Health Benefits of Locally Grown Food

We all want to eat healthier one option for doing so is buying food locally. While there is no single definition that is universally accepted, locally grown food is typically considered to be food that is grown within 100 miles of your home.

Great ways to eat locally grown food is to shop at a farmers market, join a food co-op or simply grow your own. Food grown close to home does not have to travel a great distance or change hands multiple times. Therefore, eating local foods will keep the cost down and reduce the amount of packaging and fuels used which is better for the planet.

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First, there are multiple factors such as fluorescent lighting, fluctuations in temperature and time spent in transit, which can affect the flavors and nutritional value of the foods we eat. Fruit and vegetable can lose up to 90 percent of their nutrients in transport. Food is never better for you than when it is first harvested this alone makes locally grown produce the wiser choice.

Antioxidants are lost and vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin B begin to deteriorate almost immediately. Foods that are transported long distances are often picked a week or more before they arrive at the store for you to purchase. Additionally, produce from local farmers tends to be delivered to the market the day it is picked, allowing them to fully ripen providing even more nutrients.

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Furthermore, buying from a farmers market or community supported agriculture is a great way to get fresh and affordable produce. You can be sure that what you get is in season and fresh. Eating seasonal fruit and vegetable is a healthier way to eat fruit and vegetable produced out of season are not organic food and have been manipulated by unhealthy fertilizers and pesticides. Eating what is in season also gives you the opportunity to learn about your food and where it comes from.

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The key here is fresh. By keeping what you eat local, you control the quality of the food you eat. Farm fresh produce offers many health benefits over their supermarket counterparts. Generally speaking, food from local growers tends to be lower in pesticides and certain fertilizers. Buying your foods locally means you can talk to the people who grow your food and ask questions about where your food comes from.

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Finally, once you feel confident buying your produce from local growers, look into local sources of meat, honey and dairy. With a little research, you can find local and sustainable options for most of what you already eat and help your local economy out in the process.

Author: Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer focusing on health and wellness. Healing from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome helped her gain a deep understanding of nutritional supplements, how to eat healthy, and alternative medicine. She spends her time helping people regain their health, lose weight, and become fit using the Isagenix nutritional supplements.