1) fruits/veggies from farmers markets for instance are picked that day, so the fruit/veggie had way more time to ripen and absorb all of the nutrients than a fruit from the grocery, which had to be picked much earlier so that it wouldn’t over-ripen or bruise by the time it got trucked to the grocery store.

2) fruits/veggies that are grown without pesticides are naturally “stronger” because they need to fend for themselves against elements like bugs and weather. The fruits/veggies plants that are sprayed get it easy and don’t have to work as hard and therefore don’t build the same defenses. So when you eat the one from the farmers market, you’re getting a fruit that’s going to pass its own defensive nutrients on to you.

For the Northeast US: http://www.nutrition.cornell.edu/foodguide/archive/lists.html

General US: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_cg_produce_guide/

Again, you of all people should realize that the work it takes to produce and transport (not to mention meet FDA regulations) are 10x more intensive for orange juice than for coke.

Fast food is also cheaper and quicker because they have developed idiot-proof standards from the farm to the griddle. They have their own suppliers, in most cases that only supply, and meet theirs as well as the governments standards.

The whole religiously philosophy around veganism and vegetarianism has been displayed time and time again. As though a plant is going to absorb more than it needs to grow, as you would absorb more calcium because you intook it in corral form.

Make your own food because you know whats going into it. Make your own food because it means your more independent. Make your own food for many other reasons but that ‘ol “food from this farm is more nutrient rich than food from that farm” argument just isn’t scientific

I do not hunt simply because I do not have a place to go. But I know many people who do. Shooting deer is environmentally friendly, and the hunters I know are more than happy to give me a deer they shot. Sometimes, they pay for the processing. If not, it costs less than $100 (~$60 where I last went) for a deer to be processed and it yields a wealth of meat.

A few deer roasts – go great in the crockpot
Deer tenderloin – Marinate then pan-fry and serve over rice
Deer burger – Some with added beef fat for hamburgers and others with no added fat for pasta sauce

Eating deer is cheap, healthy, and environmentally friendly way to get some meat into your diet. There is an abundance in the southeast and if you know a hunter, it doesn’t require any hunting skill at all.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that it takes a lot of time and money for a kitchen to become well-stocked and well-equipped. It’s important to note that good kitchen equipment – like pots and pans and knives–is very expensive and can often only be bought one article at a time, while using cheaper stuff in the meantime. Grocery bills can be very high at first as well. But, once things are humming along, the experience is worth it, and you save money in the long run.

To add a little balance there are legitimate reasons you don’t want growing of food staples, like corn, to be left “up to the market”. You can also get many healthy and less expensive items by getting frozen and concentrated items ( remember that shipping and spoilage can make a huge impact on price ). Most 100% juice is “from concentrate” anyways.

That being said there is little reason besides laziness that people don’t grow a portion of their own produce. Leaf lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers, and carrots should be growable anywhere in the contential US.

The idea that people need to eat meat daily is also a misnomer that will, more often than not, lead to poor eating decisions. At our household we have “rice and beans” at least once a week. A couple of bucks for the entree and you can throw many spices and toppings on for cheap. Leftovers usually go into a end-of-the-week chili made with ground turkey as the meat. Cobb salad and chicken caesar salad makings can be make ahead of time and sprinkled over fresh lettuce for a cheap and nutritious meal as well.

I’ve heard of people doing this for evenings, as well – they form a group, take turns cooking, and just pick up a container with their dinner and cooking instructions at some point in the early evening. It’s a brilliant idea.

Watermelon, for example, is a warm-weather fruit, but the Australian site tells people it’s in season in January through May. In the US, it’s May through September, with the peak in the mid-summer.

Please fix this, or it will live on the Internet forever.

Most people’s lives are so busy that they can’t spend the time meticulously preparing meals every night (or two, depedning on leftovers), but can buy a nice frozen skillet meal, or crock-pot starter. I would contend that these meals (especially from Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice, even Stouffers) are just as good a choice when convenience is to be prized, and not unhealthy (though I’ll agree the salt content is a little high on the Stouffers).

It’s when you make your entire meal from frozen burritos and Hungry Man dinners that you are in for trouble.