Five Reasons Why YOU Should Live La Vida Locavore

Welcome back to NatuREport! Have you heard of the locavore movement? Here are 5 good reasons why the eating local is great for you - and the environment!

Carnivores eat meat, herbivores eat plants, omnivores eat both meat and plants. I think it's safe to say that everyone has heard of those.

But what about locavores?

No, it's not a movement dedicated to eating crazy people. Locavores are people who try to get most (if not all) of their food from local farms - often defined as any farm within a 100-mile radius. As this sometimes restricts the kind of food available, you may wonder - what's the point?

Well, there are several points. Let's break it down. A locavore diet is better for:

Your health. Small, local farms are less likely to go overboard on chemicals than their large factory counterparts. Since it doesn't have to spend days or weeks cold-stored or in transit, local food is also picked at the peak of its freshness and nutritional value.

Your local economy. For every $100 spent at a big-box store, just $14 goes back into the local economy. But if you spend that $100 at a local business, that number jumps up to $45! Eating locally-grown food nourishes not only your body, but your community, too - definitely something to take into account in this weak economy.

Your community. Eating local fosters community not only in the economic sense, but also in the intrapersonal sense. It gives you the chance to get to get to know the farmer and visit the farm where your food comes from. In a day and age where the majority of our food comes from huge factory farms hundreds of miles away, it's nothing short of a miracle to be able to know exactly where  and how your food is grown. Plus, It's a great way to get more connected and involved!

The environment. It is no secret that, on average, food travels an average of 1500 miles to get from the farm to your plate. Unsurprisingly, this takes a huge toll on the environment. Eating local can actually better for the environment in some ways than buying organic food that comes from far away. A March 2005 study showed that the distance most organic food must travel actually creates enough environmental damage that it outweighs the benefits of buying organic!

Your taste buds. As I mentioned above, local food has been picked at peak freshness and has had longer to ripen. The result? It tastes better, plain and simple.

I'll blog more in the future about how you can go about going locavore, but for now - have you heard of this movement before? Do you think it's something you'd like to try? Let me know in the comments!

Sources:

http://www.lifebeginsat30.com/elc/2006/04/10_reasons_to_e.html

http://localfoods.about.com/od/finduselocalfoods/tp/5-Reasons-to-Eat-Local-Foods.htm

http://simple-green-frugal.blogspot.com/2009/01/benefits-of-eating-locally.html

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