Time to check out some healthy food ideas

This is March, the Nutrition Month and you need to check out some ideas about healthy food. Some people say that buying healthy foods is expensive. Is it? Not if you stay healthy by eating correctly. Here is some good advice; save money, don't buy junk treats that have no nutrients. Cookies, candy, chips, snacks and soft drinks do not help with your health. In fact, eating too much junk food is very hard on your health. Too much salt is also very hard on your body. Some research shows that sugar may be harder on your body than fats. However, some treats are good for you, like nuts, sunflower seeds, bananas, apples, strawberries, oranges and low-calorie/low-fat whole grain snacks. People who have good luck with keeping their weight down and keeping good health say they don't buy anything that will tempt them to eat the wrong things. When they decide to improve their health, they get rid of every type of junk food in their refrigerator or cupboards. They start reading labels on food packages to check the nutrients. They ask their friends to help them avoid the wrong things. They eat smart. Some people dismiss advice about eating healthy and say, "Oh, next year they will say the opposite about what to eat." That is not true; health gurus have been saying to eat more fruits and vegetables for years. Every health book also advises you to drink lots of water, limit red meat, avoid processed food and get exercise. One result of eating healthy food is the benefit to your skin and hair. Research has shown that going on a mainly vegetarian diet will improve your skin long before you start losing weight. Burgers and fries are not going to be the answer to beautiful skin and hair. Besides burgers and fries don't add many fruits and veggies to your diet. Some health books cite research that shows a good diet may help avoid cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Many people who change to a mainly vegetable-based diet have lost weight and have also been able to rely on fewer pills. If you are thinking raising some fresh veggies might be a good idea, listen to this: • Peas, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, chard, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, spinach, onion seeds or onion sets, parsley, peas, potatoes, radish, rhubarb and turnips can be planted early. All of these are always planted before May. • Since it has been a strange season, try a few seeds of things like peas, carrots, beets, chard, radish and leaf lettuce. Plant in some pots and you can bring them in if we get a blizzard. Besides, a pot of leaf lettuce beside the patio is an invitation to nibble; same with peas. Plant the edible podded peas so you don't have to shell them! • As the soil heats up and dries to proper planting conditions, the weather will eventually get more stable and you can plant the warm season garden crops: all kinds of beans, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, muskmelon, okra, peppers, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes. Over the years, Master Gardeners have had as speakers, extension nutritionist Deb Angel, EHOVE culinary instructor Beth Funk and others. Master Gardeners have as one of their initiatives, helping people find good foods and eating right. As an (OAGC) Ohio Association of Garden Clubs member, I have helped with OAGC Root Camps, a movement to spread gardening to those who are not in garden clubs. Before the virus, OAGC Root Camps were being held all over the state in conjunction with churches, garden centers and spring home/garden shows. Look for OAGC at www.oagc.org. Peggy Case is a free-lance garden writer, Huron County Master Gardener, OAGC floral judge and OAGC instructor, serves on the board of OAGC and is a local apple grower. Contact her at peggy.case@frontier.com.