Why buying locally grown food benefits your family more than you think

When you read news reports about methods for becoming more eco-friendly, some may mention why we should buy locally grown food. Doing so does the planet considerable favors.

However, sustainability isn’t the only benefit of eating locally and seasonally. You’ll also reap considerable perks that increase your energy levels and well-being. They may even help you shed a few unwanted pounds.

Your diet impacts the earth and the well-being of yourself and your loved ones. Here’s why buying locally grown food benefits your family more than you think.

Why We Should Buy Locally Grown Food — the Moral Considerations

Scientists warn that society is running out of time to address climate change, and everyone’s choices matter. Buying locally grown food benefits your family by helping to save the planet for your kids, grandchildren and their families. The food industry contributes to global warming in several ways, with the emissions from transporting goods over long distances comprising a considerable percentage of the damage.

However, frequenting your farmer’s market reduces these shipping costs, as you purchase locally grown food originating only a few miles from the shopping center. Many such facilities have expanded in recent years, with some accepting SNAP benefits for those receiving nutrition assistance. You’ll get to know the vendors and how they grow their food, often scoring organic goods for far less than you’d pay for similar items at a traditional grocery store.

Technology can further streamline your shopping trip before you climb into your car. Many vendors at area farmers markets feature online pages where you can preorder what you need. Some still offer curbside pickup for customers who remain isolated due to COVID-19 concerns.

Another reason you should buy local food is to support your neighborhood economy. You aren’t shopping from an agri-corporate conglomerate — you’re helping Bob down the street send his daughter to dance lessons.

Health Benefits of Eating Seasonally and Locally Grown Food

Fortunately, the planet isn’t the only one reaping health perks from seasonal eating. You should buy local food to improve the well-being of everyone in your family. Here are five of the biggest health benefits of eating locally-grown food.

1. Consume More Nutrients
All that shipping does more than spew harmful emissions into the atmosphere. It also takes time, depleting your food of flavor and nutrition. Many fruits and vegetables begin losing nutrients three short days after harvest — consider how long it takes to pick a bushel of apples, process them, ship them to their destinations and place them on store shelves. You’ll immediately appreciate the value of local farmers markets.

Buying locally grown food also helps you eat more seasonally. Let’s face it, how many of us have the time to memorize fruit and vegetable charts to inform our shopping excursion? Hitting the farmer’s market means the growers have already done the work for you, as they’ll only sell what they can produce at any time.

2. Enjoy Better Flavor
The benefits of eating seasonally and locally tempt your tastebuds. That’s because the same natural plant substances that give your fruits and vegetables nutritional value also perk their flavor profiles.

Why does this matter to your health? You tend to eat more of what you love — and so do your kids. Childhood favorites like celery with peanut butter and carrot sticks with hummus transform from ho-hum snacks to crunchy temptations when they’re crispy and full of fresh crunch. That equates to consuming less junk food, one of the risk factors influencing rising Type 2 diabetes rates.

3. Avoid Pesticides and Additives
Yet a third reason why you should buy local food is that you can talk with the vendors to assess their growing methods. Numerous pesticides can affect your family’s health, especially your youngest members, including the following:

Organophosphates and carbamates: These attack the brain and nervous system like nerve gas. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, diarrhea, muscle pain and confusion.
Soil fumigants: These can irritate your nose and lungs and are linked to premature births. Long-term exposure to these chemicals elevates cancer risk.
Pyrethroids: These also attack your nervous system, and some scientists worry that fetuses cannot break down these substances. Symptoms include tremors, salivation, headaches, fatigue, itching and stinging skin and involuntary twitching.

Furthermore, organic farmers don’t coat their wares with artificial preservatives to make them last well past market day. Some of these can cause severe health issues, such as hypersensitivity, allergies, asthma and hyperactivity, commonly seen among many children. Long-term exposure increases the risk of nerve damage and cancer.

4. Add Variety to Your Diet
Have you ever had a purple sweet potato? You’ll find this curious-looking food and more at many farmer’s markets. The deep blue color confers antioxidant benefits that reduce stress and benefit your overall health — anthocyanins, the type in blue pigment, are particularly good for preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The greater the variety of foods you eat, the more nutrition you consume. Plus, you can make dinnertime an adventure.

5. Eat the Way Nature Intended
Watch any nature show. You’ll notice how the creatures perfectly adapt to their environments, using only what Mother Earth offers. Human beings forget they are a part of this world and similarly evolved to need more of certain nutrients at various times of the year. However, nature knows and provides. For example, carrots reach peak sweetness in winter, providing a hefty dose of beta-carotene and other vitamins to see people through the cold season.

Benefits of eating seasonally and locally include enjoying delicious treats like in-season sweet corn and watermelon at the peak of juiciness. You get more nutrients and delightful flavor right when your body craves them the most.

Benefits of Eating Locally and Seasonally

Why should you buy local? You simply can’t beat the benefits of eating locally and seasonally. From protecting the planet to your family’s health, these foods offer significant perks.

Hit your farmers market for some locally grown food this week and spend time getting to know the vendors. Then, come home and whip up a mouthwatering meal brimming with nutrients and flavor.