Taste of Local — Thursday February 22. Ingles Markets, 301 Long Shoals Road, Arden NC. 3-6 p.m.

Taste of Local - Ingles Markets in West Waynesville (Hazelwood) • 1678 Brown Ave. Thursday, January 25th 3-6pm.

My husband and I are really frustrated. We have been trying to lose weight but it doesn't seem to be working. We have been on a diet for a while but we are gaining weight instead!

“White foods are bad and we shouldn't eat them!” — This saying comes from folks that seek to eliminate some highly processed carbohydrates made with white flour like pastas and white rice, but are all “white foods” really bad for us?

True or False? “Processed foods are bad” – Not Necessarily - Processing means taking a food from an inedible state and changing it to something that’s edible. Certain processing methods may also make vitamins and minerals more available or help preserve an item so it’s safe to eat.

What new foods and beverages will you be seeing on shelves as we move into 2018?

First of all, EDTA (calcium disodium ethylene-diaminetetraacetate) is a really long name for an ingredient! But don’t let that scare you. EDTA is used as a perservative in many food like dried and canned beans, mayo, and cooked canned seafood to preserve flavor and color. Using preservatives also reduces food waste.

As fall arrives in Western Carolina we know that there are fewer locally grown fruits and vegetables available but you can still support local at Ingles all year around by looking for these fresh local items at your Ingles store.

Years ago... I got the flu (influenza). It wasn’t fun. I was miserably sick and ran a high fever for about 3 days. I ached all over, had no energy, no appetite, nothing tasted good and I couldn’t sleep.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN is the Corporate Dietitian for Ingles Markets. She can answer your questions about food from the farm to the plate, whether you want to know about nutrition, ingredients, preparation or agriculture.