Is Eating Locally Grown Food Healthier for You? (2024)

FAQs

Why is eating locally grown food better? ›

By eating locally grown food you support your local farmers and help grow your local economy. Buying locally also cuts transport energy costs and reduces food waste. Farm markets also are great places to find new foods to try.

The quality of food is higher

It's no secret that locally-grown food tastes better. Once separated from its source, a higher rate of respiration occurs in the product, resulting in moisture loss, nutrient degradation, and potential microbial spoilage.

Vitamins and antioxidants in some types of produce may be more than 100 percent higher in local crops versus imported ones. Produce from local farmers doesn't have to stand up to long-distance shipping, so they, like you, may choose to plant more nutritious varieties.

While food grown in small, local farms might be organic or GMO-free depending on government regulations, there is no true guarantee that crops are raised without pesticides, or without some genetic modification. As a result, critics argue the notion that local food must be healthy is a largely popularized myth.

The benefits of local meat are numerous – you support your local farmers, your meat is fresher and healthier, and it tastes better! Not only that, but you are practicing a more ethical and sustainable style of eating, while also reducing your carbon footprint.

Most fruits and veggies at the grocery store have traveled an average of 1,500 MILES from the farm to your plate. ONLY LOCAL PRODUCE IS TRULY FRESH. That means more flavor & nutrition.

As environmental researcher Hannah Ritchie says, if you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food choices, you ought to “focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local.” In a similar vein, if you want to reduce the ethical impact of your food, you ought to focus on eating plant-based rather than consuming ...

Local food generally retains more nutrients because it has been ripened naturally and picked fresh. Fewer steps in the value chain mean there is less chance of contamination. Food sourced from overseas has more opportunities for food safety issues at harvesting, washing, shipping and distribution.

Cooking at Home is Healthier Than Eating Out

When compared with take-out or going out at fast food chains, a study showed those who cook more often had an overall more healthy diet and lower levels of cholesterol than people consuming restaurant food or unhealthy foods on occasion.

Preparing healthy meals at home can support your immune system and reduce the risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It can give you more energy, improve how you sleep at night, and help you better manage health problems.

Are supermarket meals healthy? ›

Many ready meals contain preservatives plus additives to make them as long-lasting and palatable as possible, and are classified as ultra-processed foods (UPF). Others will be high in salt, fat and sugar but without the benefits of other naturally salty, rich or sweet ingredients.

The primary benefit of eating locally grown foods is that it gives your body the nutrients it needs and limits the substances that can be harmful to you in high quantities, such as refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, and synthetic trans fats, just to name a few.

Local eating can be elitist

Whether that means driving a few extra miles to get to the farmers market or shelling out some extra cash for the freshest produce, the locavore diet can be expensive. When you combine the time, effort and cash required to be truly locavore, this diet just isn't possible for a lot of people.

Purchasing equipment, packaging costs, tax payments, and wages all factor into the financial equation, with many local farmers and producers wanting to pay fair wages to their workers that are representative of the cost of living.

The farther food had to travel, the more fossil fuel was used and greenhouse gases emitted. Those emissions are especially high for food transported by airplane: food that is flown is responsible for up to 50 times as much carbon dioxide as food transported by boat.

Reducing Carbon Footprint and Environmental Impact

This approach also encourages community engagement by supporting local farmers and producers who use sustainable farming methods. Eating locally sourced produce also contributes to a healthier environment by promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Explanation: The main reason that eating local food helps the environment is because it travels fewer miles. When food has to travel long distances, it requires transportation methods that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, such as trucks, planes, or ships.