Choose Nutrient-Rich Produce: Several factors determine the vitamin and mineral content of foods, including the specific variety chosen, growing methods used, ripeness when harvested, processing, and time spent in transport. Local farmers choose varieties based on flavor and nutrition and improve soil health to maximize nutrient content. Since they don’t have to worry about long-distance transport, they typically allow produce to ripen in the field to develop optimal nutrition value. Farmers often take many foods directly to market within 24 hours of harvesting, ensuring they are still high in nutrient content. Simply put, locally grown foods are freshly picked and full of nourishment.
Avoid Processed Foods: Large grocery chains are filled with cheap, processed foods that contribute to chronic diseases and tempt us to sacrifice our health for convenience. Additionally, Americans frequently face recall alerts for contaminated industrial farm products grown and packaged in unsafe ways. Buying from local farmers and producers allows you to put healthy, fresh, and safe foods at the center of your diet. You can choose to pay the farmer now or the doctor later.
Know Industrial vs. Local Farming: At large industrial farms, the pursuit of high-yielding varieties often comes at the expense of nutritional quality. Production methods that deplete soil health tend to yield crops with lower nutritional content. Additionally, supermarket fruits and vegetables can spend 7-14 days in transit. The vitamin content of produce picked early and forced to ripen during transport is often lower than that which ripens on the plant. Prepared, pre-chopped produce in supermarkets also loses protection against nutrient loss when the skin is removed.
Food Safety Concerns: Food from large factory farms often faces safety problems. Between 2009 and 2018, the FDA and CDC identified 40 foodborne outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections in the U.S. with a confirmed or suspected link to leafy greens alone. This strain of E. coli can cause significant health complications. Shipping potentially contaminated food across the country makes recalls more difficult to enact and track, putting thousands of people’s health at risk.
Pastured Meats: Many local farmers also raise their animals on pasture. Compared to conventionally raised proteins, pastured meats, poultry, and eggs are nutrient-dense. They are lower in total fat and possess a more natural balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, along with higher levels of conjugated linoleic acids, all of which reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Knowing Your Food Source: When you know where your food comes from, you can choose safe food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified seeds in their operations. Talk to your local farmers and ask them about their growing practices.
