#1
Posted: 12/30/07 at 11:33am
In Manhattan, you can generally buy fruits and vegetables from the sidewalk vendors for half the price in the markets. Seek out the discount spots in your neighborhood.
Everything at the sidewalk vendors is so cheap I spend $7 to $12 and am lugging home almost more than I can carry in multiple bags. Giant eggplants for $1, various fruit and tomatoes at several to the dollar. I have bought cherries, raspberries, blueberries, mushrooms, Persian cucumbers, various kinds of tomatoes including ripe on the vine, citrus fruit, grapes, peaches, pears, green beans, onions, romaine lettuce, cantaloupe and other melons, lychee, radishes...the assortment of what's available is huge. The food at these stands is generally riper than that in the markets so you need to use it fairly soon and shop a bit more often.
Take advantage of the Farmer's Markets. There's a Tibetan-run large stand on the West side of the big Union Square farmer's market that is open every Saturday and some other days suring the week. They have loads of herbs and root vegetables (including turnip and celeriac) and squash, all for VERY reasonable prices. Their cilantro lasts two weeks in my frig, the supermarket cilantro lasts only two or three days. They also have sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) which is a desirable food for diabetics and I pick some up for a friend when I am there. Plants also have phytogens which are very important for the body's needs, vitamins (especially supplements) are not enough, so it's important to eat fresh and cooked plants and vegetables continuously.
There are cheap little vegetable bodegas in the city like the one at 104th & Amsterdam with reasonable prices. Small shops are often a good place to pick up avocados, which are very good for you and contain the good HDL cholesterol which helps prevent heart attacks and balances off the LDL kind. Use only olive oil to cook with, Fairways has a great quart of extra virgin (store brand) that has the lovely scent and taste of artichoke naturally. (My HDL cholesterol just tested at 88, which is very high and good, usual range of healthy HDL is 40-60, and I can only credit the food I cook and eat for that. A cardiologist just gave my heart a thorough screening and said all the results indicate a 20-year-old heart.) For a couple bucks more you can get the Fairways organic olive oil, though I love the artichoke scented one so much that I am not tempted to switch. And incidentally, artichokes and turnip and other "bitter" foods are VERY good for you and necessary in your diet...dandelion greens help detox the body, by the way.
Don't be a fuss budget if you have a tomato or other vegetable or fruit with a bad spot on it. My grandparents were farmers and there was lots of produce on the farm and we thought it a sin always to waste good food. The whole vegetable does not need to be trashed, you just cut out the bad part and use the rest of it. The only exception for me is citrus if the bad part has spread too much on the interior as it can sour the whole fruit.
In addition, stop in to several markets when you have the chance to nab their "loss leader" specials. For example, Garden of Eden has big yummy red cherries on special at $3.99 and you can pick your own. Elsewhere they cost $9 to $13 a pound right now.
With the food you consume being so important to your longterm health, learn to cook and prepare your own. It is MUCH healthier than restaurant food, even the places that purport to be healthy and use a lot of fresh vegetables often add junk to food like MSG, even if they say they don't, because it is in the powders and pre-mixed sauces they use, as in Chinese Restaurants.
And don't forget the lowly bean. Include legumes like lentils, chick peas and beans in your diet. Beans in particular are rich in protein and they also have a direct effect on mood to keep you upbeat and positive. Include fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice in your diet. They have more than vitamin C in them and are exceptionally good for you. Lemons even supply some iron--who knew?
Everything at the sidewalk vendors is so cheap I spend $7 to $12 and am lugging home almost more than I can carry in multiple bags. Giant eggplants for $1, various fruit and tomatoes at several to the dollar. I have bought cherries, raspberries, blueberries, mushrooms, Persian cucumbers, various kinds of tomatoes including ripe on the vine, citrus fruit, grapes, peaches, pears, green beans, onions, romaine lettuce, cantaloupe and other melons, lychee, radishes...the assortment of what's available is huge. The food at these stands is generally riper than that in the markets so you need to use it fairly soon and shop a bit more often.
Take advantage of the Farmer's Markets. There's a Tibetan-run large stand on the West side of the big Union Square farmer's market that is open every Saturday and some other days suring the week. They have loads of herbs and root vegetables (including turnip and celeriac) and squash, all for VERY reasonable prices. Their cilantro lasts two weeks in my frig, the supermarket cilantro lasts only two or three days. They also have sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) which is a desirable food for diabetics and I pick some up for a friend when I am there. Plants also have phytogens which are very important for the body's needs, vitamins (especially supplements) are not enough, so it's important to eat fresh and cooked plants and vegetables continuously.
There are cheap little vegetable bodegas in the city like the one at 104th & Amsterdam with reasonable prices. Small shops are often a good place to pick up avocados, which are very good for you and contain the good HDL cholesterol which helps prevent heart attacks and balances off the LDL kind. Use only olive oil to cook with, Fairways has a great quart of extra virgin (store brand) that has the lovely scent and taste of artichoke naturally. (My HDL cholesterol just tested at 88, which is very high and good, usual range of healthy HDL is 40-60, and I can only credit the food I cook and eat for that. A cardiologist just gave my heart a thorough screening and said all the results indicate a 20-year-old heart.) For a couple bucks more you can get the Fairways organic olive oil, though I love the artichoke scented one so much that I am not tempted to switch. And incidentally, artichokes and turnip and other "bitter" foods are VERY good for you and necessary in your diet...dandelion greens help detox the body, by the way.
Don't be a fuss budget if you have a tomato or other vegetable or fruit with a bad spot on it. My grandparents were farmers and there was lots of produce on the farm and we thought it a sin always to waste good food. The whole vegetable does not need to be trashed, you just cut out the bad part and use the rest of it. The only exception for me is citrus if the bad part has spread too much on the interior as it can sour the whole fruit.
In addition, stop in to several markets when you have the chance to nab their "loss leader" specials. For example, Garden of Eden has big yummy red cherries on special at $3.99 and you can pick your own. Elsewhere they cost $9 to $13 a pound right now.
With the food you consume being so important to your longterm health, learn to cook and prepare your own. It is MUCH healthier than restaurant food, even the places that purport to be healthy and use a lot of fresh vegetables often add junk to food like MSG, even if they say they don't, because it is in the powders and pre-mixed sauces they use, as in Chinese Restaurants.
And don't forget the lowly bean. Include legumes like lentils, chick peas and beans in your diet. Beans in particular are rich in protein and they also have a direct effect on mood to keep you upbeat and positive. Include fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice in your diet. They have more than vitamin C in them and are exceptionally good for you. Lemons even supply some iron--who knew?
Updated On: 12/30/07 at 11:33 AM
