Get Fresh at Your Local Farmers Market

/in ,

There are many ways we can properly fuel our body, and a good way to start is by being surrounded by nutritious foods such as the ones you can find at the farmers market. Around the valley, you can find a variety of farmers markets with local vendors and farmers year-round. You can find fresh produce, delicious food, and even homemade products. It’s a great way to try new things you wouldn’t typically find in stores.

Reasons to attend a local farmer’s market:

  • Enjoy seasonal produce – the produce is as fresh as it gets and usually at its peak in flavor.
  • Support your local farmers – this helps the local economy by supporting small businesses and creating more jobs.
  • Cheaper prices – you can typically find great deals on conventional and organic produce.
  • Less carbon footprint – farm to table is much closer when you’re shopping at your local farmer’s market a few miles away from home.
  • Physical activity – you’ll do plenty of walking while traveling between vendors and getting some fresh air is always a great decision.
  • Variety – you’ll find a variety of vendors selling pasta, bread, and fruits and vegetables among many other edible and non-edible items.

Tips for the farmer’s market:

  • Get there early – you want to increase your chances of finding the most variety before the crowd arrives.
  • Bring your own bags – most booths don’t offer any and you can help save some plastic.
  • Bring the family, pets are welcomed too – this is a great way to involve children by allowing them to choose their fruits and vegetables.
  • Talk to the farmers – they love sharing about their farming practices and will share some tips and tricks on food preparation.
  • Shop the color of the rainbow – For a well-balanced diet, pick fruits and vegetables of all different colors for a variety of vitamins and minerals.
  • Sample before you buy – this allows you to try different products without having to buy them first.
  • Shop the deals – walk around once writing down prices or produce and come around a second time shopping for the best prices. If you find a great deal, buy extra to freeze, or make into large batches for leftovers.  

On WIC, SNAP, or 60 years and older? Keep reading.

If you are on WIC or are a qualifying senior, you may be eligible for $80 (per family member) to $100 toward your purchase of locally grown produce at a participating farmer’s market. Collect coupons from February 15 to September 30 at these participating locations: Locations – Arizona Farmers Market Nutrition Program (azfmnp.org).

SNAP Recipients:

Do you have a SNAP/EBT card with an active balance? For every $1 you spend, you receive an additional $1 to spend on fruits and veggies, dried beans, and edible plants and seeds – there is no daily limit on how much you can double.

Click here for participating locations: Locations — Double Up Food Bucks Arizona (doubleupaz.org)

If you have any questions regarding nutrition related concerns, request an appointment online or call 480-882-4545 to schedule with one of NOAH’s registered dietitians.

What is Play Therapy?

/in ,

Play therapy provides a unique opportunity for patients of all ages to connect with counselors by sharing their thoughts and feelings through activities.

NOAH is excited to announce the opening of play therapy rooms at Cholla Health Center in Scottsdale and Copperwood II Health Center in Glendale. Both spaces along with specialized training for NOAH counselors were funded through a generous grant from the Ibis Foundation of Arizona. Features of the play therapy rooms include:

Play

  • Play is the primary form of learning in small children.
  • Difficult and stressful things can be acted out through play.
  • Having a conversation through a toy telephone or showing home life through a doll house and characters can help a child talk about a hard thing.
  • Toys like a pounding bench, bean bags, and punching bags help teach and practice self-regulation skills.

Art

  • There are many things words can’t describe. Painting, drawing, and other forms of art give patients ways to express their emotions nonverbally.
  • Patients may be asked to create art following a single prompt, a series of instructions, or no direction at all.

Emotion

  • It can be difficult to talk about emotions when you don’t know the names or definitions for most of them.
  • In play therapy counselors use tools to help patients understand emotions and describe their feelings.
  • In an emotion exercise, a patient may catch a ball labeled with common emotions and where their thumb lands, tell the counselor about the last time they felt that way.

Building

  • Building activities encourage play that copies real-life situations.
  • Whether with Legos, Tinker Toys, or blocks, the act of building can improve self-confidence or develop skills like problem-solving.
  • Building in therapy can be a non-stressful activity where the counselor follows the child’s lead while they build anything or it can be therapist led to recreate a specific stressful event. 

Games

  • Games are a multifunctional activity, and most of the time, they are just fun. However, the therapist can select a game that will help practice a learned skill, define a concept, mimic a situation, or encourage mindful or even mindless conversation.
  • Games like Mancala or Jenga are designed to be stressful and raise anxiety responses, allowing patients to practice anxiety management skills.
  • Other games like Left, Right, Center, or Sorry challenge the idea that needs-based interactions are selfish and help children see the difference between being mean and fulfilling individual needs.
  • Uno, Trash, and Don’t Break the Ice allow the brain to rest and be distracted while talking and In a Pickle or Suspend help with family communication.

Reading

  • Reading is a social-emotional activity that allows for increased connection and communication.
  • Therapists use books of all kinds for all ages. The book “Through the Gate” shows a child’s move to a new home. The story sparks conversation about change and even growing up.
  • Reading also allows the therapist to help parents learn how to listen.
  • It can be as simple as teaching parents how to read to, and with, their children or as complex as how to read books to children that address hard-to-manage issues, like “The Invisible Leash” which addresses the death of a pet.

Play therapy is a clinical form of behavioral health treatment that may be recommended by your NOAH provider. If you or someone you know may benefit from play therapy or other methods of behavioral health treatment, request an appointment online or call 480-882-4545 to schedule an evaluation.