New Year, Healthy Goals

As one year comes to an end and the promise of a fresh, new start is just around the corner, now is the perfect time to evaluate areas of your life and set goals and habits for the new year. If health and wellness are on your list of goals to work towards in 2022, consider reevaluating your grocery list and taking reign of your kitchen. 

Cooking meals in the new year allows you to control what ingredients go into your meals and where your products come from. Instead of trusting grocery chains to deliver produce, proteins, and other ‘fresh foods’ from who knows where, we encourage you to explore local options that provide fresh, unprocessed pantry staples. While it is not wrong to eat fresh greens imported from some foreign land, we can choose to look for meat that was eating fresh greens while it was in season.

Local Items To Purchase

What items should you look for at local farmers’ markets, creameries, and other farms? While you can actually do a lot of your grocery shopping at these places, we’re sharing 5 items we recommend adding to your shopping rotation. 

1.Free-range chicken

What is free-range poultry exactly? Free-range chickens refer to chickens that are raised on farms, well, free range. This means they can roam as they please and are not cooped up in cages. The free range approach allows chickens and other poultry to experience a higher level of care and quality of life. 

When you choose free-range chicken over options you can find at grocery stores that are ‘enhanced’, you are choosing a healthier option for you and the animals. Free-range chickens have more balanced hormones, lower cholesterol, and even offer a tastier flavor than those with antibiotics and GMOs. 

But don’t just take our word for it. Taste the difference! 

2. Grass-fed beef 

Much like free-range chickens, grass-fed beef is a protein option you always want to opt for when you can. Grass-fed beef not only benefits the cows themselves but also offers additional health benefits to you as the literal consumer. This type of beef offers antioxidants, high amounts of omega-three fatty acids (the good ones!), less unhealthy fat, and lower amounts of bad cholesterol. 

3. Eggs

If you haven’t had the chance to enjoy farm-fresh eggs before, we promise you, once you do, you won’t want to get your eggs at a grocery store ever again. Purchasing eggs from local farms also offers health benefits you won’t get from those sold in many grocery stores. Chickens raised locally like those at Country Sunrise Creamery receive more humane treatment and are exposed to sunlight, living a natural life. 

We encourage you to buy just one carton of local, fresh eggs to try. The color, size of the yolks, and even shells immediately show how different these eggs are from processed ones you may be used to. 

4. Raw milk 

Happy cows produce the best-tasting milk, which is why the cattle at Country Sunrise Creamery roam on the open pastures as they please. Raw milk tastes so natural and fresh, you would think you were drinking it straight from the udder. In addition, it offers many vitamins and minerals essential to your body’s health, including vitamins A, D, E, and K. Raw milk is a must on your 2022 grocery list. Many people who are lactose intolerant will find that they can enjoy raw milk in their diet.

5. Seasonal produce 

Fresh, seasonal produce is another must-buy from local farms and creameries in your area. While many grocery stores offer fruits and vegetables, you will notice a sizable difference between local produce and that which gets imported from worldwide. In the early spring, you can look for fresh asparagus, kale, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Yum!

Visit Country Sunrise Creamery

For those in the central Pennsylvania area, Country Sunrise Creamery offers all of these items and more. Our animals are treated with care, and our community and animal health are our top priority. You can visit our farm at 48 Mountain View Rd. Myerstown, PA 17067