will be apt to eat more veggies! Sounds like good use of our farm subsidies.

I love the “Chef to school” program that Michelle is spearheading. That can make all the difference in what one finds “tasty” at young ages. I do think that processed foods, full of salt and sugar, can definitely create a situation where folks after continuously eating these kinds of foods, won’t find the flavor of a raw tomato, raw summer squash, or bok choi tasty.

A family that receives this share will need to eat the following in one week: 1 lb of lettuce, 1/4 lb of basil, 1/4 lb of parsley, 4 rainbell bell peppers (2 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange totaling roughly 2 lbs), 1 green pepper, 1 cantaloupe, 1 – 1/2 lbs of Red Gold Potatoes, 2 lbs of onions (mix yellow, red and white. Some bad spots must be cut out of the white onions), 6 ears of corn, 2 – 1/4 lbs of tomatoes (mix of slicing and cherry tomatoes), 1 – 1/2 bulbs of garlic, eggplant (weighing from 1 – 1/2 lb up to 2 lbs), 1 lb of Yellow Squash and 2 serrano chili peppers.

If one was to eat this box what would the nutrition be? So I thought that with my job title as “Healthcare Practitioner” I would list all the nutrients in the box. I really don’t have the time because it is much more complicated than my time permits so I will priortize growing some greens for fall rather than details of the nutritional value of the box. It seems as though most natural foods contain so many goodies one can’t go wrong eating seasonally! Below is an overview:

Parsley – contains iron, folate (for all those pregnant woman), calcium, protein, potassium, vitamin B6, phosphorus, vitamin C
Basil – contains iron, folate (for all those pregnant woman), calcium, protein, potassium, vitamin B6, phosphorus, vitamin C
Lettuce – Romaine – contains iron, folate (for all those pregnant woman), calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, phosphorus, vitamin C
Tomatoes – vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, molybdenum, potassium, manganese, dietary fiber, chromium, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, foliate , copper, vitamin B3, vitamin B2 , magnesium, iron, vitamin B5, phosphorus. vitamin E, tryptophan, protein
Onions – contains iron, folate (for all those pregnant woman), calcium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, vitamin C, Selenium
Potatoes – contains iron, folate (for all those pregnant woman), calcium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, vitamin C
Cantaloupe – dietary fiber (so do all the above veggies), niacin, vitamin B6, contains iron, folate (for all those pregnant woman), vitamin C
Rainbow Bells – vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B6, folate (for all those pregnant woman), vitamin K
Green Bell – vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B6, folate (for all those pregnant woman), vitamin K
Sweet Corn – vitamin B1, folate (for all those pregnant woman), vitamin C, vitamin B5, phosphorus, manganese
Yellow Summer Squash – manganese. vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, copper, folate, vitamin K, phosphorus, omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, protein
Eggplant – dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, tryptophan, vitamin B3
Serrano Peppers – protein, capsaicin
Garlic – calcium, phosphorus, Selenium, vitamin C, vitamin B6

It is amazing… Almost everything contains Vitamin C – if you eat this box no need for vitamin C supplements. It also contains iron which vitamin C helps the body to absorb the iron. It also contains protein. One might need to consume a little eggs or meat each week to add in vitamin B12. Almost all these veggies contain protein! COOL.