But there’s also a con side to the coffee cup.

Pros

Boosts antioxidant levels: Coffee is a source of dietary antioxidants called polyphenols, which keep disease-causing free radical chemicals from damaging cells. “Both caffeinated and decaf versions appear to provide similar antioxidant levels,” according to researchers (Nutr Today 2005;40:245).

Minimizes inflammation: A study published in May 2006 shows that imbibing an average of 1-3 cups of coffee a day might inhibit inflammation and thereby “reduce the risk of cardiovascular and other inflammatory diseases in postmenopausal women.” (Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:1039.) The researchers did not differentiate between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.

The 15-year analysis, which included 410,235 postmenopausal women, also proved the theory that “more” is not always “better.” The researchers noted that drinking more than 3 cups of coffee per day did not significantly increase the brew’s anti-inflammatory benefits.

Enhances well-being: According to Dr. Peter Martin of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Institute for Coffee Studies, “Work in the mid-1980s suggested that chlorogenic acids (chemicals in coffee) might have an effect on the opiate system in the brain. They may have antidepressant effects, which would make some sense because we know that drinking coffee gives people a sense of well-being. It’s possible that these or other components of coffee may have an effect on reducing alcohol dependency.”

The plant hormone trigonelline, another anti-carcinogenic property found in coffee, might also have a sedative effect on the brain.

Curtails cirrhosis: Consuming just 1 cup of coffee each day can slash a person’s risk of developing alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis by more than 20%. And because the link appears to have nothing to do with caffeine, it doesn’t matter whether you choose the leaded or unleaded version.

The 22-year analysis included 125,580 people whose medical history included the use of alcohol. Of the
group, 330 developed cirrhosis of the liver.

“Tea consumption had no effect on the risk of alcohol-associated liver cirrhosis, making it likely that a component of coffee other than caffeine is responsible.” (Arch Intern Med 2006;166:1190-5.)

The researchers also found that each additional daily cup cut the risk of alcohol-associated cirrhosis by 22%, though it did not reduce the risk of other types of cirrhosis.

Prevents post-workout soreness: The caffeine in coffee “improves performance and endurance during prolonged, exhaustive exercise. To a lesser degree it also enhances short-term high-intensity athletic performance.” (Curr Sports Med Rep 2003;2:213-9.)

But that’s not all. Studies show 1-2 cups of caffeinated coffee prior to exertion might prevent post-workout aches and pains.

Reduces Parkinson’s risk: In a 30-year study of 8,004 Japanese-American men, coffee drinkers enjoyed a 3- to 6-fold reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, compared with noncoffee drinkers. Caffeine intake from noncoffee sources was also associated with a reduced risk (JAMA 2000;283:2674).

Bolsters glucose tolerance: Drinking 2 or more cups of coffee a day is associated with better glucose tolerance and a “substantially lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in diverse populations in Europe, the US and Japan.” (Diabetes Care 2006;29:398.) This conclusion was based on a study of 88,259 women between 26-46 with no history of diabetes.

Researchers also noted that decaffeinated coffee was just as effective as caffeinated. This study is just one of many highlighting coffee’s protective effect against developing Type 2 diabetes.

Based on information gathered from more than 125,000 men and women, researchers in Australia concluded that “women who drank 6 or more cups of coffee a day had a 30% lower chance of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who did not drink coffee at all. Men who drank more than 6 cups of caffeinated coffee each day had a 50% lower chance compared to noncoffee drinkers.” (Aust Nurs J 2004:11:31.)

Cons

Insomnia and acidity: Caffeine can have a detrimental effect on sleep quality. Its diuretic (promotes water loss) and laxative effects can keep you dashing to the bathroom all night.

To offset the acidity created in the body, 64 ounces of water should be consumed per day for each cup of coffee consumed. Diseases only exist in acidic body environments.

Drug-rebound headaches: Coffee can stop a headache dead in its tracks. In fact, caffeine is a common ingredient in many headache medications. But its long-term use may spark chronic “drug-rebound” headaches. “Excessive caffeine consumption, mostly in the form of coffee and tea, is a well-recognized cause of headache and migraine.” (Cephalalgia 2003:23:332-5.)

Bone fracture: In a 10-year study of 31,527 Swedish women, researchers determined that drinking 4 cups of caffeinated coffee a day “significantly increased the risk of fracture, whereas tea drinking was not associated with risk.” (Osteoporos Int 2006;17:1055-64.) Research shows that minerals can leach out of bones to neutralize acid from the coffee.

Glaucoma concern: It’s not unusual for ophthalmologists to instruct patients with glaucoma to avoid caffeinated coffee and other caffeine products. The reason, according to researchers, is that caffeine raises pressure inside the eye (Ann Pharmacother 2002;36:992-5).

High-risk pregnancy: According to researchers who analyzed more than 18,400 women, “Compared to pregnant women who didn’t drink any coffee, those who drank 4-7 cups daily had an 80% increased risk of stillbirth, and those who drank 8 cups or more increased their risk threefold.” (RN 2003;66:98.)

Caffeinated coffee consumption among pregnant women is also linked to a decrease in birth weight among infants. In a study of 2,291 women, those who regularly drank caffeinated coffee delivered lower-weight babies. Decaffeinated coffee, however, did not affect infant weight outcomes (Am J Epidemiol 2003;157:456-66).

Caffeinated vs. decaffeinated: By now, you are probably saying to yourself, “The problem with coffee seems to center more on its caffeine status than the brew itself.” And you’re right.

But decaf can pose hidden health risks as well because of the chemical process employed to remove caffeine. The procedure, developed in 1900 by a German chemist, involves exposing green coffee beans to “steam and solvent in a rotating drum. The solvent absorbs the caffeine and more steam is used to wash out the caffeine-bearing solvent.” (Patient Care 1986;20:179)

Over the years, a number of chemicals have been used only to be discontinued because they were proven to cause cancer. Today the industry standard is methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. And while their safety, according to researchers, has “never been questioned,” many health experts remain skeptical.

There is good news, however, for those who want to avoid caffeine and chemicals. There are chemical-free decaffeination processes available.

For instance, the Swiss water process, which uses an 8-hour water filtration system, is 100% chemical-free. To determine if your coffee of choice is chemically or naturally decaffeinated, check its label.

Cream and sugar? Cream? Sugar? Syrups? Artificial sweeteners? These additions can counteract coffee’s potential health benefits.

Cream is packed with calories and fat. And even lower-fat dairy options, such as skim milk or any milk product, can contain synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics. So opt for organic dairy products or organic soy alternatives.

The syrups in many “designer” coffee drinks are loaded with sugar and artificial chemicals. Sugar substitutes like aspartame (in blue packets called Equal, Nutrasweet, Canderel and now AminoSweet) and sucralose (yellow packets, Splenda), pink packets (Sweet’n’Low, saccharin sweeteners) also carry health risks. Aspartame, for instance was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!

For a healthier option, try honey or melting a small square of dark organic chocolate (at least 60% cocoa) into your brew.

John Ferguson D.C. is a wellness chiropractor in Clifton Park and a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.

For more information:

• Ferguson Family Chiropractic, 54 Crossing Blvd. Suite H (behind the clock tower), Clifton Park, 383.5595
• Ferguson Family Chiropractic Facebook page
• International Chiropractic Pediatric Association
• Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company, 3131 Lake City Way, Burnaby BC, 800.668.9981
• Aspartame dangers and side effects

Of course, she has also gotten them to eat vegetables they never realized they were eating.

Fitz, founder of the Price Chopper Kids Cooking Club, tries to make healthy food fun and tasty for children. That means popsicles made out of fruit and veggies snuck into all sorts of recipes. She takes her recipes and cooking demos to school and community groups throughout Price Chopper’s market area.

At 10 a.m. June 28, she will be presenting “Kids can cook: heart-healthy summer snacks” at the Sylvan Learning Center in Clifton Park. The interactive workshop — cosponsored by the American Heart Association — is free, but reservations are required and can be made by calling 373.7995.

Jodie Fitz of Price Chopper Kids Cooking Club enjoys teaching children how to eat healthy.

One of her secrets to getting kids to eat healthy is to get them into the kitchen and involved in the cooking.

“I love to get them involved in the process and to introduce them to new tastes and flavors,” Fitz said. “I like to treat the kitchen as a science experiment.”

Part of that came from her experiences as a mother of 3.

“They’re not perfect eaters,” Fitz said. “But they tend to eat healthier because of what they grew up with.”

Like flying saucers — turkey burgers with spinach inside them — or popsicles made of fruit and yogurt that after some thought she decided was OK for breakfast.

“My daughter loves telling the kids at school that her mom lets her have popsicles for breakfast,” Fitz said.

Each month she prepares 3 Kids Cooking Club recipes that are fun yet healthy. This month’s recipes are apple-topped muffins, grilled pizza and cinnamon-tortilla dippers.

Another healthy-eating tip she recommends is giving dishes a fun name. For example, she makes “bunny food” — a broccoli-and-carrot pizza that gets children to eat vegetables.

“The kids I was cooking with loved it,” she said. “They had a blast, and it got a thumbs up, the kids’ sign of approval.”

Bunny food

1 cup carrots, shredded
2 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Price Chopper olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled
8 oz Price Chopper mozzarella cheese, shredded
Price Chopper pizza dough, fresh

1. Place the carrots, broccoli, and garlic in a skillet with 2 Tbs. olive oil . Saute on medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Take a large baking sheet and using a paper towel, rub a very light layer of olive oil onto the pan. Set aside.
4. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into one large circle, approximately 16 to 18 inches. Using a pizza cutter cut off the top of the circle removing approximately 3 to 4 inches.
5. Roll the large circle to even off the cut area and transfer the large circle to baking sheet towards one side to leave room for bunny ear pizza dough. Take the remaining dough, cut in half, and roll each half on the floured surface to form two oblong pieces. Attach them to the circular dough to create two bunny ears and a head.
6. Using a paper towel, rub a small amount of olive oil onto the dough. Top with the vegetable mixture and then with the cheese. Cut the large carrot into pieces to create two eyes, eye brows, nose, mouth and whiskers to top off the bunny food. Bake until the bottom is brown; approximately 20 minutes.

For more information:

• Jodie Fitz’s blog
• Price Chopper Kids Cooking Club
• Sylvan Learning Center, 10 Maxwell Drive Suite 106, Clifton Park, 373.7995
• American Heart Association, 440 New Karner Road, Albany, 869.4042

And they can get ice cream to boot.

Sunday marks the 15th annual Sundae on the Farm, and for the second time it will be at ArnoldHaven Farm at 1298 Sacandaga Road in the town of Charlton. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m.

© David Coleman | Dreamstime.com

“It’s a great way to learn about what farmers do to produce milk and the food we eat,” said Paula Schafer, a senior resource educator with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County.

There will be guided tours of the farm’s dairy facilities, horse-drawn wagon rides, children’s activities, a farmers market (including plants and flowers for sale), a sheep-shearing demo and live music by the Two Bits String Band, a folk/acoustic/roots music group out of Easton.

Area chefs will provide cooking demos with an emphasis on local foods. At 1 p.m., Paul Tersico of the Charlton Tavern will prepare New York strip steak with caramelized apples, bacon, onions and cheddar. At 2:15, Sandy Foster of the Village Pizzeria & Ristorante will make pasta with goat cheese. Finally at 3:30, Corey Masten of Millstone Food and Spirits will offer strawberry shortcake.

At 2 p.m. there is a spelling bee and at 3 an ice-cream eating contest.

All day long there will be ice cream and pie for sale. It’s $1.50 for a dish of Stewart’s ice cream, and an extra 50¢ will make it a sundae. A piece of pie from Smith Orchards and Bake Shop costs $1.50, and for $3 you can have pie à la mode. Hot dogs, hamburgers, water, milk and coffee are also available.

The extension organizes the annual event to show the importance of agriculture to the county, which has seen its number of farms decrease from 1,800 50 years ago to 641 today. ArnoldHaven — established by James and Bertha Arnold in 1914 — is 1 of the survivors.

But the past 4 years have been tough for the dairy industry. The costs have gone up, while the prices farmers receive for milk has remained flat. Often what the farmers get barely — if at all — pays the bills.

“We don’t set the price of milk. We have to take what the market provides,” Arnold said. “That’s part of being a dairy farmer.”

Arnold said consumers can help farms survive by watching where the products they buy come from. Too often, he said, shoppers don’t realize the food they buy — even milk products — come from outside the United States.

“We’ve had years where there are low dairy prices, but they’re importing milk from Russia,” said Arnold, who added shoppers should especially look at the labels on canned and powdered milk. “Right now it’s important to support the dairy farmers and realize the struggle they’re going through.”

For more information:

• SaratogaFarms.com
• Two Bits String Band

For example, she knows a lot of them are lonely. They’re tired of online dating and the bar scenes, but they don’t have much time to try to go out and meet people.

Enter speed dating.

On Thursday, Kelléigh will be holding the first monthly speed-dating night at her Good Times Lakeview Restaurant. For $10, participants will be given an opportunity to talk to 8 potential dates for 6 minutes at a time during the hourlong event in a private room at the Ballston Lake establishment.

Good Times owner Desireé Kelléigh has been introducing people for years, so she decided to hold a speed-dating night at her Ballston Lake restaurant.

Part of the reason she has introducing people is involvement in the community. Her restaurant attracts a lot of people from the area, and she gets to know a lot of them.

“I’ve been in this community for 45 years,” said Kelléigh, who added she doesn’t just act as a matchmaker. “I’ve helped people make business connections and network.”

She said the restaurant’s ambiance makes it a good location for meeting new people. Good Times attracts families and locals, so it’s a low-pressure, friendly environment.

“I get these awesome guys in here because they want a good meal but don’t feel like cooking,” Kelléigh said. “And women come here because it’s a nonthreatening place.”

Kelléigh said people can preregister for the speed dating by calling the restaurant, but she added that walk-ins will be welcome. Registration starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

“There are no rules other than being polite,” Kelléigh said. “We’re just looking for the right people to come onboard and make it happen.”

There will be free appetizers, $2 Jello shots and pitcher specials. All participants will be given a coupon good for 2 free drinks with the purchase of 2 entrées — which will come in handy if a connection is made.

Even if you don’t find anyone who strikes your fancy at the event, there’s not much to lose.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kelléigh said. “It’s a nonrejection-type atmosphere. It’s only 6 minutes per transaction.”

Kelléigh is so excited about the possibilities that she is even telling her married customers about the event.

“I smile and say, ‘I know you’re not single, but I bet you know someone nice who is,’” she said.

For more information:

• Good Times Lakeview Restaurant, 175 Lake Road, Ballston Lake, 399.9976

Pancho’s had the opportunity to add the space when its next-door neighbor, The Market & Bistro, closed. The expansion adds 90 seats to the 130 Pancho’s already had.

“The town says 220,” said Luis Uzhca, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother-in-law Luis Sinche. “But I’m saying we can seat 200 comfortably.”

Luis Uzhca co-owns Pancho's, a Mexican restaurant that will gain 90 seats with its expansion.

“Now we’ll be able to deal with 3 or 4 buses,” Uzhca said. “They like the convenience. We’re only 300 yards from the (Northway) exit.”

Of course, the expansion is for more than the tour buses. The restaurant was starting to get cramped for the regulars on busy nights.

“It was getting too crowded here,” Uzhca said. “Now with more room it will be more relaxing. You can have a meal and not worry.”

The restaurant opened 7 years ago, taking the spot of a former Waffleworks. About a year after Pancho’s opened, Uzhca started working with the original owners. It wasn’t long before he and his brother-in-law Luis Sinche took over the restaurant. Soon they upgraded the menu and the decor.

“We wanted to make it like you were walking into one of these restaurants in Mexico,” Uzhca said.

As for the menu, the pair added more upscale offerings.

“You can find a simple bite like a taco,” Uzhca said. “But you could also find a nice gourmet dish. And we are using the best ingredients out there.”

It was a tragic event that started the course that lead to Uzhca ending up at Pancho’s. He came to the United States with his family when he was 15 and eventually ended up owning a restaurant on Long Island. But when his brother, a 33-year-old New York taxi driver, was murdered in a $30 robbery, he lost interest in his business.

He tried to work for someone else, but he still was mourning his brother. So he moved back to his native Ecuador with his wife and kids. There he opened a few pizza shops. After that, he returned to New York and opened a couple of pizza places.

“But it was getting too expensive downstate — the rent, raising a family,” he said. “We wanted somewhere more quiet and more peaceful.”

Soon after moving to the Capital Region, the Pancho’s opportunity came up.

“It just happened so quickly,” he said.

So far, so good.

“We love it,” said Uzhca, who recently added to the pair’s business by opening Salsa Latina on Central Avenue in Albany. “I’m very grateful to be here, and I’m grateful to the people who supported us.”

For more information:

• Pancho’s, 1536 Crescent Road, Clifton Park, 383.2930
• Salsa Latina, 315 Central Avenue, Albany, 426.7050

Tessiero, a Johnson & Wales culinary graduate, opened Gauchos Grill & Catering on April 1 at Players Park on Route 146A. For now, he serves burgers, hot dogs and the like out of a truck.

But on May 16, Gauchos will roll out its Brazilian barbecue menu, serving prime cuts of meat prepared over an open flame on a sword. This cooking style, called churrasco, has been popular for centuries in southern Brazil — originating with the gauchos (Brazilian cowboys).

Gauchos Grill & Catering, which serves food out of a truck at Players Park, will introduce the region's first Brazilian BBQ next month.

One of the specialties will be rotisserie pineapple grilled with cinnamon.

While this Brazilian cuisine is new to the region, Tessiero said it’s popular in other parts of the country. He learned about it during a 2007 business trip to Las Vegas.

“I was pretty enthused by the way it was a theatrical dining experience,” said Tessiero, who will also be doing events at This Olde Farm on Route 146.

While Tessiero has started by bringing the cuisine to the region, he hopes to someday soon bring the whole experience to the area. He is under contract to remain at Players Park until it closes for the season in October. After that — if he can find an investor to provide the capital — he hopes to open a restaurant featuring the cuisine along with Brazilian decor and music.

That’s not because he doesn’t want to be at Players Park. In fact, even if he opens a restaurant he hopes to be able to continue at Players Park on a season basis. He just thinks a restaurant would be a great way to provide a Brazilian BBQ experience on a year-round basis.

For now, he’s looking forward to the upcoming season.

“This is a great family sports complex,” Tessiero said. “There’s horseshoes, tennis, 18 holes of minigolf and a 9-hole par 3. And it’s lighted till 10 p.m. in the summer.”

As for the food, Tessiero’s truck can cook 180 pounds of Brazilian BBQ at a time while still being able to provide fried dough and peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches for the kids.

The truck itself is both a mobile kitchen and a billboard commemorating the contributions of members of the armed services, police forces, fire departments and the like. That’s another part of Tessiero’s life: He was a military policeman in the Army National Guard and a firefighter in the Air Force.

“It’s one way to recognize what they do,” he said.

For more information:

• Gauchos Grill & Catering, 1012 Route 146A, Clifton Park, 774.4472
• Players Park, 1012 Route 146A, Clifton Park, 877-0406

If you’re not buying fair-trade products, the answer very well could be yes.

“Everybody loves chocolate, but they’re not always aware of its hidden ingredient, which is child slavery,” said Anne Kelly, fair-trade coordinator at the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State.

Kelly will be one of the presenters at Saturday’s fair-trade conference at Ballston Spa High School. There will be workshops on fair-trade chocolate, fair trade and faith communities, fair trade for educators and fair-trade handicrafts in addition to a kids only workshop. There will also be discussions about fair-trade towns.

Mango Tree Imports owners Kim and Chris Andersen were leaders in the campaign to make Ballston Spa a fair-trade town.

“We currently have 14 businesses that carry some fair-trade products,” Andersen said. “Some people were carrying fair-trade items, but they weren’t marketing them as such.”

Mango Tree was always marketing its goods as fair trade. It specializes in handmade fair-trade items — carrying everything from apparel and jewelry to greeting cards and musical instruments.

“We have a really nice array of handwoven scarves,” Andersen said. “We’re lucky because scarves are really in right now, even for the summer.”

Andersen and her husband, Chris, gained an appreciation for the handmade goods while traveling and living abroad. He spent 2 years with the Peace Corps in Botswana, and together they lived for 4 years in Paraguay.

By paying a fair price for products, whether its a necklace or the cocoa used to make chocolate bars, consumers can make a significant difference to the farmers and artisans who produces the goods. Their children can go to school instead of working. They can build improvements in their villages. And because the farmers are working their own lands, they are more likely to grow organic crops.

“Fair trade is good news because it works,” the Labor-Religion Coalition’s Kelly said.

“You don’t feel the effect on the pocketbook, but you are making a much better choice,” said Jill Lyons, owner of Wild Thyme Whole Food & Tea Company — one of the first stores that joined Mango Tree in its campaign to make Ballston Spa a fair-trade town.

Lyons said her store has been carrying fair-trade goods since it opened 6 years ago but started concentrating on fair trade about 3 years ago.

“Our coffee,” Lyons said, “we don’t carry any that’s not fair trade.”

While fair trade is thought to be more expensive for consumers, that isn’t necessarily true. Gourmet fair-trade coffee and chocolate cost the same as their non-fair-trade counterparts. And recently, Cadbury switched some of its mass-market chocolate bars to 100% fair trade in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand — without raising prices.

“Sometimes fair trade is seen as a specialty market, and specialty markets can be seen as higher price,” Andersen said. “That’s not the case. The products are very reasonably priced.”

For more information:

• 2nd Annual Ballston Spa Fair Trade Conference
• Fair Trade Towns USA
• Mango Tree Imports, 2124 Doubleday Avenue (Route 50), Ballston Spa, 884.4652
• Wild Thyme Whole Food & Tea Company, 108 Milton Avenue, Ballston Spa, 885.7275
• The Labor-Religion Coalition’s Fair Trade Project
• By the Sweat and Toil of Children
• Skeletons in the Corporate Closet: Big Chocolate

The former general store turned restaurant is historic, and that’s a big part of the problem. It seems that building codes have changed a bit in the past 150 years. Fire codes and handicapped access requirements are a lot different these days.

That has presented some challenge for restaurant owner John Travis as town inspectors point out the building’s shortcomings. He wants the building to maintain its historic integrity, but the inspectors want sprinkler systems and fireproof walls.

Jonesville Store owner John Travis wants to maintain the building's historic character but says Clifton Park's building inspectors have been hindering his attempts to run a profitable business in the pre-Civil War structure.

Still, he said, there ought to be a way for the building to be safe while maintaining its historical integrity and allowing the business to make a profit. And to make a profit, the restaurant requires more seating.

“In my effort to run a viable business here, I need more space,” Travis said. “We’re 15% below where we need to be to make money. I turn people away on Friday and Saturday nights and during the day on Saturdays and Sundays.”

But he’s had difficulty finding a way to add seating that will pass the town’s requirements. He worries the building inspectors care little about the building’s history and what it means to the community. He fears the changes they have suggested would take away from the building’s character.

“It’s more than money. It’s a cultural thing,” said Travis, who also wishes the town would add sewers in the area, so he could no longer have to deal with an inadequate septic system. “It would lose its whole historic nature. I don’t want to be the one after 170 years to make this into a Dunkin’ Donuts.”

That’s not what the town wants, Supervisor Phil Barrett said.

“Typically with a historic structure there can be some different standards,” he said. “But on many of the things — handicapped access, fire code — we’re just the enforcement arm.”

Barrett said he likes to eat at the restaurant, which is in his neighborhood.

“It obviously fits in great with the Jonesville area,” he added. “The owners have done a great job with it.”

At one point, Travis thought he had his seating problems solved. He went around the town to get a code variance from the state allowing him to enclose the building’s porch and add seating for 20 there. But the process took a year. During that time, he lost his bank financing.

With the credit market now so tight for small businesses, he hasn’t been able to get the $200,000 he needs to undertake the project, which also includes adding a bathroom, expanding the kitchen and enlarging the basement.

“If I had those 20 seats,” he said, “I’d turn the corner tomorrow.”

For more information:

• The Jonesville Store, 989 Main St., Clifton Park, 877.0507
• Clifton Park Town Hall, 1 Town Hall Plaza, Clifton Park, 371.6651

“In my lifetime, food has gone from all natural to non-natural to antinatural to finally going back to natural,” he said. Still, too often food is chosen on the basis of convenience and speed instead of nutrition and health.

But as we approach the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, Loftfield likes the changes he sees as people become more concerned about the health of their bodies and the environment.

Barbara Moore and Björn Loftfield opened The Green Grocer on Route 9 in 1995.

And more people are eating organic foods and purchasing green products. According to a new report by Mintel, a leading market research company, 35% of Americans surveyed said they would pay more for “environmentally friendly” products.

Yet there still are some misconceptions about organic foods.

“There is this misconception that natural foods taste like cardboard,” Loftfield said. “But it’s just not true.”

If customers were to do a taste test of organic versus nonorganic produce, Loftfield predicted they would discover the organic food tastes better. He also said people overestimate the price of organic products.

“I wish people would understand it’s actually cheaper. Natural food is more filling, so you eat less,” he said. “And you’re less likely to end up sick.”

Concerns about sickness is one reason a lot of people are going green. Loftfield said it’s no surprise. He cited a recent Time magazine article that reported the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found traces of 212 environmental chemicals in Americans — including bisphenol A (BPA) in the urine of 93% of surveyed Americans over the age of 6.

“It’s no wonder there has been such a big increase in cancer,” he said.

In fact, it was while he was dealing with sick people that Loftfield decided to open an organic store. While he was working as a certified nuclear medical technician, he became friendly with a cancer patient who was working 2 jobs trying to save up money to buy a hot-dog stand. When Loftfield mentioned he wanted to open an organic foods store, the patient replied it was the way of the future.

“He actually inspired me,” Loftfield said. “I decided I would rather put my efforts into prevention instead of monitoring people’s diseases.”

For more information:

• The Green Grocer, 1505 Route 9, Halfmoon, 383.1613
• Earth Day Network
• “Mintel research shows consumers continue to buy natural, despite difficult economy”
• “The Perils of Plastic — Environmental Toxins,” Time magazine

That’s because today is the day the Country Drive-In opens.

For Lena Riberdy, it starts her 22nd season at the establishment.

“I’ve never had another real job,” she said, adding that the other jobs she has had were during the winter while the Halfmoon landmark was closed.

Lena Riberdy has worked at the Country Drive-In for more than half of its 41 years. She is entering her 4th season as co-owner of the Halfmoon eatery.

Loved it so much that 4 years ago she became a co-owner of the business, which is entering its 41st season this year. She had been talking to owner Hugh Mariacia for a few years, and finally he thought the time was right to take on a business partner.

“He had started getting into other things and decided it was time to let me in,” Riberdy said.

Despite the 12-hour days, Riberdy couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do. While she appreciates the winter break after all of the hard work during the season, soon she longs to be flipping burgers and mixing shakes.

“It’s a long 6 months,” she said. “I need a little bit of a break, but after about 3 months I’m itching to get back.”

During the summer, her children will sometimes come to work with her, and often her husband will stop by to have dinner with her. But even when her family isn’t visiting her at work, she still considers herself with her second family while she’s working — that’s how she feels about the drive-in’s employees and customers.

“I lot of our customers, they’ve been coming since I was a kid working here,” she said. “They’ve become like family. They’ll see me out shopping and stop and say hello.”

In fact, in the community she is somewhat of a celebrity. One day she was visiting her daughter’s grade-school class and started talking with another parent about what each other did for a living. Riberdy mentioned she co-owned the Country Drive-In.

“She said, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re like famous,’” Riberdy said. “I got a little embarassed.”

That’s how much the business means to the community. Even before it opened on Monday morning, customers were lining up to place their orders. And last week, customers were calling to mind out what the season’s first flavors of the week would be. (In case you’re wondering, they are mint ice cream, orange sherbet and cappuccino frozen yogurt.)

“We’re really a community place,” Riberdy said.

It’s not the only one. Other seasonal drive-ins and ice cream stands are also opening for the spring, each with its own set of devotees.

Pirates Hide-Out Ice Cream & Grill opened on March 19, and Giffy’s Snack Shack will open this Friday. DeVoe’s Rainbow Delights will open the week after Easter, though the exact date will depend on the weather. PJ’s Bar-B-Q at Exit 13N will open on April 17.

For more information:

• Country Drive-In, 1455 Vischer Ferry Road, Halfmoon, 371.3455
• Devoe’s Rainbow Delights, 1569 Route 9, Halfmoon, 371.4033
• Pirates Hide-Out Ice Cream & Grill, 175 Guideboard Road, Halfmoon, 373.8438
• Giffy’s Snack Shack, 1759 Route 9, Clifton Park
• PJ’s Bar-B-Q, 112 South Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 583.7427