Organic consumers eat certified organic food products. While organic certification guarantees certain minimum standards, such as no pesticides, no chemicals and no genetically-modified (GMO) ingredients, the certification process is extremely time-consuming and many small farms and producers opt out. As a general rule, I look for the certification on frozen or canned goods, but am more lax when it comes to fresh produce or dairy from a small farm whose farming practices I know are in keeping with the spirit of organic farming, if not officially certified. Organic foods come from all over the world, so if you are trying to eat more local you will want to check labels carefully.

Sustainable eating is an awareness of farming practices, and buying foods that are in season, organic and/or sustainably raised/grown (see SustainableTable.org). Buying grass-fed beef and checking your seafood purchases against the Monterey Bay Aquarium's seafood guide are good ways to start adopting sustainable practices in your grocery shopping.

A locavore is someone who tries to eat only locally-produced foods. How local? A common standard is the 100-mile rule (find your map at 100milediet.org). Many groups allow exceptions for oils, vinegars and spices, while others are more lax with baked goods. A loaf of bread baked locally may be okay, for example, even if the flour used was most likely shipped from several states away.

Raw foodists take eating fresh to the extreme, eating little more than raw produce and nuts, as they believe cooking or processing foods depletes its nutritional value. While probably not practical for many families, there are a number of interesting raw food bloggers sharing recipes that may tempt even the biggest skeptic to give it a try, at least for a dish or two.

As with any food movement, there are those who are skeptical about eating local. Some have pointed out that it is more efficient to ship food by truckload across the country than for one person to hop into an SUV and drive 50 miles to pick one flat of strawberries. Personally, we choose to eat local when we can because we believe in supporting local farmers, and are willing to pay a little more to do so. Plus, fresh just tastes so much better!

The best way to incorporate local foods without drastically changing your lifestyle is to set a small goal or challenge for yourself. The FoodRoutes.org "Buy Local" challenge suggests making a commitment to spending $10 a week on local foods. What can $10 get you at the farmers market? Not too much in meat or cheese these days, unfortunately, but you can easily pick up a pint of strawberries, bunch of salad greens, spring onions and peas for a taste-of-spring salad, and have enough greens leftover for a stir-fry another night. If you want to make a bigger commitment, sign up for the "One Local Summer" challenge and pledge to make one meal a week from local foods. I've signed up and will be documenting our meals at my family food blog, FoodieTots.com.

Making a game out of it is a great way to get the whole family excited about learning more about the source of what they're eating. My son is not quite 2, so I doubt that he understands why we visit the farmers market every weekend, but he certainly enjoys the free samples and chatting with our favorite vendors. It is my hope that this tradition will inspire a growing love of fresh, local food as he gets older.