Eating Local

Does eating local really make a difference? I know, we've all heard it mentioned before, but maybe you're not sure WHY eating local matters?

• Nutrients: Once the fruit or vegetable has been harvested from the plan, the vitamin and mineral contents can diminish. Some vitamins and minerals are more likely to be affected, like Vitamin C, which can have significant degradation depending on storage time and temperature. In a 2021 study of vitamin C, the conclusion found that the post harvest timeframe, including handling, distribution and storage were the most critical times in Vitamin C decline¹.
• Taste: Is there anything worse than a flavorless peach?! When produce has to travel longer distances, it also has to be harvested prior to peak ripeness. If you're purchasing produce that is locally grown, like at a farmer's market, it's likely to have been picked the day before or even that morning. The fruit has had time to ripen, and will likely taste better.
• Transportation: Yes, it's great to have access to diverse options of fruits and vegetables any time of year, but how far did that produce have to travel when it's out of season locally? Fruits and vegetables may have to travel thousands of miles, and be harvested well before they're ripe.
• Cost: One of my favorite ways to meal plan is to use ingredients that are on sale. Most often the produce on sale is also the produce that's in season locally. It doesn't have to travel as far, there's an abundance due to the growing season, and that lowered cost can help with your meal budget.
• Diversifying your Meal Plans: By using local, in season items, you're naturally changing what you eat through the year. This is not only great for your palate, but also your gut microbiome! Diversity in plants is key to a healthy gut microbiome, and when you're switching up your choices seasonally, it's hard to get tired of eating the same thing.
• Local Economy: Purchasing food grown locally helps to support people in and around your community, which helps to continue access to locally grown food.

References:

1. Giannakourou MC, Taoukis PS. Effect of Alternative Preservation Steps and Storage on Vitamin C Stability in Fruit and Vegetable Products: Critical Review and Kinetic Modelling Approaches. Foods. 2021;10(11):2630. Published 2021 Oct 29. doi:10.3390/foods10112630