This is the October 2023 Food Literacy Podcast episode. The weather is cooling and it is time to prepare for the winter though it may seem strange you also want to prepare for the 2024 growing season. Check out the episode and accompanying show notes for what we believe are pertinent issues for October.
Check out this article by the Piedmont Master Gardeners about nutrient density and leafy green vegetables. Consider applying the information to your garden plan for the 2024 season.

Here is more information about seasonal eating and a seasonal eating chart.

In deciding what topics to cover in this episode something that has been of interest in our quest to assist with the development of healthy communities is ultra-processed foods. One of the simplest and most elegant definitions that I heard about processed foods is that they cannot be produced in your kitchen. Here is https://www.verywellhealth.com/defining-ultra-processed-foods-is-debated-5509462 for you to ponder. Also, check out this Center for Food as Medicine panel discussion on ultra-processed foods and consider removing them from your diet. The National Institute of Health National Library of Health provides a scientific review of the topic that like many others in the food policy realm is subject to being confusing. That said the bottom line is to avoid ultra-processed foods as they are associated with negative health outcomes.

Now, October offers many opportunities to work in your garden whether it is to clean it and prepare for the Spring 2024 season and/or to establish your season extension strategy of choice. There is no need to spend a lot of time on October gardening, instead, I direct you to the October 2022 episode. If you are going to overwinter crops this fall, and winter see the video produced by Chicago Grows Food and the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion at UIC. Also, see the Illinois Extension website for more information, and scroll down for keywords if you would like to expand your search.
The Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion has community-based programs for neighborhoods in need of programs to increase diet quality, movement, and saving food dollars for more information go to the CPHP website.

Contact: Orrin Williams at orrinw@uic.edu
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.