why the farmers' market is healthy for your body...

we believe that how we think, how we feel, and also what we put into our bodies is a big part of what makes us beautiful. that is where beauty starts for us. we love food, and we always want to have a healthy connection with food. we never diet, or look at food as something we want to have a negative relationship with. instead of focusing on foods we need to avoid... we focus on the foods we get to eat, and how we can choose foods that taste yummy, makes us happy, and keep us healthy. fresh fruits and vegetables are a huge part of our "beauty routine".

• Freshness - on average, the produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before it makes it to your supermarket shelves. that same produce also travels an average of 1500 miles before being sold! just think about that a little bit... a piece of fruit is for sure going to be cleaner, fresher, less contaminated, and taste way better if it's just been picked, and instead only traveled 5 or so miles.
• Organic - organic foods are grown without the chemicals, hormones and preservatives of non-organic produce. it's for sure a good thing to put as little of that in our bodies as we can. if it's certified organic, the produce will also have been watered with fresh water or highly regulated recycled water... so you're food is basically healthier from start to finish.
• Fresh-air and Exercise - going to the farmers' market is usually a different experience than a trip to the store. you're outside in the open air... and you're more likely to "stroll" haha. we like to go with a friend, or a group of friends and it's actually pretty fun!
• More Fresh Food - just going to a farmers' market gets you more excited about the food your buying, and having more options motivates you to make healthier choices. when we go, there is just more yummy looking stuff! having so much fresh fruit and vegetables to choose from makes it so we end up buying way more fresh food than we do at a regular grocery store.

supporting your community...

there are real people who make part, or all of their living off of local farming. when you head down to the market, you're supporting your local economy, and directly helping your neighbors support themselves. that's kind of awesome.

eco-friendly effects of buying local produce...

• Less Chemicals In The World - the lack of pesticides used in the organic farming process means less chemicals being sprayed into the air, or running off into the water supply. not only do those chemicals kill fish and other animals who drink that water... but we breathe that air, and eventually drink that water.
• Less Transportation Pollution - we're not saying to never shop at grocery stores... we just think it's an awesome idea to check out farmers' markets for your fresh produce. if more people bought locally, the need for produce being shipped thousands of miles would be less. farms would send their food to local markets and so basically transportation pollution would be reduced.

finding a farmers' market...

in many towns, the local farmers' market is widely promoted. some cities even have world famous ones! if that isn't the case in your area, here are some ideas to check around...

• Internet Search - that's pretty obvious haha but, hey :D. you can do keyword searches for them in your area, or you can check out websites like www.localharvest.org, that are basically directories of farmers' markets from all over.
• Local Paper or Gazette - check your smaller local newspapers or those free local gazettes you find in the racks of local stores. farmers' markets are almost always promoted pretty well within the community.
• Local TV Station - call an information line of your local TV station. farmers' markets are usually announced and covered in local tv stories at the start of a season, so they may have info on the when and where.

no judgments ever...

we've said it lots of times before, but we always like to emphasize that we believe everyone has a right to choose their journey, their path, and their belief systems. so healthy choices and eco-friendly choices - to us - should always be choices and never something people feel "guilt" or fear of judgment makes them do. we love to have our healthy beauty stories simply be inspiration for other girls to be motivated to find their own ways to being healthy and feeling beautiful :D.