A Fresh Start

Welcome to the inaugural blog entry of 'DIET is a four letter word,' a sounding-board and smattering of thoughts around eating well, loving food, and living smart and healthfully without compromising fun, flavor or your sanity.

A brief disclaimer before we embark: this is NOT a blog about the best 'diet' around, the fastest way to drop 10lbs without starving yourself or suffering through a stomach virus, or the newest so-called-food on the market without calories, fat, cholesterol (or taste...I'm not a lover of cardboard myself--are you?). I AM however, a nutritionist (a nice one, I promise I don't bite). In fact, if you know me, you know that I'm just as much a nutritionist as a foodie. I love food and all that it can do--from improving your health to making events with family and friends so exciting and meaningful.



So let's kick this blog off. It's May, the spring season is in full-gear, so I figured, what better time for a fresh start. When I think of 'fresh', clearly one of the first things that comes to mind is food...and close behind is the farmer's market. My local greenmarket, pictured here, is just blocks away from my apartment smack in the middle of Manhattan (yes, I realize I'm extraordinarily lucky and I'm grateful for it). One of the first things I do on a given weekend is stroll through the market and stock up on fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheese, whole grain bread and even fish on occasion. I can confidently say that you can't beat the taste, quality and often the price of grocery shopping at the greenmarket. Not only that, I'm always inspired when I walk through the market surrounded by mountains of apples and heaps of asparagus--every single weekend. I realize this may sound cheesy and trite, but it's true. Real, fresh food, good food straight from the source (whether a farm or local bakery etc) is exciting and intriguing (we'll leave the local/organic discussion for another blog). It encourages me to taste new things, get creative when cooking and get to know where my food's coming from, always a bonus. Try it sometime...hit up your own local market and challenge yourself to purchase one new food item and test it out. What would you want to try?


To find a greenmarket near you, check out the following websites:

New York City -- www.cenyc.org/greenmarket

Across the country -- www.localharvest.org


Post your comments, questions, insights, your favorite new restaurant, food, wine etc. We're in for a real tasty ride people!


for more about Marissa and Nourish nutrition counseling & communications, see www.nourish-nyc.com