With all of the foods and food products on the market today, it is easy for consumers to forget or dismiss where our food comes from, who grows it and what goes into creating our food.
Many foods may have traveled thousands of miles to get to your table. The distance that food travels to get from field to market is called food miles. Many food producers nationwide rely on trains, boats, and trucks to get their products to other locations. Carbon emissions and pollutants thus become a major concern, because high food miles can be a major contributor to global warming. Also, higher food miles may increase the amount of food handling, which means an unknown number of hands and machines could touch your food.
For these reasons, the numbers of “locavores” are growing, especially in areas like the Central Coast, which has so many healthy foods grown locally. A“locavore” is someone who is interested in foods that have been grown locally (within 100-150 miles). The idea of the locavore diet is to spread eco-consciousness and sustainable practices.
Living in Santa Cruz County has made the choice of following a locavore diet quite enjoyable. There are dozens of local restaurants that are committed to designing menus that contain mostly fresh, local, and seasonal meals. “Farm to table,” is a hot restaurant trend.
We also have local grocery markets and chain supermarkets that buy local produce, partnering with local farms and food producers.
In order for food consumers to have better knowledge of what they are eating and where it comes from, the community must work together as a connected market.
The easiest way to do is to follow a locavore diet dependent on the availability of local foods.
One of the best ways to eat local is to grow your own.
Over the past two years I have grown broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, strawberries, potatoes and many herbs. I have had the space, water and sunlight to maintain my garden, but I recognize that many people may not have the time or space to grow their own food.
It is difficult to be consistent with purchasing only local food. Fresh and local food is often more expensive than conventionally grown food. As much as I would love to support my local farmers 100 percent of the time, my budget and schedule do not always allow me to do so. Once the farmers-market season opens this spring, the farmers markets in Scotts Valley on Saturdays and Felton on Tuesdays can be great sources of locally grown produce and farm products like bread and honey.
Following a strict locavore diet also could mean cutting certain foods out of your diet that have not been grown locally. If I were to follow this, I would need to let go of tropical fruits such as mango, banana and pineapple. I also eat a lot of avocados, which are grown locally, but only at certain times of the year.
Because many of the avocados that I buy during winter months come from Mexico, I would need to give them up. I also use many coconut products such as oil, milk and cream that are grown in tropical climates. If I chose to give up these foods, it might be a bit difficult at first because so much of my diet revolves around these foods. However, this adjustment may lead to discovering new local foods that I can incorporate into my diet, and I would feel good about making a difference for the environment.
Following a locavore diet may benefit the quality of my food choices. If I followed a locavore diet for a month I would work on building relationships with those who grow my food, if possible, and find out as much as I can in order to gain knowledge on the quality of my food.
I would purchase more locally grown fruits, vegetables, nuts and oils and work on incorporating each group for a well-balanced diet. I would also consume fewer processed and packaged foods, which are high in calories and sodium. I eat a wide variety of coconut products, which are high in saturated fat, so I might notice a much lower intake of saturated fat in my diet if I give up these foods.
Although there may be difficulties with following a locavore diet, collaborating with and supporting your local community can improve the quality of life for everyone involved. It’s way to take small steps towards improving our health and the environment by supporting local farms and producers.
Mary Smith is a 2011 San Lorenzo Valley High School graduate who is a senior nutritional science major at San Jose State University, and president of the student Nutrition and Food Science Club.
