Eat Local is one of our main talking points at Pints, Forks & Friends
The 2020 will be remembered forever, that is for sure. A hundred year pandemic, mishandling of how to manage it, and the economic collapse of small businesses, especially restaurants. Keeping your money local, no matter where you live helps your community thrive. We know “big box” chain stores offer convenience, but you’re basically cutting out the local community when they need it most, and it’s a more sustainable purchase if you can find it at a local shop.
What are some other benefits of eating local?
The benefits of eating locally are many, but in order to truly benefit you must eat locally grown food. There is nothing like eating fresh fruits and vegetables grown from your own garden, which is one of the best things about this food source. There are so many benefits from eating local, and here are just a few examples:
Eat Better – When food is grown locally, it is much healthier than food that is imported. This is due in part to how fresh local produce is. Since there is less chance of contamination, food from your own garden is fresher and more nutritious. In addition, the nutrients are much more easily absorbed. Farmers market farmers can use their own practices to ensure that they are selling their produce at its highest quality, but in a smaller portion of your grocery store or local farmer’s market. There is no better way to Eat Local than to experience a local produce-driven market.
Eat Healthier – Eating locally provides you with a number of benefits not only for your body but also for your wallet. Many farms grow their produce organically, which means that they do not add chemicals to their products to increase their yield. The nutrients are also not lost during processing. Finally, there is the fact that many locally grown foods are much higher in vitamins and minerals than produce grown in other parts of the world. It’s simply worth the price to eat locally.
Be Healthy – One of the biggest advantages of eating locally is that there are great places to get organic vegetables. Many organic farms have been certified by the USDA, which ensures that the produce is free from pesticides and other chemicals. If you do not want to wait to be served organic, you can always go to your nearest local farmer’s market, which often has fresh organic produce available. Also, the produce on these markets is usually much more nutritious and higher in vitamin and nutrient content than produce from large farms, since these markets grow large amounts of organic produce on a small scale.
Have a Local Community – You may know that there is a lot of health benefit to eating locally, but did you know that it is also a great way to make a local community feel good? By eating locally, you can show your local community that you care about them. By choosing foods produced in your area, you make sure that the local community has access to delicious and healthy food that is fresh and tastes good. Not only is this healthy for you, but it can also show the community that you value and care about them. By eating in your local community, it can help to build a feeling of camaraderie between the residents and the business owners. In addition, you get a direct way of showing the community that you care about their well being.
Help the Environment – If you have the time, the will to cook, and the drive to your local farmers market, you can create more benefits for the environment. By eating locally, you can drive the trucks to your community and deliver fresh produce directly to your community. This not only makes it easy on you but can help to reduce the amount of food waste in the area. This will keep your community in a better position to become more sustainable, as well as help to reduce carbon emissions and food waste in general.
Make Money – If you are not careful, eating locally can even make money for you. Many restaurants will hire local vendors to prepare the foods that they serve. This is because this allows them to receive a profit on top of the sales from the food. Even if they do not earn a profit from the sale, they may still have a profit margin on the ingredients used to prepare the food. Therefore, they can then use the profit to pay employees, purchase supplies, or pay down debt. By eating in your local community, you can help to contribute to the prosperity of your community.
When you are ready to start eating in your local community, be sure that you choose healthy, high-quality, fresh, and organic produce as well as local food, and you will see all of the benefits listed above. There are many ways to consume healthy, organic foods that taste good and are easy on the budget. Eating local not only provides you with quality foods and healthy but also has the added benefit of being a way to show your community you care and value their well being. Not only will you help to save the environment, but you will be helping your community become more healthy and happy.
Photo cred: Erik Scheel
