Driving home from the Hollywood Farmers Market Sunday morning, admiring the clear blue sky and smelling the strawberries in the back seat, I realized how much I value the connection with the Earth that I feel after a walk around the outdoor market, admiring the fresh-grown produce, and talking to the sun-burnished farmers with dirt ground into their fingers. I rejoice in the changing seasons as evidenced by the changing produce—from fennel to snap peas to melons—and in the true abundance of our planet. Look how plants thrive here—ready to provide us with more nutrients than we’ve yet discovered in our labs.

We’re spoiled here in L.A.: beautiful food grows year round. In Montreal, I was part of a Community Supported Agriculture Project. We paid the farmer each year and he used the money to grow his crops and gave us boxes of food every two weeks. In the winter, when snow was deep on the ground, we ate potatoes, carrots, beets and cabbage from his storeroom. The first asparagus in June was a grand event! So you can imagine the pleasure I get going to the market here in December and January! (For the record, grocery stores in Montreal carry a variety of produce year round just like they do here.)

Food has been a large part of my life since I became a vegetarian more than twenty years ago. I learned to cook healthy meals, and dabbled in whole foods and macrobiotics. Then when I developed Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (Environmental Illness), I experienced firsthand the connection between agricultural chemicals and my health. This led me to a commitment to organic food that has served me well.

One of the things I love about the farmers’ market is buying directly from the farmers who care so well for the land. I only frequent the stalls with organic produce (a certified California farmer is not necessarily an organic farmer—watch for the signs), and I feel good knowing that my food dollar is going to someone who cares for the soil. Because that is the foundation of organic gardening—keeping the soil healthy. Just like the foundation of our body’s health comes from the food we eat, so does the health of the soil come from the nourishment given to it in the form of compost and beneficial microbes and mulch. These farmers are not just growing food that keeps me healthy, they are also working to ensure that parts of our earth remain healthy for future generations. Who better to give my money to?

I am disappointed, however, when I walk into so-called natural foods markets and health-food stores (I gave up on grocery stores years ago) and find that most of what is for sale is not healthy, is not organic, in fact does not even make it into the category I call Real Food.

What is Real Food? A teacher of mine years ago said “If it doesn’t grow in the ground, don’t put it in your mouth.” You can’t get simpler than that. Now take a box of anything out of your cupboard or fridge and read the ingredients. There are probably some you can’t pronounce, including some that grew in a chemical factory not a garden. Read your package of herbal tea. Does it say “natural flavorings”? Did you know natural flavorings can be made from slaughterhouse byproducts, or MSG, or any number of chemicals made to taste or smell of something they’re not? Unless the product is clearly marked vegetarian, it might not be.

Disgusting, eh? And you thought you were eating healthy.

(By the way, while meat and fish don’t grow in the ground, they can be part of a healthy diet as long as they are grown healthily—organically raised, no hormones, etc.)

Let’s start eating Real Food—food that is less processed, has no chemicals, that is grown in a sustainable way. Summer is a great time to start—the fruit and vegetables at the farmers markets are lush and tasty and easy to eat—just wash and chew.