LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. /California Newswire/ — "This food will keep you alive and vital, and I am living proof," says Francis Lingel, a 90-year young veteran who has joined Alegria Farm's team to assist with farm tours. "Fresh greens are the secret to longevity," he adds. Alegria Farm, Orange County's first urban hydroponic vertical farm, produces leafy greens and medicinal herbs that are delivered within an hour of harvest.
Alegria's high performance urban farming method produces food that contains on average four to five times the nutritional content of any food found in supermarkets.
In July this year, Francis stomped into Alegria Farm and asked the team to guess his age. Followed by a series of replies averaging between 65 and 75, he proudly let everyone know that he'd be celebrating his 90th birthday shortly.
Needing no cane, no walker and a light bounce in his step, Francis informed the Alegria team that eating freshly harvested locally-grown fruits and vegetables was the key to his health and vitality.
"I am still a very young fellow at heart," says Francis.
Thirty-three years ago, doctors wanted to perform angioplasty on Francis because he had a 95 percent blockage in his lower descending artery. Angioplasty is a procedure used to open narrow or blocked coronary arteries and is generally not a permanent solution. He refused the procedure and decided to try a diet of natural plant based foods.
After years of skepticism about diets and convinced that as long as his weight wasn't fluctuating he could continue to eat anything, Francis gave in to his vegan daughter's urging and investigated the teachings of Dr. John McDougall (www.drmcdougall.com) and Dr. Michael Greger (www.nutritionfacts.org), well-known authors and leaders in health and prevention.
"I learned how to eat to fuel my body and my health through a diet rich in freshly harvested greens, veggies, fruits and nuts," said Francis. "Dr. Gregor's blog states that hydroponic plants have more minerals and vitamins and that is why I found Alegria Fresh. Their superior nutrient-rich produce gives me a powerful fresh start. Their produce can heal others who are willing to give it a try."
Following a whole food, plant-based diet and now completely healed of his heart disease, Francis Lingel joins the Alegria Fresh team working as a volunteer relating his real-life "longevity" testimonial to all those who will listen. Francis lives in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and visits the farm regularly to pick up his fresh greens and herbs.
About Alegria Farm:
Alegria Farm is a new commercial hydroponic vertical farm employing over 170 hydroponic towers growing over 10,000 plants in less than 1/4 acre. Alegria Farm is Orange County's first hydroponic vertical farm and the first West Coast showcase for the Verti-Gro(R) system, which uses no soil, 90 percent less water, 70 percent less land, 50 percent less fertilizer than traditional organic farming and zero toxic pesticides. This high performance growing system produces clean, natural food faster than traditional farming and allows plants to grow bigger and stronger, making plants naturally pest resistant.
Alegria Farm produces an exotic tasting variety of leafy greens, medicinal herbs and heirloom vegetables. Hydroponic farming is soilless and utilizes coconut fiber instead of organic soil, which virtually eliminates toxic pesticide usage to produce stronger plants that are substantially more nutrient-rich. For more information on Alegria Farm or to schedule a tour, please visit www.AlegriaFresh.com or follow on Facebook and Twitter. Alegria Farm is the high-performance urban agriculture division of EnviroIngenuity. Produce from the farm is sold under the Alegria Fresh tradename.
About EnviroIngenuity:
EnviroIngenuity was founded in 2009 by Erik Cutter. The company is comprised of forward-thinking professionals, whose goal is to take advantage of the growing demand for more efficient, cost effective sustainable energy solutions, employing solar PV, hi-efficiency LED lighting, green building and hydroponic vertical food production technologies, the latest venture being the development of Alegria Farm. EnviroIngenuity's mission is "advancingreenergy" and reducing waste, thus better utilizing limited natural resources. As we invest in a lower carbon future, the EnviroIngenuity team is focused on helping organizations move forward to deploy sustainable energy solutions using disruptive technologies. More information: http://www.EnviroIngenuity.com/ .
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