One of the best parts of Saturdays during the summer is our local Farmer’s Market. Each Saturday (when we are free) during the summer, my husband and I enjoy walking to the Farmer’s Market, checking out the produce and purchasing some of our favorite foods. Not only do we support our local farmers, but we also support our bodies by getting exercise and purchasing healthy foods.

Our farmer’s market is open on Saturdays from May through October each year; based on your location and the types of produce available in that area, your farmer’s market may be open during different months/seasons than ours. Check out your city council’s website or your local newspaper for more information.

A great website to peruse is Local Harvest, which is a website to help you find organic and local food. Once you enter in your location (city/state, zip), you can find several great resources in your area:

• Farmer’s Markets
• Eco-friendly restaurants (restaurants using locally grown produce)
• Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), in which you can buy a “share” in a farm, and then receive a bag of produce from that farm weekly during the produce season
• Farms
• Grocery stores with locally grown produce
• Online store (if you would like produce shipped to you)

Take some time this summer to buy local produce and support your local farmers! It’s a great way to get your fruits and vegetables!!!

Many of us have the privilege of a daily lunch “hour” to eat, run errands, check email, etc. If you are in an environment in which your lunch break is truly your own, how do you spend it?

If you do not do so already, have you thought about working out during your lunch hour? If there is a gym nearby, you could easily work out for 1/2 hour and shower before heading back to work. You could schedule your day so that you have a mid-morning snack about an hour before your work out, and then try to eat a lunch after you return from the gym. In a worst-case scenario, if you have a busy afternoon with no time for lunch after that workout, eat a meal replacement bar on your way back from the gym, but don’t make it a regular occurrence.

If you have a job like mine and do not have the ability to leave the work area (or not a lot of time for lunch), you could try to take a walk within your work day. Walk around the inside or the outside of your building. Walking briskly will burn calories but you may not get sweaty enough that you’d need a shower before heading back to work.

My coworker and I recently started taking a walk around our hospital campus–it takes us about 20-25 minutes, and it’s a 1.5 mile route on the sidewalks. We heat up our lunch after our walk and eat at our desks while we do some paperwork. Our boss doesn’t seem to mind, as our other coworkers are sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch and chatting about their lives.

If you are able to walk within (or outside) your work place, I recommend a partner–someone who will page or call you daily to say “hey, what time is good for you today to walk?”. It will help keep you accountable and help you stay motivated to get some exercise. Plus, you’ll get to know your coworker better and maybe build a new friendship as well!

Ok, so as a registered dietitian, you’re probably wondering why I’m writing a post about an oven. Well, it all ties in together doesn’t it (food -> nutrition -> cooking -> ovens!–they’re all related!).

I came across this Turbochef 30 inch Doublewall Speedcook oven in a magazine recently and was interested enough to write a post about it: it’s a two-part oven:

• The top part of the oven is what cooks the food “fast”. It can cook food 15 times faster than “normal cooking”. You can even air crisp and dehydrate foods in this part of the oven! There is a control button in which you tell it what the item is you’re cooking (for example, cookie dough that has been frozen), and it will tell you how long to cook it for.
• The bottom part is your conventional convection oven and is even Kosher approved for Sabbath (when you are not allowed to cook anything). You can also purchase a “single wall” option that does not have the bottom, convection oven.

One of the benefits of the Speedcook oven (besides the time saver!) is that it tells you when a product is 80% done so that you can make adjustments to the cooking time. However, it does not turn off after the product is done.

So how fast CAN you cook food in this speedcook oven?

You can cook a 12 pound turkey in the top part in 42 minutes and an apple pie in 16 minutes (info from the website) while cooking your stuffing in the bottom part. Imagine how easy Thanksgiving meals would be to cook!!!

How much does it cost?

Although you cannot get information on the website as to where to buy this oven or how much it costs, I did find info online that this oven can cost from $6000 to $8000! Too expensive for my kitchen, but it may be perfect for yours! If you’re a multi-millionaire.

This week, all across America, Nintendo Wii is launching the Wii Fit, a video game that is geared to help you do just that–get fit! The game comes with a Balance Board, which is used for all exercises. You can do Yoga, aerobic exercises, balance exercises, and games. Because the board is like a scale, you can find out your body mass index based on your height, and you can track weight changes and goals within the program. Sounds like a great idea!

As I have not yet had the fortune of trying out this program, you can read this article by Chris Kohler, who HAS tried the Wii Fit. His blog points out several items with the Wii Fit that I too am concerned about, namely that:

1. You get weighed every time you step on the balance board (before you use it each time)–if you use it every day, you will be weighed every day. As you know, it’s best NOT to weigh yourself daily because weight fluctuates with the amount of liquids you consume, whether you’ve had a bowel movement, etc.
2. From what I’m told, if you are already in shape, it is not a good replacement for other forms of exercise. Many people say they have not “worked up a sweat” using the program. Based on your initial fitness level, you may not find this program worth the money.

Who would benefit from the Wii Fit?

1. The overweight or inactive child (or adult) who already has a Wii and is looking to become more active.
2. The individual who is afraid or unable to work out outside the home (bad neighborhood that you wouldn’t want your kids outside?).
3. Someone who wants to have fun playing a game while working out.

Still, this game shouldn’t substitute for regular physical activity and exercise. I am sure that many of us would rather pick up a basketball and shoot hoops with friends, go for a bike ride/hike/run, or play a game of tag with friends than be inside playing a video game (even if it is a variant of an exercise program). But for those rainy days when you just want something different, the Wii Fit may be the game for you.

Of note, you should always talk with your health care provider before beginning any exercise regimen.

Recently, I discussed what Anorexia Nervosa is and what you can do if you suspect that someone you know is anorexic.

When you have kids, many people advise you to check out what websites they seek out and are frequently on. You might have blocks up so that they can’t go to certain websites. But do you check their Facebook and MySpace accounts? There ARE pro-anorexia groups on these sites that promote being thin (someone recently wrote that “thin is beautiful but even thinner is perfection” and “you can’t ever be too thin or too rich”). Check to see if your child belongs to these groups.

Since I don’t endorse these sites in the lease, I won’t give out their links as that would be giving them what they want (promotion). If you’re so inclined, and have an account at these sites, you can search them out yourself. Some to beware of include:

On Facebook:

• Get thin or die trying

On MySpace:

• Pro-Ana Nation
• Pro Extreme Dieting

What do you do if your child IS a member of these groups or has been going to pro-anorexia websites?

• Talk to him or her (yes, I said him because even boys and men are not immune to eating disorders).
• Talk to a health-care professional if you feel uncomfortable at first in order to know what to say.
• And try to get your child help–that is the most important thing! They may hate you at first, but it could save their life, and that is more important than how they feel about you today (just think about how many times we may have told our parents we hated them!).

Good luck!!