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If you're trying to eat better, and fresher, food, you probably discovered what Joe and I learned: fresh fruits and vegetables can cost you a bundle.

Never fear, thrifty shoppers. It's time for the farmer's market.

We hit up the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market last weekend. We knew we were going to get tasty, locally-grown commodities. What we didn't realize was how affordable it was going to be.

We picked up potatoes for 69 cents a pound, zucchini for 99 cents a pound and an 8 oz. package of baby portabella mushrooms for $1.89.

I saw the same mushrooms -- on sale -- at our regular grocery story for $2.50. Some deal.

And it's only bound to get better as the summer season rolls on, and more fresh offerings.

Food costs are rising, in part, because of fuel prices. It costs so darn much to ship fresh food all over the country. So why not shop locally?

By the way, there is also a farmers market in Greensboro, open on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

Reader Fred Gregory sends a link to an article about restaurants beginning to print their nutritional information on their menus.

Its title: Would you eat 2,900 calorie cheese fries?

For the record, Outback Steakhouse's Aussie Cheese Fries (the very ones that inspired this blog) have been named Men's Health magazine's #1 Worst Food in America.

Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Delimma lectured recently as part of the Authors@Google series.

Here's the video. Really good stuff.

Pollan, a professor Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkley, has written extensively about everything from the health implications of the ubiquitousness of corn and high fructose corn syrup to the politics of the way we eat.

There's also an audio interview with him from NPR's Science Friday here.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man who helped build the 31-flavor craze at ice cream store Baskin-Robbins has died at age 90.

Irvine Robbins died Monday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Daughter Marsha Veit says he had been in ill for some time.

Generations of kids trooped to Baskin-Robbins stores to buy ice cream flavors like Pralines 'n Cream, Daiquiri Ice and Pink Bubblegum.

Robbins opened his first ice cream store in Glendale, Calif., in December 1945, following his discharge from the Army.

Robbins offered 21 flavors at that store. His brother-in-law, the late Burton Baskin, opened his own ice cream store in neighboring Pasadena a year later. The two eventually joined forces.

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First the inventor of the Egg Mcmuffin dies at 89. Now one of the founders of Baskin-Robbins at 90. It's been a rough year for the visionaries of deliciousness, but at least it seems they've had a good long ride. Not too much of their own medicine, obviously.

Charlie Engle runs like it doesn't hurt. That's because the way he runs -- at 20, 50, 70 miles at a time -- is more about mental endurance than physical stamina.

"If you can enjoy the moment and get through it, you can change as a person," he said.

The Guilford county resident was the guest of honor at the first annual United Healthcare Greensboro marathon pasta dinner last Friday night. He told some incredible tales of his trip running across the Sahara.

Charlie kicked drinking and drug habits years ago, and promptly replaced those obsessions with another: running.

Running those insanely long distances, under incredible stress, was a habit he acquired accidentally while on a trip to Australia.

He joined a 100K thinking it was a 10K. And despite a total lack of preparation and a strong desire to stop, he actually won.

"I won simply by attrition," he said.

Charlie's not a fast runner. He averages about a ten-minute mile. But he's stubborn. So trekking across the Sahara (which you can see chronicled this summer in theaters in the documentary "Running the Sahara") seemed like an obvious thing to do.

He went through 25 pairs of shoes and drank 1,400 liters of Gatorade. He lost 40 pounds, despite his best efforts.

"My body finally said one day, "Oh I get it. You are trying to kill me.'"

His next endeavor? Running across America. In the heat of summer, starting June 21, Charlie will run straight across the continent from California to New York.

He's going to have to run about 70 miles a day to get there by August. With all the hell he's put his body through, will he actually make it there?

He's not sure. But he's going to go for it anyway.

"The next best thing to doing it is actually trying it," he said.

Sign up to run with Charlie during Running Across America here. Or you can run with him on any given weekend. He usually runs at Country Park on Saturdays at 7 a.m.

Here's what we were up against on vacation:

For what it is worth, we didn't eat the Twinkies. We bought apples at this store. Apples covered with chocolate, caramel and nuts. MMMMMmmmmm.

So I finally broke down and decided to try "Shimmy," one of those strange FitTV exercise shows.

As you might guess, this is one of those get-fit-the-fun-way programs, much like "Sweatin' to the Oldies" and striper-cise.

When I hit the dance floor, I'm all hips and shoulder moves and a twist variation. Those are all the moves I've got. Belly dancing seems to be mostly hips and arms, so I figured I might be good at this.

On the show, an unseen narrator explains the movements as the dancers move around. She teaches you a few moves -- in this case the snake arms and hip-piston -- slowly. Then they put them all together in one routine and gradually build up speed.

I could certainly get my hips and shoulders to sway around the way they recommended. But I don't know how graceful I looked bumping around the living room last night.

I did work up a light sweat, though. It might have been better if they had given me something to keep me busy during the three-minute commercial breaks.

Proof it works: my lower abdominals were slightly sore this morning. Considering this is a problem area for many women, I recommend trying this out as an alternative to all the crunches at the gym.

Get Healthy Guilford 2008 Wrap-up

Participants: 693
Total pounds lost: 1734
Age range: 6 to 94 years
Average age: 43
Sex of participants: about 90 percent female
Greatest weight loss in a single person: 35 pounds

Nearly 700 participants signed up online or sent in game cards for this year’s Get Healthy Guilford challenge.

They lost a total of 1,734 pounds, according to Leslie Armeniox, Get Healthy Guilford coalition director.

That means all sorts of folks have said buh-bye to butt dimples and love handles. Congrats!

If you missed out, there is still time to get healthy.

The coalition is asking folks to “Spring into Health,” and commit to six more weeks of heart healthy activity.

Folks who sign the pledge will promise to increase the intensity or frequency of their exercise program starting May 11.

Come out to Bur-Mil Park this weekend, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to sign the pledge and celebrate your weight loss success.

And Joe and I will see you there. Bring your walking shoes to get an early start on that promise.

I am going to be fat forever.

That is how I felt Wednesday night as I was slurping chocolate ice cream of a plastic spoon.

Actually, it's what I said to Joe, who sat across from me, nibbling on a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner.

He paused and considered this.

"Are you serious?"

I didn't respond.

"Do I get a vote?'

Well, no. Not unless he plans to hold me captive and start feeding me intravenously, which is about what it would take to make me totally give up chocolate.

I admire his resolve. And his 11 pound weight loss. (I lost a mere 8 pounds in the last ten weeks and catch up seems near impossible.)

But he can't have enough will for both of us.

He can, however, lean on me to stay committed.

That might just be the key to our success throughout the Get Healthy Guilford Challenge.

It might be what makes me snap out of this I-can't-lose-another-pound funk get on with our next goal, ten more weeks of consistent weight loss.

The Journal of the American Medicine Association reported earlier this year that people are more likely to keep weight off if they have regular contract with a weight loss professional.

Now, Joe's no nutritionist, but I am guessing his help and support has a similar affect. It's hard to let yourself slip when someone is watching your back.

I can only hope I can help him, too.

I promise to start by washing the chocolate ice cream down the drain.