As we enter the season of sunshine and fresh starts, this new episode of 1,000 Waking Minutes invites you to rediscover one of the most powerful places for well-being: your local farmers market.

In this special story-meets-science episode, Dr. Wendy Bazilian explores the personal joy, health benefits, and wide-reaching ripple effects of shopping local—through farmers markets, co-ops, and CSA produce boxes.

She shares a heartfelt visit to Sage Hill Ranch Gardens, a family-run regenerative farm in North County San Diego, and weaves in current research on how eating locally can benefit your mind, your body, and even your community’s economy and climate.

Whether you're a longtime farmers market fan or thinking about making your first visit this season, this episode offers practical ways to engage and inspiring reminders that the choices we make with our food can shape our health and our world.

We Discuss

(1:50) A visit to Sage Hill Ranch Gardens and the joy of seasonal food

(13:06) The science of local eating: mental health, digestion, disease prevention, connection, well-being

(21:52) 5 practical steps to find, visit, and get the most from your market

(31:25) What CSAs and food co-ops really are—and why they matter now(XX:XX) The ripple effect: economic, environmental, and personal returns

(35:16) A reminder of FLOWS and the power of Fresh, Local, Organic, Whole, and Seasonal.

(35:58) A warm recap and invitation to take one small step this week

To find CSA and produce box options, you can check out:

• LocalHarvest.org/csa

• USDA CSA Directory

• Good Food for All – Produce Box Program

You can also google things like…:

“CSA nearme”

“Produce subscription box [your city]”

“Good Food for All produce program”

CONNECT WITH WENDY:

Follow on Instagram: @1000WakingMinutes

Visit the website: wendybazilian.com

Email me: 1KWM@wendybazilian.com

PLEASE SUPPORT:

If you’re enjoying 1,000 Waking Minutes, help us grow!

• Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they drop.

• Rate & Review the show—your feedback helps others find the podcast.

• Join the conversation! Share your thoughts or questions by visiting wendybazilian.com or connecting on social media.

Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey—together. A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams, and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.

HEALTH DISCLAIMER:

The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical or health advice. Always consult with your trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medical treatment.

REFERENCES:

Farmers Market Coalition. (n.d.). Farmers markets support healthy communities. Retrieved May, 2025, from https://farmersmarketcoalition.org/education/farmers-markets-support-healthy-communities/

Hu, X., Clarke, L. W., & Zendehdel, K. (2021). Farmers’ market usage, fruit and vegetable consumption, meals at home and health–Evidence from Washington, DC. Sustainability, 13(13), 7437. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137437

Hager K, Du M, Li Z, Mozaffarian D, Chui K, Shi P, Ling B, Cash SB, Folta SC, Zhang FF. Impact of Produce Prescriptions on Diet, Food Security, and Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes: A Multisite Evaluation of 9 Produce Prescription Programs in the United States. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2023 Sep;16(9):e009520. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.122.009520. Epub 2023 Aug 29. PMID: 37641928; PMCID: PMC10529680. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37641928/

Lev L., Stephenson G., & Brewer LJ. (2016). Farmers markets and the local food system. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Extension Service. Retrieved from https://farmersmarketcoalition.org/education/farmers-markets-support-healthy-communities

Farmers markets and co-ops

aren't just where we buy

food, they're where health, connection

and community take root.

So when you support local

farms, you're not just nourishing

your plate, you're strengthening your

community and your health.

We experience 1,000 waking minutes

on average every day.

How are you spending yours?

I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian and

you're listening to 1,000 Waking

Minutes.

I can't wait to connect

with you here with practical

ways to eat well, move

daily and be healthy, to

optimize every waking minute you

live for a happier, healthier

life.

Thank you for sharing some

of your waking minutes with

me today.

Let's get started.

I'm saying yes to better

days.

Yes, I'm on my way.

Yes, it's gonna be okay.

Yeah.

Hi, I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian

and welcome to 1,000 Waking

Minutes.

As we head into Memorial

Day weekend, the unofficial, no,

let's just call it the

official start to summer.

I mean, let's face it,

that's what we really treat

it like.

I thought it was the

perfect time to explore the

vibrant world of farmers markets,

of food co-ops, of

produce box programs like CSAs,

and how they enrich not

only our plates, but our

community well-being as well.

So to kick off, I'm

going to start with a

little story not so long

ago, one Saturday morning in

the Bazilian home.

And it went like this,

"Let's drive up to see

our friends at Sage Hill

this morning," I said to

Jason and my daughter Calliope.

This was about a Saturday

morning like any other, but

one where we were making

a trip to North County,

as we sometimes do.

Hilda, our dear friend who

I will most definitely be

sharing more about in a

future episode.

She has an amazing part

cookbook, part art book, part

family story book that's coming

out soon.

I'm very excited about it.

Well, Hilda is someone that

I worked with for over

a decade, and we became

close at that time when

we were working in the

Destination Spa World space.

And we know the whole

family, Hilda's whole family, and

they're what I would consider

part of our San Diego

chosen family, really.

They live a little further

than when we used to

live closer up in North

County, and it's about a

45 minute drive up to

where Sage Hill Ranch is,

and their home.

We've known their kids since

they were kids.

Now they're full grown adults.

Two are parents.

One is a parent of

fur babies, and all of

them are amazing.

There's three of them.

And these just aren't any

old friends.

We've known them for 22

years, and they live on

a five acre property that

their youngest child, now a

man, has turned into a

thriving local vegetable and fruit

producing farm, along with a

lot of contributions from the

rest of the family too.

So Farmer Spencer, we call

him, both affectionately and accurately,

led the charge to turn

their property about eight years

ago into what is now

called Sage Hill Ranch Gardens.

It's a small but mighty

regenerative farm that's become a

staple in our San Diego

region.

And on Saturdays, they have

their at the farm market

day.

Other days, they're busy supplying

some of the area's top

restaurants, grocery store specialty markets.

They're at, I think, three

different farmers markets during the

week, and well, the rest

of the time they're farming.

But on arrival on a

Saturday morning, it's at their

home, at their farm.

We never know what we'll

be seeing or trying or

doing.

And the air is always

filled with the scent of

combination of fresh earth and

sweet aromatic flowers or fruits

or things going on farm.

There are horses, there are

some goats, there are chickens

that lay eggs, and it

is truly the best air

to breathe.

It's cleansing, it's crisp.

They've actually changed the microclimate

by how many trees they

planted and how much vegetation

is growing abundantly there.

The plants taken, of course,

are human carbon dioxide and

the carbon dioxide that is

given off by so many

other things.

And they give us back

the plants that is pure,

oxygen rich air.

And it feels like a

microcleansing of my lungs, of

the air, of the body,

really.

And it gives us the

freshest O2, the freshest oxygen.

And I always think of

oxygen sort of as the

first nutrient, the one that

we absolutely need to survive

from minute to minute.

Their market stand, I think

it was constructed by Rocky,

I think, Hilda's husband, who's

been there a long time.

I would imagine it is,

you know, I've never asked,

I'll do that soon.

And it's always styled in

fine detail by Mother Nature,

if you know what I

mean, with a little help

from Spencer's team.

The produce is always just

harvested.

It still has a little

bit of dirt showing occasionally,

gasp at that, but that's

life.

That's the verdant nature of

the garden.

The greens are so crisp

and green.

There's sometimes rainbow chard.

There's juicy plums when they're

in season.

And there's a few thoughtful

additions always sort of curated

by my friend Hilda, sort

of the matriarch of the

farm.

Little favorite books, books of

poetry, books about nature, cookbooks,

handmade soaps that are crafted

from farm ingredients, for example.

Something always special and intentional.

And that's certainly Hilda's special

touch, I know.

We always get to walk

around.

We're guided as we walk

around.

This is a working farm.

And we get to see

what's sprouting and what's new

and what's happening.

And there's always something that's

picked and handed to us

to taste right off the

plant.

This is a time where

we just eat it right

off the plant.

No rinsing, no questions, because

it's so, so good.

They grow a diverse variety

of fruits and vegetables for

the greater San Diego area.

So this isn't just a

special experience for our family,

even though on Saturdays it

really is.

But I want to point

out something really cool that

I learned from Farmer Spencer

when I interviewed him for

an article that I wrote

not too long ago.

About a third of Sage

Hill Ranch Gardens produce is

sold wholesale at The Food

Shed.

The Food Shed is a

farmer-owned co-op in

San Diego that helps bring

local produce, make it available

to low-income families at

actually affordable prices.

And that's really heart.

I think it's so cool

that we have this in

San Diego.

And I think it's so

cool that such commitment comes

from our small farm community

doing the right things.

I was going to say

the right thing.

Yeah, I guess it's the

right thing.

Great things.

And it's such an example

of equity in action.

They also practice regenerative practices,

regenerative farming.

There's no tilling, no monocropping,

no synthetic chemicals.

And they focus on building

the soil health.

So much so that they

have more natural pest resistances

happened over time.

It's incredible if you get

talking to them.

They're planting fruit trees that

cool the microclimate and retain

moisture in the area.

They're sort of in a

desert area up in North

County, San Diego, Escondido area.

And Spencer told me that

they've seen output has actually

gone up in their crops

and pests have gone down

since switching to these back

-to-basics practices, but with

smarts.

I want to underscore that

this is using the best

of our brains and sort

of what we know how

today, but using regenerative and

natural practices of perhaps yesteryear,

the way it used to

be done, but more sophisticated.

And it's proof really that

nature knows what she's doing.

And it's a win-win

for the farm and for

our planet.

They're even working toward opening

a learning center, a not

-for-profit learning center on

the farm to help inspire

and train the next generation

of farmers and really to

educate us all.

And this is something that

is so important because farming,

family farming, as the generations

progress has actually declined.

And it's hard to convince

young people to become farmers.

And they're doing just that.

And if you're being a

small farmer, even a micro

farmer, like a home farmer,

you can learn some things

that way as well.

So this is such a

wonderful Saturday.

It's a visit with our

friends, and it connects us

so literally to what we

eat and to our earth.

And I always get sentimental

when we go there.

There's lots of history we

have with this family.

And I'm so proud to

know them, Spencer, Hilda, Paige,

Rocky, and Soleil.

I put them out of

order.

Hilda and Rocky are the

married parents of Spencer, Paige,

and Soleil.

And the whole family that

they've created, not just for

their own future, they've done

this, but for ours here

in San Diego.

So this is really a

specialty kind of farmer's market.

It's a single farmer, farmer's

market day on the farm.

It's a micro farmer's market,

so to speak.

One farmer, one family hosting

a community market day, most

Saturdays.

But here in Southern California,

we are lucky.

I know that some of

you listening will say, well,

you're particularly fortunate because your

weather, and we are, whether

it's Tuesday afternoon at Pacific

Beach, Sundays on the campus

of the La Jolla Elementary

School, Saturdays in the Little

Italy district of San Diego

with the Mercato, the farmer's

market there, and so many

others throughout our county.

And I admit that we're

particularly fortunate, but it does

remind me to remind you

that you probably have some

too, maybe as many, maybe

fewer, maybe they're a long

season, or maybe you have

very seasonal farmer's markets, but

seeking them out, which I'm

going to encourage you to

do today, especially now, this

is a great time to

do it, is so nourishing,

it's so valuable, and I

think it's so important in

a number of ways, including

and importantly to your own

personal health.

The connection, the food, and

the person who grew it

can be profound, and it

reminds me and is a

reminder to us all that

foods are more than sustenance.

They're a story, they create

relationships, and they create community.

So, you know, just thinking

about walking through the markets

lifts my spirit.

You can almost feel the

sunshine coming down.

You can almost smell the

aromas of basil or rosemary,

or the fresh citrus that

sometimes wafts through the air

as farmers are sort of

cutting up pieces that you

can sample along the way.

I just love that.

So, as I always like

to do, I want to

ground us a little in

the science, because I can

wax on about the fun

of going to the farmer's

market, and I can even

hopefully sell you into the

benefit of there being some

good fruits and vegetables there.

But I want to talk

now a little bit about

the science of local eating

and the benefits of visiting

a farmer's market, or participating

in a CSA, community-supported

agriculture, or in co-ops,

in sort of co-op

markets.

Because going to a farmer

market or joining a food

co-op doesn't just feel

good, it's good for us

in measurable and real-world

ways.

So, I'm going to highlight

just a few of the

health and well-being ROIs,

the returns on investment, that

come from shopping and connecting

locally to our foods that

are grown nearby, and our

artisans that are doing things

locally as well.

First up, increased produce consumption.

It should be no surprise

to you, in common sense

actually, that you're going to

find lots of fruits and

vegetables at a farmer's market.

But there's actually research to

suggest that when you go

there, there's a chance, a

good chance, that you'll actually

start consuming more.

In a 2021 study, a

survey of residents in the

Washington, D.C. area, they

looked at the relationship between

farmer's market usage and health

indicators, like fruit and vegetable

consumption, as I mentioned, at

meal preparation time, and also

meals away from home.

And here's what they found.

Just a 1% increase

in farmer's market usage was

linked to a 6.5

% increase in fruit and

vegetable intake, and nearly 10

% increase in time spent

making meals at home.

So by just increasing the

frequency in going to the

farmer's market, it was linked

to an increase in fruit

and vegetable consumption and more

time cooking meals at home,

preparing meals at home.

Not only that, but it

also was linked with decreased

amounts of time away from

home for meals.

So this is pretty powerful.

In other words, simply visiting

your market a little more

often might help you shift

your eating patterns toward more

fresh, nutrient-rich foods.

And cooking more at home

often means more control over

ingredients and better long-term

health outcomes, too, as other

research has shown.

So even a 1%

increase in farmer's market use

led to a 6.5

% increase in fruit and

vegetable intake and a 9

.4% increase in time

spent cooking at home.

I just can't underscore that

enough.

And the best part is

it's just one study of

a growing number of them

showing how local food and

access to it can translate

to real health benefits.

Others have shown that placing

farm stands outside of the

community sites that are within

walking distance has led to

increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

So a small shift for

a big return.

A study in North Carolina

found that kids living closer

to farmer's markets had lower

BMIs, body mass indexes, while

those that surrounded more fast

food and pizza places had

higher BMIs.

Our food environment matters and

our proximity to it matters

as well.

And this is not just

theory.

It's measurable.

It's local and it's personal.

It's really cool, right?

So the second benefit is

that produce prescriptions, I don't

know if you've heard that

phrase before, and produce access

programs really do work.

There's a growing movement behind

what are called produce prescriptions.

In other words, programs where

doctors and community clinics can

actually give monthly stipends and

vouchers for fresh fruits and

vegetables.

How cool is that?

I think it's one of

the most exciting developments in

the intersection of healthcare and

nutrition.

And it's the rise of

these produce prescription programs.

These are initiatives where healthcare

providers can literally prescribe fruits

and vegetables.

They make healthy food more

accessible and especially to underserved

communities.

And there's a growing number

of studies that have shown

real impact for these, real

world impact.

In one comprehensive study that

was published just a couple

of years ago in the

journal Circulation, Cardiovascular Quality and

Outcomes, the researchers examined the

effects of 22 such produce

prescription programs on nearly 3

,900 participants who are at

risk for poor cardiometabolic health

across 12 US states.

And it was done over

the course of many months.

The median was six months,

so sometimes more, sometimes a

little less.

And their findings were notable.

First, they found increased produce

consumption.

Adults increased their daily intake

by approximately 0.85 cups,

more than three quarters of

a cup, nearly a cup

for most adults.

And while children were only

boosted about a quarter of

a cup, so nearly a

cup for adults and just

over a quarter cup boost

from the produce prescription programs

in consumption of fruits and

vegetables.

And while it was only

about a quarter cup for

children, I do want you

and me to keep two

things in mind.

Kids, especially in their younger

toddler and even through their

tween year, research has shown

that they tend to get

more fruits and vegetables than

other life stages.

Parents tend to be more

focused on it.

They tend to be consuming

more, particularly fruit, and they

get closer to the daily

recommendation in the first place.

Also, they're smaller.

They're smaller in size and

they're just developing.

So their actual recommendation is

lower.

So a quarter cup is

actually moving the dial in

a significant way toward their

daily recommendation.

So this boost really is

like icing on the cake.

Well, that's not appropriate.

Maybe like cherry on the

top of the fruit sorbet

here with this impact of

the produce prescription on real

consumption.

And I think that's super

impressive.

They also saw in this

particular study other health improvements,

and I want to make

note of these.

Adult participants also experienced notable

reductions in blood sugar levels,

in body mass index, and

improvements in blood pressure.

Significant cardiometabolic risk factors, significant

health factors for us in

general.

And these findings really do

underscore the potential of integrating

nutrition-focused interventions into healthcare

to help combat or reduce

the risk of certain diseases

and also promote overall well

-being.

So this is really like

medicine through food, for real.

It's the power of a

different kind of prescription, perhaps,

literally, produce prescriptions.

And the third and final

benefit I want to share

today is that community connection

really counts for our health.

Farmers' markets create these pockets

of real interaction.

People don't just shop and

leave, typically.

They linger.

They chat with vendors.

They see neighbors.

And according to data from

the Farmers' Market Coalition, shoppers

report more frequent social interactions

per visit than when they're

at a traditional grocery store.

And this isn't just anecdotal.

In the national survey, nearly

one in three people, 28%,

said that the greatest benefit

to their farmers' market was

that it brings people together.

Another study in Los Angeles

found that over half of

shoppers felt a strong connection

to their community, and an

overwhelming 99% believed that

the market improved community health.

This sense of connection has

been tied to better mental

health, too, to lower stress

and even greater life satisfaction.

In a world that feels

so rushed and virtual these

days, this human connection you

can get from a farmers'

market and community interaction, it's

a real gift.

So if you're ready to

get marketing locally and support

your farmers and your health

this season, there are some

practical ways to start.

Whether if it's your first

visit to the farmers' market

this season or ever, or

if you're curious about getting

local seasonal food into your

life, don't worry.

This isn't about overwhelm.

This isn't about who does

it better.

Just want to give you

a few meaningful and simple

steps to get you started.

So number one, find a

farmers' market near you.

It sounds basic, but sometimes

we don't know what's just

around the corner.

And remember what I said

about the distance.

If you can walk to

it, even that may contribute

to increased fruit and vegetable

consumption.

But one place you can

go right off the bat

is to localharvest.org.

So it's localharvest.org, and

you simply type in your

zip code.

You'll discover the markets in

your area, what days they

are.

You may find a big

weekend event.

You may find an intimate,

charming weekday event, a little

roadside stand and marketplace that

you never noticed before.

I would encourage you to

print it out, or even

better yet, do that and

enter it into your planner.

I find this helpful, especially

if you're a person of

routine where you just stop

at the supermarket, and especially

if it's not your everyday

go-to for shopping.

If it's in your planner,

it'll sort of ping you

in your mind and on

your planner.

Maybe if you set an

alarm, it'll literally ding you

to shop, to go plan

an outing, and it'll remind

you of doing something good

for your health.

Tip number two, consider joining

a food co-op.

Co-ops are member-owned

grocery stores or buying clubs,

some call them.

They often source local food

and other items, other local

items, to offer great prices

and perks to members.

They may let you even

vote on what products they

carry, so your values can

help shape the shelves.

You can search for something

like food co-op near

me, or you can go

to farmersmarketcoalition.org for more

resources.

We have one in our

area in Ocean Beach called

People's Food Co-op, and

it's as much of a

community itself as it is

a local, organic, community-owned

market.

And it's been around since

1971, and I know someone

else who's been around that

long too.

So next up, you're looking

for the farmer's market, you're

searching for a co-op

and considering that.

Number three is thinking about

subscribing to a CSA or

a produce box program.

CSA stands for community-supported

agriculture, and it's exactly that.

You subscribe directly to a

local farm, and you receive

a box of seasonal produce

regularly.

It's often weekly or bi

-weekly, and you can think

of it like a farm

to you box, but you're

literally participating in that season's

crop and the vitality of

that farm and that farmer

for your community.

Some boxes are delivered to

your home, others are sent

to a school near you

or a church or a

community hub for pickup, and

they help you eat what's

local and fresh and in

season while supporting the farmers

who grow it.

And they also help you

get to know again what's

local and fresh and seasonal

in your area, because typically

a supermarket has a year

-round supply of almost anything

you can imagine.

For farmers, this model provides

a predictable income for them,

and it lets them grow

just what's needed.

So that ultimately can help

reduce waste by growing what's

needed and the amount of

subscriptions that have come through

and some predictions and things

that will be purchased for

sure and committed to, and

it can help boost their

sustainability as well.

For the community, this builds

a resilient and regional food

system.

It gets you access to

local, fresh, and seasonal foods.

And for you directly, this

provides you fresh and nutrient

-rich foods and a new

sense of connection with where

your food comes from.

And probably some of the

health perks that I talk

about frequently, from our brain,

to our heart, to our

skin, to our sleep, to

healthy aging, and so many

more things.

So in order to find

some of these places like

the CSAs or the produce

box options, you can go

to localharvest.org, the same

place I sent you for

farmers markets.

And right there, there's a

link right to CSAs.

But you can also do

localharvest.org backslash CSA, simple

as that.

You can go to the

USDA site, the CSA directory.

There's something called the Good

Food for All Produce Box

Program.

So there's multiple ways.

You can also just Google.

So I'll give you a

few keywords for that.

CSA near me.

And you can probably find

one that way.

Or produce subscription box for

and put your city name

or your community name or

your zip code in.

You can also just Google

the Good Food for All

Produce Program.

I'll put these in the

show notes.

But I just want to

mention them to help cue

your mind and give you

a few searchable options so

that you can find them.

Next, number four, plan your

visit to the market.

A little preparation can make

your experience so much better

once you get to the

farmer's market.

So here's a few tips

within planning a visit to

the market, your farmer's market,

or even the first time

to your co-op.

This could work as well.

Farmer's market in particular here.

Go early for the best

selection.

You might have heard or

even seen that the chefs

of the top-notch restaurants

actually hit the farmer's market

first.

They're always the ones there

earliest to get the best

selection.

The other alternative to early

for best selection is actually

late.

At the end of the

day, you can sometimes get

end-of-the-day deals.

It's not as predictable if

you have a shopping list.

But if you're a little

open to what's there, you

can get some really good

deals at the end of

the day because farmers want

to sell what they have,

bring less home again back

to the farm, and it's

a win-win in that

regard.

A second tip there for

planning your visit is thinking

about bringing cash and bring

reusable bags, bring your shopping

bags with you.

Not all stands take cards.

If they do, sometimes they

incentivize you to use cash.

And though some farmer's markets

now do use the SNAP

debit cards, which is really

cool, that's the Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program, formerly the Food

Stamps, which is amazing, not

all of them do, or

they may just have a

special terminal for those.

And third, think about talking

to the farmers.

Ask where your foods are

grown.

Ask how to cook them.

Ask about them.

They love talking about them.

That's why they're there.

Ask them for a new

spin on something that you

haven't tried before or that

you even have.

Ask what's coming next this

season.

Talk to them and get

to know them.

And the fifth tip today

I want to encourage you

to do, and this is

a little bit of bridging

into the world of more

produce in your diet, is

try something new.

Challenge yourself either with the

produce boxes or at the

farmer's market to grab a

never prepped before.

Maybe it's kohlrabi.

Maybe it's Romanesco cauliflower, golden

cauliflower, this green kind of

prickly cauliflower.

There's different kinds of cauliflower

out there.

Maybe it's some heirloom greens

or chard or some of

those really bumpy, wonderful heirloom

tomatoes.

There's lots of interesting things

to experiment with to broaden

your palette and broaden your

diet and broaden your nutrition

as well.

So let trying something new

spark your curiosity, spark some

questions in the kitchen.

And who knows?

One tiny flavorful choice might

just shift your habit, might

shift your mood or even

a meal that you decide

to share with someone else.

It's how change starts with

small but real little trying

it on for size, trying

something new.

Just like that, we're engaged

with our local farms, our

foods and our community.

It's so cool.

And this is a season

where pretty much nationwide we

can get involved.

And now we get to

look back or look out,

zoom out, maybe I should

say on this a little

because our choices, they really

do ripple outward.

When you support our local

food systems, you're not just

nourishing yourself.

You're strengthening something so much

larger.

First, you help to create

economic boosts in your own

community.

And we could really use

that, couldn't we?

Farmer's markets generate real and

meaningful income for local growers

and artisans as well.

And in some regions, they

contribute millions annually to the

local economy.

When you shop at a

farmer's market or join a

CSA, your dollars literally stay

close to home.

They support the people growing

your food.

They also extend into other

job arenas.

They help jobs in your

area and the sustainability of

jobs in your area.

Local food systems like farms

in the area create jobs

in transportation and distribution, in

food safety and marketing.

It's a full ecosystem.

And you're part of keeping

it alive when you participate

in it.

Have you ever thought of

that?

And then there are the

environmental benefits.

Local food doesn't travel thousands

of miles, which means a

lower carbon footprint, which I

hope you feel good about.

I do.

And when farms use regenerative

and sustainable methods like the

no-till, cover crops, organic

practices, they help improve our

soil health, our biodiversity, and

even our climate over time.

So here's something else I

just want to add.

Places like Sage Hill Ranch

Gardens, the farm I mentioned

before from our dear friends,

aren't just feeding us.

They're modeling what is possible.

Their regenerative practices, their equitable

produce distribution through the food

shed program, the creation of

a not-for-profit learning

center, that's like community change

in motion.

And it's sort of a

type of localism in action,

which can be very community

-oriented and healthy.

And importantly and critically, I

want to underscore probably the

most important ripple of all

for your 1,000 waking

minutes is the impact on

your health and your family's

health.

Eating fresh seasonal produce from

farmers, from the markets, from

the CSAs, from co-ops

has been shown to increase

fruit and vegetable consumption, encourage

more home cooking, and even

reduce our reliance on ultra

-processed foods.

And this translates, of course,

to better mental clarity, better

energy, better digestion, better long

-term disease prevention, better well

-lived days.

And let's not forget the

mental health layer as well.

Being outside, talking with other

people, tasting food grown with

care, with chi, as we

like to say, those little

things matter as well.

For kids, it can be

a mini-adventure.

For adults, it can be

a complete reset on the

day.

And it's all part of

how we spend our

1,000 waking minutes each day.

So starting today, one, visit

a farmer's market.

That's my call to action

for you.

Stroll, taste, talk.

Let food and people interact

and intersect and mingle together

to inspire you.

Two, support your local farms

in some way, whether it's

through a CSA, a co

-op membership, or shopping directly

at a farm stand like

at Sage Hill Ranch Gardens.

You can help build a

better food system, really help

support our local food ecosystem.

And three, educate others.

Talk about what you've learned.

Share a recipe from your

CSA.

Invite a friend to the

market next weekend.

It could be an eat

well, move daily, be healthy

moment all wrapped in one.

These little moments create momentum.

And remember, we did two

full episodes on FLOWS, Fresh,

Local, Organic, Whole, and Seasonal,

that acronym that is not

a mandate but a guide

to looking at the foods

that we put on our

plate for eating well.

And you got to admit

that this one ticks most

of the boxes.

What could be more, you

know, when you engage in

a local farmers market or

a co-op in hitting

some of those Fresh, Local,

Organic, Whole, Seasonal FLOWS?

So visit it.

Visit this weekend, maybe.

Share a recipe.

These little moments are so

important.

Eating well and living well

aren't like grandiose dreams.

And I hope that you

hear that reiterated time and

again through the time we

spend together on 1,000 Waking

Minutes here.

They really come from daily

grounded choices.

And I really know, I

was going to say I

believe, but I know that

farmers markets and co-ops

and participating in CSAs and

doing something in some way,

they're not just nice extras.

They're part of a more

nourishing and more connected and

more sustainable way of life

that can contribute to your

eating well and living well.

So if you found this

episode helpful, please share it

with a friend or pass

along the resources.

I'll put them in the

show notes.

You can always find more

at wendybazillion.com.

And you can always send

me a note at 1kwm

1KWM@wendybazilian.com.

I love hearing from you

and I appreciate it so

much when you reach out.

And as always, thank you

truly for sharing a few

of your 1,000 Waking Minutes

with me today.

And until next time, I'm

going to say all three

pillars, eat well, move daily,

and be healthy.

So long.

Thank you for tuning into

1,000 Waking Minutes.

A huge thank you to

our amazing collaborators, including our

production and marketing teams and

Gabriela Escalante in particular.

To the ultra talented Beza

for my theme music, my

lifelong friend and artist Pearl

Preis Photography and Design.

To Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen,

Joanna Powell, and of course

my family.

And everyone working tirelessly behind

the scenes.

And to you, our valued

listeners, I so appreciate your

support.

If you enjoyed today's episode,

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Until next time, find some

simple opportunities to optimize those

1,000 waking minutes each day.

Yes It's

gonna be okay yeah.