Part 4: Nutrition
These days, fad diets and weight-loss regiments are a dime a dozen. When you start doing your homework and asking the experts, however, it quickly becomes apparent that dieting is rarely the path to physical enlightenment. Dietary supplements, drastic changes in your eating habits, and even all the exercise you can possibly muster can only do so much and may even end up doing more harm than good. At the end of the day, nutrition — in other words, what you put into your body — is one of the single most important keys to a healthy lifestyle.
Nourishment is one of our most basic needs, and let’s not pretend that folks visiting Ruidoso don’t look forward to taking advantage of delicious local options for BBQ, pizza, chicken fried steak, and enchiladas. We get it. For many travelers, vacations are all about splurging.
For those looking for healthier options, however, even the small town of Ruidoso offers a wealth of options that won’t necessarily have you loosening your belt and popping antacids after your meal.
One key, of course, is moderation. A general rule of thumb is that most foods aren’t too harmful, provided they are ingested in moderation. Good news: this even applies to fats, carbs, and sugar.
The FDA offers a handy guide to nutrition based on the government-sanction food pyramid we all studied when we were kids, which you can access for free at www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. In essence, a proportioned balance of protein, starch, vegetables, fruit, and dairy is the basis of a healthy diet.
Another increasingly American concern is portion size. We’re used to slices of pizza as big as your head, towering baskets of greasy French fries, and sodas by the gallon. Did you know the FDA-recommended serving size for a steak ranges between 4 and 5.3 ounces, depending on your age and gender? If you’re thinking where’s the beef?, you’re probably not alone… but don’t give up hope!
The next time you grill up some steaks, try cutting back on the portions, eating at a slower pace, and focusing on just how savory each bite is. You may also consider loading up on veggies and having an extra glass of water or two to make your stomach send the “I’m full!” signal to your brain.
Another thing to pay attention to is where your food comes from. With most restaurants, you may not have the opportunity to figure out where they’re sourcing their fish, for example, or the lettuce in your salad.
Simply buying your own food from the local grocery store isn’t always the answer, either, though it’s good start when compared to fast food and unhealthy snacking. The next time you buy a can of soup or chicken broth, look closely at the label. You might be shocked at the amount of sodium and preservatives hiding out in there.
While you may not have the means or time to source all organic foods and fill your fridge with veggies from a local farm dedicated to sustainable agriculture, more and more options are emerging.
Albuquerque’s own Skarsgard Farms is one example of a sustainable farm that focuses on locally sourced goods. In fact they’ve been delivering weekly farm boxes to Ruidoso since 2014, and they have expanded their options to include baked goods, seafood, meat and chicken, and many other items ranging from organic rice to locally made cheeses.
The more demand increases for these types of naturally grown products, the more foods become available and the lower prices drop, making healthy eating a realistic option for more and more people.
“I have seen that organic and local food prices have been falling over the years as more and more growers see and implement farming without chemicals,” says Monte Skarsgard, owner of Skarsgard Farms.
“As more growers farm this healthy way, access to good food has increased for everyone so that organic food is no longer just food for the few, as it was 15 years ago. Everyone is able to buy healthy food now. That is great to see and has been driven by the demand for better food options,” he added.
That being said, Mr. Skarsgard isn’t about to tell people what to consume. He refuses to take the “eat your broccoli” approach.
“We want people to make this investment in themselves, and then we will help you from there,” he told us. “The chance and choice has got to start with the individual. That is how lasting positive change happens. Not from me pressuring or guilt tripping you into supporting us. We are here to support your journey of living a healthy life.”
Get to know like-minded eaters in your community, and you may be surprised as to how many local, healthy options are right under your nose.
In Ruidoso, fisherman Mark Williams imports a huge shipment of hand-caught, wild Alaskan salmon to southeastern New Mexico every summer. Farm eggs from local free-range chickens can be found at a number of places in town, including Mario’s Market, and The Wild Herb has been stocking its shelves with healthy, organic groceries for years.
Keeping in mind that every person is different and that no single diet is the answer for everyone, small changes to the way we consume our beloved food can make a big difference in the way we feel.
Nutrition doesn’t have to be a scary word. Officially, nutrition can be defined as the science that interprets the interaction of nutrients and other substances in food in relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of an organism. And sure, that is a mouthful. But at the end of the day we’re simply talking about being mindful of what we eat and drink.
Giving careful consideration to your nutritional intake and the way certain foods make you feel is the first step. Once you do, you may find that eating healthy foods is not only rewarding and fun, but perhaps the single most important lifestyle change you can make to improve your diet and maintain good health over the long term.
—Leroy Smith
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Local Options:
Skarsgard Farms
www.skarsgardfarms.com
(505) 681-4060
The Wild Herb Market
1715 Sudderth Drive, Ruidoso
(575) 257-0138
Mario’s Market
236 Sudderth Drive, Ruidoso
(575) 257-0367
Williams Brothers Salmon
willbrossalmonco@gmail.com
(575) 937-6933
