March is National Nutrition Month, so with that in mind, I wanted to talk to you about veggies.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve been thinking more about your health as you become an adultier adult.  You know, cutting back on sugar and junk food, making better choices when eating out, and eating more fruits and vegetables; but you may be shortchanging yourself with those grocery store veggies.  Vegetables start losing nutrients the moment they are picked.  Any produce is better than none, but fresher truly is better.

The majority of veggies travel at least 1500 miles, and it usually takes around 5 days before it even makes it to the grocery store.  Most produce can lose up to 30% of its nutrients just 3 days after harvest.  Once at the store, it often spends a few days sitting around on the shelf, only to be fondled by passersby and looky-loos.    By the time that glorious produce makes it to your plate, you may only be getting as much as 50% of its potential nutrients.

Spinach is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals but can lose up to 90% of its nutrients in the first 48 hours.  Though not all losses are as dramatic, we’re just not reaping the full benefits when produce takes a week to reach our plate. 

Don’t despair, it’s not too late to get your garden started!  You can find the seed and resources to get growing on our website!