Food & Health: Your Stories
"After battling cancer, I did a lot of reading on health, which pointed my family towards better food. We added more veggies to our meals, and started buying organic meats and milk. No processed food, no hormones, no antibiotics—these reduced the risk of cancer, and also had other health benefits for the family. We even considered vegetarianism for a hot minute, to the great concern of all the males in our family. After reading Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food, I realized I needed to find a farm that practiced regenerative farming and transparency, so that our food would be both something that made us feel good and that we felt good about eating. Luckily, I came across information about J&L Green Farm while on vacation one summer, and we managed to stop at the farm store on the way home. We have purchased the majority of our meats from them since!
I have found buying all my meats for an entire month at once has made grocery shopping less of a chore, and meal planning easier, since we tend to buy similar cuts each month. We have several food sensitivities in our family, and prepare most of our meals at home. Anything we can do to make that easier helps! I love knowing that I am feeding my family more nutritious food, and that the animals I choose to eat are well cared for and live good lives. We like the point made by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms that the animals live as nature intended, and have that “one bad day.”
My favorite part of being a J&L Green customer is getting to know the Green family. After we took a farm tour, I understood why it is so important to see where your food comes from. I was delighted for my kids to hear Jordan’s explanations of having the cows graze, following by chickens, and why that helps the land. There were some great discussions around the table after that! Jordan and Laura are just really, really nice people, who are honest in their intentions as farmers, and are raising a beautiful family. We are happy to support this business, because there is such a need for farms and families like them.
The good news is that our family continues to be healthy, and our children are now young adults who have spent the last five years learning how health really does start with food. We love to say, 'Pay the farmer now or the doctor later.'”
Carrie C. | Fairfax, VA
"I had severe thyroid issues that I had been trying to control with natural medicine. After things getting slightly better, but needing to rely on supplements and what not, I was told by my doctor that my eating habits needed to change if I really wanted to heal. I started by getting everything organic at the grocery store but still wasn’t seeing a ton of improvement. I told my neighbor about this and how I wanted to find meat straight from a farm and vegetables from farms that don’t spray. She immediately told me about J&L as well as a farm stand I could use for vegetables. I have noticed a remarkable difference since eating pasture raised meat from J&L, clean veggies etc - I am happy to say I don’t take the supplements I was on for my thyroid anymore because everything has balanced out finally."
Farm Friend | Springfield, VA
"I came to J&L because I've had autoimmune issues for 15 years."
Farm Friend | Fairfax, VA
"I started buying from you after I had a serious health scare. My doctor advised me to choose healthy products for my body."
Jennifer E. | Annandale, VA
"I had DCIS (non-invasive breast cancer) almost 2 years ago. Since then I only eat organic/grass fed, etc."
Danielle R. | Punta Gorda, FL
"I think I learned about the better nutrient profiles of grassfed beef a decade or so ago when the paleo diet first became popular. I also learned the harmful nature of traditional factory-farming type practices. But nourishing my body in better ways and just being a better Earthling are values I hold, without having had any crazy events inspiring me to feel that way. (Of course, weight loss has always been something the world has said I needed. I'm a woman. But that's no longer my motivation.) I was thrilled to find a local family business with great food products that I could support with my business."
Kim H. | Newport News, VA
"I was doing a Keto diet and I needed to find 100% grassfed, organic eggs and heritage pork."
Dawna D. | Hampton, VA
