Author: nyasa

Super foods are called this way because they contain a huge amount of essential nutrients. The elements may vary, for example, blueberries have vitamin C and antioxidants and flaxseeds contain omega 3 fats. One thing they all have in common is that the vitamins and minerals they give you are very important for maintaining your health.

The main thing that makes super foods different from dietary supplements is that they are much more nutritious. A single pill cannot contain all the ‘good’ elements of a food. For example, a vitamin C capsule won’t have fibre, protein, and phytonutrients contained in blueberries.

This means that any super food is better by default, simply because it gives you much more than a single benefit. It’s also essential that unlike dietary supplements, these products always contain exactly what they claim.

The FDA doesn’t regulate the supplement market. Therefore, there is no guarantee that these products contain the ingredients listed on their labels. However, you can always be sure that you get all health benefits of super foods because you can actually see what you eat.

Have you ever met a farmer? This summer at Fair Oaks Farms®, you can! Meet the Farmer is a new talk series hosted at Fair Oaks Farms, aimed to educate visitors on the work of a farmer and innovations in the agriculture industry. Each Meet the Farmer day consists of two, 2-hour sessions with a break between sessions. Jamie Miller, the Adventure Manager, recently sat down to answer some questions about the new program. Read below to find out how you can attend! 

What can visitors learn during Meet the Farmer?
Jamie: Who [the farmers] are, their background, why they chose agriculture as their field, what they love about their role, some of the challenges in their role and industry, what they want folks to know, fun facts about their industry, lots of in-depth info, why they think innovation [in agriculture] is important and other random questions!

Will visitors be able to ask the farmer questions?
Jamie: Of course! These farmers are excited to talk about their role in agriculture and would love a chance to speak with consumers!

Organic agriculture, which is governed by strict government standards, requires that products bearing the organic label are produced without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering or other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation.

Organic farmers understand that what you put into the soil has a profound impact on what you get out of it. That is why they rely on such practices as hand weeding, mechanical control, mulches, cover crops, crop rotation and dense planting, rather than toxic and persistent pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, to enrich the soil in which they grow their crops.

They recognize that doing so provides plants with the nutrients they need to grow. Plus, it enables the absorption of major and micro-nutrients like Vitamin C, resulting in a higher nutrient content and often a better tasting crop. 

It all starts with practices to help build healthy soils, which nurture the plants and help decrease the incidence of plant disease. In order to earn organic certification, land must be handled without prohibited materials for at least three years. With certification, organic farmers must develop an organic operating farm plan, which is overseen by their certification agency with annual third-party inspections.