Benefits of Eating Locally

Have you ever been to a farmers market in your town? It is such a great way to expose yourself to local fruits, vegetables, and other goods from your community! Depending on where you live, your grocery store might contain a lot of imported produce and goods. While it’s great to have a variety of produce and goods to choose from, imported foods are not always the freshest or most nutritionally dense for us to consume. More and more people are seeking out local foods, and for a good reason. Eating locally has a variety of benefits, from our health to our farmers. If you’ve been wanting to know more of the benefits of eating local produce, keep on reading!

Why Local and Seasonal Foods Matter

Did you know that plants are living things? Not in the same way that you and I are conscious beings, but plants also have a life and they can die. Plants use sunlight, water, air and nutrients – which are also the things we need. So why does all of this matter? Well, produce such as fruits and vegetables provide us with vitamins, nutrients, enzymes, and minerals we need to function as human beings. Veggies and fruits are live foods!

Buying seasonal foods (foods that are in season and local to where you are live) will provide you with the highest amount of nutritional value. As soon as a plant is harvested, they nutritionally start to break down. By incorporating more vegetables and fruits that are in closer proximity to where you shop and live you’re going to reap even more benefits.

When the temperature drops in the winter in North America, lots of root veggies are in season whereas during the warmer months more fruits and colourful veggies are in season. During the summertime, try and seek out a farmer’s market near you and get to know the farmers and what kind of seasonal produce you can look out for.

Benefits of Eating Local

Food tastes better

One of the best reasons to eat locally is because food just simply tastes better that way. Produce is harvested at peak ripeness meaning that you will get to experience the full potential of how vegetables and fruits should taste if you buy local. A great example of this is eating fresh local tomatoes vs store bought imported tomatoes. 

It supports local farmers and your community

An excellent way to support your community is to buy local foods. Whenever you buy locally you support the economy, farmers, and everyone involved in the process. It’s also just better for the environment, the steps of getting food from farm to table travels a lot less of a distance when you eat locally, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions. 

It empowers you to eat healthier

There’s just something about knowing where your food actually comes from that makes a big difference. Buying local produce helps you become a closer part of the process, making you feel empowered more empowered around your food choices. They say it’s important to eat the colours of the rainbow, so when you go to your local farmer’s market try and look for as much variety as possible.

All in all, the choices you make around food matters. When it comes to shopping locally, it may take more work to seek out where to buy things but making these choices will benefit your health and your community. Remember to eat seasonal foods if you can for the most nutritional value and get creative in the kitchen with your delicious produce. Food is our source of energy after all, and we should never take that for granted!