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eat local: improve your health?
this month i am participating in the eat local challenge and serving as one of over 25 authors for the group blog. the challenge is brought to us by jennifer maiser of life begins at 30, a blog "focusing on the importance of locally and sustainably grown food." (maiser is also a blogher contributing editor for food & drink.) the goal of the challenge, which is being held in association with the locavores, is to eat food grown and produced in your area for a month. the environmental and economic — even the cultural — benefits of eating locally were obvious to me, but i wondered: can eating locally improve my health, too?
i went straight to the source to ask. "eating locally forces you to cut out processed foods, which is very good for your health," said maiser. "also, eating locally cuts down on transportation and thus pollution, which is good for your lungs." processed foods are high in saturated fats, sugar and salt which can lead to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and dental disease. among the numerous health risks from air pollution is asthma. in fact, according to the national resources defense council (nrdc), there are 17 million asthmatics in the u.s. alone. eating locally can help us do our part in reducing pollution. some facts from the nrdc:
- five thousand people die of it every year
- it's the sixth most common chronic condition in the nation
- some 6 million of [the asthamtics] are children. for children, asthma is the most common chronic disorder, the leading cause of missed school, and the leading cause of hospitalization.
there are many other reasons to eat locally. check out maiser's top ten.
her suggested reading:
- maiser's bookshelf.
- kirby, alex. "local food 'greener than organic.'" bbc news 2 march 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4312591.stm.
- heeter, chad. "the oil in your oatmeal: a lot of fossil fuel goes into producing, packaging and shipping our breakfast." san francisco chronicle 26 march 2006. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/26/ing3phru681.dtl&hw=oil+in+my+oatmeal&sn=001&sc=1000.
cross-posted at blogher, where i am a contributing editor for health + wellness.
image credit: eatlocalchallenge.com
May 3, 2006 in eat local., eating. | Permalink
Comments
hi mipmup, I've been reading for awhile, but I am unabashed lurker. I've been working for the past couple years on sustainability and food security issues in Alaska. I think the Eat Local challenge is a fantastic way to get people thinking about where there food comes from, eating healthier, etc. However, in rural communities all over the country and especially in Alaska it is very difficult to eat locally except during a narrow window of the year, people are highly dependent on food that travels large distances, and super limited choices in terms of healthy eating. I'm curious if you have any thoughts on these issues, I'd love to hear your take on it. Good god this is long, maybe I should've just sent an email :).
Posted by: amy | May 4, 2006 11:27:03 AM
hi mipmup--came here thru the eat local website--i, too, am a Los Angeles resident doing the eat local challenge. If you come across any great tips for the area, please pass them along! My tip: I have found a guy making very good homemade mozzarella and ricotta--he sells it at the Silverlake Farmers' Market on Saturday and the Atwater Village Farmers' Market on Sunday...
Posted by: erin | May 7, 2006 7:22:51 AM
