Del Norte CalFresh Healthy Living program supports healthy, active and nourished lifestyles by teaching Del Norte residents about good nutrition and how to stretch their food dollars, while also building partnerships in communities to make the healthy choice, the easy choice.

Visit Del Norte CalFresh Healthy Living website and learn more about nutrition and physical activity resources and healthful tips. Let’s celebrate healthy victories that lead your families healthier and happier!

Harvest of the Month

Lettuce!

The amount of nutrition content of lettuce can very by type, but a good rule to follow is that the more vibrant the color of the leaf, the more saturated the vitamins and minerals it contains. For instance; Green Leaf Lettuce contains a lot more nutrients than Iceberg Lettuce. That doesn’t mean that Iceberg is bad though! It just has more water content than others so it will contribute to your body’s overall hydration when you eat it, making it great for salad or an addition to meals and snacks. Almost all lettuce varieties are an excellent source of vitamin A (which can help prevent degenerative eye diseases), Vitamin K (which can improve muscles and bone health), Folate (to help your cells regenerate), and Fiber (to promote a healthy digestive system).

Lettuce is a great vegetable to grow in the moderate temperatures of the Pacific Northwest. Lettuce plants like the sun but do really well with some shade and can be grown tucked in between other veggies and grown like a salad in your yard. Check the Old Farmers Almanac for growing tips to help you with lettuce.

To celebrate lettuce with students (there are so many recipes to choose from!), we did a variation of the AmaZing Fruit Salad, where students made their own by wrapping a piece of pineapple in the lettuce leaves. Students were able to take home lettuce plants starts, that were grown at our local Elkhorn Herbals Plant Nursery, and plant some in their garden as well.

Broccoli:

Each season brings a bounty of delicious fruits and vegetables with their own beautiful benefits for your health. In April Pacific Pantry offered broccoli, so we sampled a simple recipe to feature how easy can be to be healthy. A ½ cup of cooked broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. Folate is a water-soluble vitamin that helps make healthy red blood cells in your body. It may also help to protect against heart disease. Pregnant women need folate in their diets to help prevent some forms of birth defects. Folate comes from leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli, some fruits (oranges), dry beans, and liver.

For more information about CalFresh Healthy Living in Del Norte County please visit: https://linktr.ee/dncalfreshhealthyliving

If you have questions or comments, or to request the educational materials and resources please call; 707-464-0861 and ask for CalFresh Healthy Living.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership!