Written by Elizabeth Pellegrino

Oct. 1, 2014: Welcome to fall! I hope everyone enjoyed summer as much as I did! This summer I was lucky enough to spend a month in Barcelona, Spain, were I fell in love with the city, the people, and most of all, the food.

Before I traveled to Barcelona, everyone would rave, "You are going to have the best time, the food is incredible!" They were right. The food was incredible--tons of fresh fruits and vegetables and homemade rice, pasta, and bread.

Some of my favorite traditional Spanish dishes were patatas bravas (sautéed potatoes with a spicy red sauce), pan con tomate (toasted bread with fresh tomato on top), and, of course, paella (traditional rice dish).

After the first week of indulging in these decadent dishes, I began to wonder why Americans were the ones with the obesity epidemic and not Europeans.

However, I began to understand that Spaniards were not eating half the processed junk that Americans eat daily. In fact, most of the American comfort food that I often crave wasn't even stocked in the grocery stores in Spain.

This left me thinking, why would anyone want to eat ramen noodles and Oreos when they could eat a great selection of fresh produce and wonderful Spanish dishes?

My friend Ben and I set out on a mission to discover the healthy side of Barcelona, and what we found was amazing! We discovered that throughout the city there were five or six large-scale farmers' markets, the most famous being La Boqueria and El Market. Within these markets were arrays of homemade dishes, fresh meats, breads, fruits, and vegetables.

Seeing how much Spaniards depended on these farmers' markets motivated me to look into the local farmers' markets when I returned. So I went out and shopped in a number of markets (including the amazing one right in Bronxville!) and found that they were great places to find fresh, healthy, and delicious local food!

So I challenge you to discover your local farmers' markets and support your local farmers! And next time you travel, try every food you are offered, because you can learn so much more from a single bite than you ever imagined.

Here's a link to a delicious recipe for a Spanish tortilla. I made this a few weeks after my trip when I was missing tapas!: Spanish tortilla with roasted peppers and spinach. This recipe was found on the Whole Foods website, where they have tons of healthy recipes to try! 

Pictured here: Tenth grader Elizabeth Pellegrino, the daughter of Laura Thornton Pellegrino, who grew up in Bronxville.