What are you eating?

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” Hippocrates, father of medicine, 431 B.C. “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants,” Michael Pollan, renowned food expert and journalist, 2007 A.D.

Throughout history, cultures worldwide have reported the healing properties of food. Many fruits and vegetables have phytochemicals, the protective compounds, that have been particularly studied in the last decade. These phytochemicals offer benefits such as cancer prevention, cholesterol reduction and hormone regulation, to name a few. Take advantage of the wonderful cornucopia of locally grown produce and what you can’t eat now, consider fermenting, pickling, freezing, drying, or canning. Bon appetit!

Information provided by ReGroup, a nonprofit educational group, formed in 1989 to develop public awareness of waste reduction, reuse, and recycling benefit on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. ReGroup meets September through May, every third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Hope Community Center on Princeton Avenue off Kalifornsky Beach Road. Find ReGroup on Facebook or contact at regroupkenaipeninsula@gmail.com.