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Written by Colleen Levine
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Parents are increasingly buying organic foods for their families. But you may wonder, is it worth it? Is it really better? Should I be doing even more? Beyond eating organic, be sure to consider eating local.
Eating organic when you can is important for several reasons:
- Reduces your exposure to pesticides and unhealthy additives
- Protects our soil and water
- Provides higher nutrient levels
(The Organic Trade Association provides a list of 10 reasons to choose organic foods.)
But, if you’re looking to do more, consider adding more local foods to
your family’s diet. Transporting foods, organic or otherwise, over
great distances uses more oil and increases air pollution. Buying local
minimizes those issues, supports the local economy, and preserves
farmland and biodiversity, as local farmers can produce varieties of
plants that may not be hardy enough to be mass-produced and trucked
across the country. Ramps, for example, make an appearance in
Washington, DC, area farmers markets each spring. A cousin to the leek,
they grow wild in West Virginia and farmers have not yet managed to
cultivate them for commercial production.
Wondering how to get started? The easiest way is to visit your local
farmers market. As a first step, buy what you need for one night’s
dinner. You may be surprised to find that in season produce can even be
cheaper than what’s at the grocery store. Right now, asparagus and
strawberries are fresh and abundant. Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org ) is a great resource for finding farmers markets near you.
In future articles, I will share additional facts and resources about
eating local, as well as recipes for the foods that are in season.
Please comment if you have questions or tips of your own!
Tags: eating local local food |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 May 2008 )
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