Local Pedro Yanowitz checks out the Fuji apples at the Union Square Farmers’ Market. Photo by Aaron Adler

Maybe you want to eat right in 2013 but, like most New Yorkers, you’re always in a hurry, and making good nutrition a priority doesn’t come as easily as it should.

Fortunately, there are ways to turn that perception around.

Farmers’ markets, like those open year-round in Union Square, on Greenwich Street in Tribeca and other spots in downtown Manhattan, allow you to buy “clean, organically grown produce, which is not only good for overall health but also decreases your body’s overall exposure to toxins,” according to Mary Barbour, a raw food and vegan personal chef who has been frequenting the Union Square market since 1994.

“If your goal is to eat better or lose weight, then eating more fruits and vegetables will help you achieve that goal,” Barbour says of the market’s ample offerings.

“Adding more whole, plant-based foods to your diet is the healthiest thing you can do, and farmers’ markets make it easy,” says Maria Guadagno, a health coach and natural food chef.

While many of the markets’ offerings are already cheaper than what you would find at a health food store or regular supermarket, Barbour says that to get the best deals, you should wait until the market’s closing for reduced prices.

“Showing up week after week doesn’t hurt either,” she adds. Developing a relationship with growers also helps you understand exactly what you’re buying and what to do with it.

Guadagno says the markets are extremely accessible and most of the produce has been picked the same day or the day before.

People may have the perception that farmers’ markets are less prevalent—or have less bounty—in the winter, but Barbour says that’s “definitely not true.”

“It’s the time of year for heartier and root vegetables like cauliflower, cabbages, beans, potatoes, onions, parsnips and beets,” she explains. “You can get your dark leafy greens from collards. I like to think of it as comfort-food season, when you can make delicious soups, pot pies and roasted vegetables.”

Farmers’ markets offer many seasonal items that cannot be found in grocery stores.
“The market in the wintertime is magical,” says Guadagno, noting that leafy greens are a smart addition to any meal.

Barbour urges farmers’ market newbies to set realistic goals, as we should all do when it comes to new year’s resolutions.

“I like to tell people to not get too ambitious with the farmers’ markets,” she says. “It’s horrible to buy lots of perishables and then throw them out because they were unused.”

Barbour says if you’re pressed for time, juice bars can be a helpful, nutritious alternative to grabbing the whole foods yourself.

“One Lucky Duck, Liquiteria or Whole Green are great for juices,” she says. “It’s like having all your servings of daily veggies in a cup.”

Guadagno recommends the vegetarian restaurant Rawvolution on 12th Street.

“Have the Big Matt,” she says. It’s “a vegan take on the hamburger, made with mushroom.”

Guadagno also speaks highly of Maoz, a chain falafel shop, and Westerly, a health food store in Midtown.

You certainly don’t have to go vegan to eat healthy this year, but shopping farmers’ markets and increasing your general fresh-produce intake will go a long way toward facilitating better and easier nutrition.

The farmer’s market around the corner from our apartment is a humble one, to be sure. Unlike the Union Square market, our outpost is only open from mid-spring to early fall. But the produce they bring in is out of this world. In the summer, I switch from heavier fare that has me slaving over the stove for hours to lighter, vegetable-based dishes. The less our oven stays on, the cooler our apartment is. Besides that, vegetables, to me, are the flavor of warm weather.

So I must switch to drinking sangria and beer come summer, right? Wrong! Although many people are frightened by the prospect of matching vegetables with wines, it’s really a natural pairing. If you think about it, the grapes used to make the wine and the vegetables you are cooking (or not cooking) have more in common than a cabernet and a sirloin steak. You might be surprised what some of the great match-ups are.

One of my favorite things to make when entertaining in the summer is an easy asparagus side dish that is great served at room temperature. Using about a pound of trimmed asparagus, I heat two or three tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan on low heat with five thinly sliced garlic cloves. After the oil has heated the garlic through, I add four or five roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Once the mixture has cooked for five minutes, I bump the heat up to medium high and add the asparagus, cooking for another five to seven minutes.

This is amazing with a New Zealand sauvignon blanc like the  ($18.99 at Elite Wine, 558 3rd Ave. at 37th Street, 646-658-7548). The crisp, citrusy flavors of the wine compliment the green, grassy flavors of the asparagus perfectly.

Vegetarian cuisine doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll walk away from the table hungry. If you want something hearty that will stick to your ribs, a ratatouille is the perfect summer stew. Start by sautéing a chopped onion, four minced garlic cloves and a diced zucchini in a medium pot with olive oil. After everything has softened and you’ve flavored the mixture with salt and pepper, add a can of crushed tomatoes and a handful of chopped Kalamata olives. Let it simmer for a half hour and match it with a pinot noir like the Cooper Hill Pinot Noir 2010 from the Willamette Valley in Oregon ($20.99 at 67 Wine and Spirits, 179 Columbus Ave. at 68th St., 212-724-6767). The acidity from the tomatoes and the natural acidity of the grape will cancel each other out and point up the fruity qualities of the wine and the richness of the ratatouille.

The perfect summer pasta dish is always primavera in my book. Mine always starts with sautéing six garlic cloves and a tablespoon of red pepper flakes in olive oil over low heat. After that has steeped, I add chopped summer squash and roughly chopped artichoke hearts. While I’m boiling the pasta, I turn up the heat and add purple cauliflower florets, broccoli rabe and a little salt and finish the dish by throwing in the pasta and adding a handful of grated pecorino off the heat.

This deserves a wine with a lot of fruit and personality, like the Cline Viognier 2009 ($13.99 at Beacon Wines and Spirits, 2120 Broadway at 74th St., 212-877-0028). The richness and slight fruitiness of the pecorino matches amazingly with the full-throttle tropical fruit in the viognier.

You don’t have to give up the meat completely for summer. Where would this great country be without hot dogs and hamburgers grilling on the coals? But if you decide to lighten up and turn down the heat in your kitchen, you’ll still have plenty of drink options besides a watery beer with lime.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @joshperilo.