Note: this piece first appeared in the April 2007 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.
This month, I’m pleased to introduce guest writers Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen and Renee Brooks Catacalos. Kristi and Renee are freelance journalists in the Washington, D.C., area interested in promoting local agriculture. Their website, Real People Eat Local, is a terrific resource for local eaters, with information, articles, and a monthly local food newsletter called Local Mix.
Eat Local, Eat Healthy
by Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen and Renee Brooks Catacalos
Eating foods grown, raised, or produced near where you live by farmers and producers who care about their plants, animals, and the environment is an easy and fun way to get more healthy foods into your diet. No matter what your lifestyle, you can add freshness, flavor, and nutrition to your meals by sourcing at least some of your food locally.
Fruits and vegetables start to lose nutrient content as soon as they’re picked, so the sooner you eat them the better — and local food probably makes it to your plate a lot faster than food shipped across the country. Many people feel local food promotes a better diet, because by seeking out farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, they buy more fruits and veggies than they otherwise would. With a CSA share, folks receive a box of seasonal vegetables each week during the growing season. What’s in the box is dependent on the farmer’s planting schedule, the weather, and general growing conditions. Many subscribers figure, “If I buy it, I’ll eat it,” challenging themselves to find ways to use whatever shows up each week. This is a great way to get kale, collards, and other super healthy greens into your diet, along with a variety of squashes, lettuces, tomatoes, and fresh peas and beans.
Local fruit growers can bring their wares to you at the peak of ripeness, and they can also bring varieties that you might not see in the grocery store because they don’t store well. Variety can be the key to ensuring that you and your family consistently get the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
You can also find local sources for milk, yogurt, and cheese, as well as meat, poultry, and eggs. Again, farmers’ markets can be the first place to look, but many local farmers also sell directly to consumers. Locally raised meats and dairy products from local cows are fresh and, if it’s important to you to have organic dairy or meat from animals raised naturally on grass pastures, you can find and verify that information when you’re working with local farmers.
Check our website, www.realpeopleeatlocal.com, for links to directories of farmers’ markets, farms, and other sources for eating local in Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. Healthy eating with local flavor — that’s our idea of a combo meal deal!
Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen and Renee Brooks Catacalos are freelance journalists and full-time mothers who write about eating local in the Mid-Atlantic on their website Real People Eat Local and in their bi-weekly e-newsletter, Local Mix. Catacalos is also publisher and editor of Edible Chesapeake magazine.
