Local and Sustainable Eating: Healthy Eating

Why Eat Locally? Why Eat Seasonally? Food that is locally grown is fresher and perfect for the season you are in... right now in the Northeast of the US squash and root vegetables are in season. These plants are high in vitamin C and A which are important for gearing up your immune system for the flu season that is coming.

So nutrition is one reason to eat locally fresher foods.

Less pollution... the shorter the distance food has to travel to get to you the less carbon monoxide will be added to our already overloaded atmosphere.

Still not convinced... how about diversity... heirloom fruits and vegetables make cooking and eating more than just a process of extracting calories. They makes food fun and interesting. Variety will be lost if we don't support small local farmers who's market niche is selling the different and the unusual compared to the grocery store. If you don't just want to eat beef tomatoes and red delicious apples... buy local food.

The Nature Conservancy who is best know for simply buying environmentally rich land and stewarding it is expanding it's reach into teaching and promoting sustainability. Take a look a their website and check out the recipes chefs have contributed to them which promote local food use, and consider making a holiday gift to this fantastic organization.