(NAPSA)—A healthy, well-balanced diet is a critical part of overall health and can help prevent many chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Fortunately, eating a healthy diet can be easier and more fun than many realize. Adding fruits and vegetables from your local farmers’ markets can help. “As a physician, I know that a diet built around fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables is the cornerstone of preventive medicine and a key to people’s overall health,” said Preston Maring, M.D., a physician at Kaiser Permanente and a champion for locally grown food who has worked to develop one of the first hospital-based farmers’ markets at Kaiser Permanente medical facilities. “One of the best ways to include fresh produce in your diet is to shop at local farmers’ markets. Eating locally grown food is good for us, our children, the farmers who grow it, as well as the environment.” Dr. Maring has developed seven simple suggestions to help you at the farmers’ market and at home: 1. Get Inspired—Introduce new vegetables and fruits into your diet or reinvent an old dish using different produce; let the vegetables and fruits in season inspire new creative meals. 2. Follow a Better Diet— When shopping at farmers’ mar- Farmers’ markets can help you enjoy fresh, tasty, healthful food—and have fun finding it. kets, it will become easier to manage a healthy diet and improve overall nutrition and well-being. A healthy diet based on foods from a farmers’ market can keep blood pressure and cholesterol from climbing and lower the danger of developing diabetes. 3. Cook for Your Health— Shopping at farmers’ markets leads to cooking at home. It’s more economical and much easier to take charge of exactly what’s in your diet. 4. Support The Community —When buying from a farm or farmers’ market, you’re helping ensure that the farm is economically viable and that local produce will be available year after year. Small farms have played a leading role in reintroducing many varieties of fruits and vegetables that were virtually abandoned when large-scale agriculture came along. 5. Encourage Sustainable Agriculture—Small farms have been leaders in adapting sustainable agricultural techniques that protect water and build healthy soils and using growing techniques that do not require as many chemical fertilizers and pesticides as some large operations do. 6. Eat by Season—The most beautiful, best-tasting and most economical foods are usually the ones that are in season. The farmer has spent months nurturing the vegetables and fruits to the moment of perfect ripeness. 7. Change Food Systems— Around the country, farmers’ markets are booming as communitysupported agriculture programs let customers buy produce from local farms—providing farmers more stable revenue and consumers the best of the harvest. Dr. Maring’s work to increase access to locally grown food helped inspire a new cookbook, “EatingWell In Season: The Farmers’ Market Cookbook.” With an introduction by Dr. Maring, all the recipes use easy-to-find ingredients for healthful and nutritious meals. Additional recipes by Dr. Maring can be found at recipe.kaiser-per manente.org. Information about more Kaiser Permanente programs and green efforts can be found at www.kp.org/green. Steering Clear Of Fundraising Scams (NAPSA)—Thinking about donating to a charity? The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, recommends taking these precautions to ensure that your donations benefit the people and organizations you want to help. • Don’t be shy about asking who wants your money. Some charities hire professional fundraisers rather than use their own staff or volunteers, and then use a portion of the donations to pay the fundraiser’s fees. If you’re solicited for a donation, ask if the caller is a paid fundraiser, who they work for, and the percentage of your donation that will go to the charity and to the fundraiser. If you don’t get a clear answer—or if you don’t like the answer you get—consider donating to a different organization. • Contact the office that regulates charitable organizations and solicitations in your state to see if the charity or fundraiser must be registered. If so, check to make sure that the company you’re talking to is registered. For a list of state offices, visit the National Association of State Charity Officials at nasconet.org/agencies. The office also can verify how much of your donation goes to the charity, and how much goes to fundraising and management expenses. You also can check out charities with the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance (bbb.org/charity) and GuideStar (guidestar.org). • Trust your gut. Callers may try to trick you by thanking you for a pledge you didn’t make. If you don’t remember making the donation or don’t have a record of your pledge, resist the pressure to give. There are ways to find out how the money you donate to charity will be spent. • Be wary of charities that spring up overnight in connection with current events or natural disasters. • Watch out for similar sounding names. Some phony charities use names that closely resemble those of respected, legitimate organizations. • Be cautious of promises of guaranteed sweepstakes winnings in exchange for a contribution. According to U.S. law, you never have to make a donation to be eligible to win a sweepstakes. • Be wary of charities offering to send a courier or overnight delivery service to collect your donation. • Do not give cash donations. For security and tax record purposes, it’s best to pay by check— made payable to the charity, not the solicitor. If you’re thinking about giving online, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL that begins “https:”. For more information, visit ftc.gov/charityfraud. Cruising Into Summer: 10 Gas-Saving Tips Before You Hit The Road (NAPSA)—Whether you’re packing up the car and taking the kids on a road trip or driving around town on a “staycation,” the summer season beckons us to venture out and enjoy the warm weather. Whatever your plans this summer, it often means putting a few extra miles on your car and paying more at the pump. “As the temperatures go up, so does our desire to hit the road,” says Jody DeVere, car care expert and president and CEO of the automotive advice site AskPatty.com. “But before you fill up at the pump for that road trip, there are some easy things you can do to save money on gas and keep your car running well through the hot summer months.” Having received many questions related to the summer driving season over the years, Jody assembled this quick checklist to help motorists save money on gas and avoid heat-related breakdowns: 1. Ensure that your tires are properly inflated—Properly inflating your tires can improve fuel efficiency. Check the owner’s manual or look inside the driver’s side doorframe for your vehicle’s tire pressure rating. In the summer heat, tires that are not properly inflated are also more likely to blow. 2. Check your coolant system—The coolant system works overtime in the summer to make sure your vehicle’s engine doesn’t overheat. It is suggested to flush and refill the coolant systems every other year. An engine that runs too hot or too cold can reduce fuel efficiency. 3. Get an oil change—Regular oil changes help prevent engine wear and can even save on gas money. Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy, for example, provides u p to 2 percent fuel economy improvement. This fully synthetic motor oil also offers great engine protection in extreme temperatures. (Fuel economy improvement is based on a comparison versus those viscosity grades most commonly used and a potential 2 percent fuel economy improvement. Savings estimates are based on a gasoline cost of $3 per gallon, average fuel economy of 22.5 mpg, annual mileage of 12,500 and lifetime mileage of 150,000. Actual savings are dependent on vehicle/engine type, outside temperature, driving conditions and your current engine oil viscosity.) 4. Get a basic tune-up—A poorly tuned engine can reduce fuel efficiency. To ensure your vehicle’s performance, be sure to get a tune-up once a year. It also provides an opportunity to check out your vehicle’s systems, such as brakes and fluid levels. 5. Don’t speed—Fuel efficiency quickly decreases when you drive faster than 60 miles per hour. Sticking to the speed limit is not only safer, but can save you money. 6. Get a car wash—It’s true: A clean vehicle improves aerodynamics and, over long distances, can improve fuel efficiency and save gas. 7. Check your air filter—A dirty air filter makes it harder for your engine to breathe and hurts gas mileage. The good news: Air filters are fairly inexpensive to replace. 8. Roll down the windows— Try rolling down your windows instead of cranking up the air-conditioning. Air-conditioning reduces fuel economy, especially when driving around the city. On the highway, however, it is actually better to use air-conditioning. Having your windows down affects aerodynamics and causes you to burn more fuel. 9. Park in the shade—Not only will this keep the inside of your car cooler, it helps save gas and reduce the workload on your air conditioner. 10. Don’t overload the roof rack—Lots of stuff on the roof creates drag and hurts your fuel efficiency. An overloaded roof can also be dangerous for vehicle control and handling. Consult your owner’s manual for proper weight limits. “Following these easy steps can save you money on gas and avoid the headache of a breakdown in the summer heat,” says DeVere. “For a lot of families, it adds up to more summer fun with the kids.” 3 *** A man cannot be said to succeed in this life who does not satisfy one friend. —Henry David Thoreau *** (NAPSA)—Fifteen years ago, Benjamin Moore introduced its first zero-VOC paint, an environmental milestone, and now it has added Natura, a zero-VOC line in a limitless choice of colors. For more information, visit www.benjaminmoore.com. *** Before going to the store to purchase a new air conditioner, consumers may want to visit www.cooloff.org to search through a list of models that are certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. *** Verizon Wireless encourages store representatives to develop long-term relationships with customers and to serve as consultants to help businesses select the best wireless technology. Visit www.verizonwireless.com/smallbu siness. *** F ishermen are he lping re se archers de termine ho w many fish are in an area of the ocean. The effort is called the Marine Recreational Information Program. The data this program provides is a snapshot of the health of the ocean and its ecosystems. To learn more, visit www.countmyfish.noaa.gov. *** Around 2 billion gallons of gas could be saved each year if the tires on every American’s car were properly inflated. According to the Car Care Council, tires that are not properly inflated make the engine work harder. Learn more at carcare.org.