This year’s theme for national nutrition month is fuel for the future. The goal is to promote healthy and sustainable eating. “We don’t want to cart our produced from California when we live in Florida. We can reduce are carbon emissions by buying local,” said Lee Health registered dietitian Megan Ryan.

Here in Florida, we have fresh produce all year round. “When you’re buying local, you’re buying fruit and vegetables that are picked at the peak of ripeness. Fruit and vegetables that are in season right now. That’s really beneficial because they have the most nutrients at this time,” said Ryan.

You can look for the fresh from Florida label on some produce in grocery stores. Farmers markets are a great option. “You’re also supporting local business when you’re buying local. We all know it’s been a tough few years for local businesses, so it’s really great to support local farmers as well,” said Ryan.

It’s also a great way to promote healthy eating for kids. “If they see a fresh, colorful vegetable, they’re probably going to be more inclined to eat it. You can take them along the whole process with picking out the produce, finding new, recipes, and then getting it incorporated into the kitchen,” said Ryan.

In general, the more whole, plant based foods you can eat, the better. Also, be sure to bring reusable bags to the market to cut down on single use plastic waste.




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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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