How to eat local and healthy

A regional diet can help the community by limiting harmful pollutants and aiding the local economy. Bring fresher food to your table by integrating local food into your meal planning. Here are some tips to help you go local.

Take a Trip

Take a date or the whole family to visit a nearby farm. You can purchase local food while learning about where your food is coming from. Don’t know any farms in your area? Find one using on the Eat Wild website.

U-Pick farms are another great way to get involved in eating local. A u-pick farm allows you to pick your own produce right from the land. Afterwards, you pay for what you’ve picked. Try the Pick Your Own website to find a U-Pick farm near you.

Know Your Seasons

While the global market allows us to access almost any food during just about any time of the year, buying food in season cuts miles out of your food’s travel. Smart Living has a search engine which allows you to figure the seasonal food for each state. Print out your seasonal fruits and veggies and put it on the fridge.

Farmers’ Markets

One of the easiest ways to go local is to start buying from farmers’ markets. Here, you can buy your food straight from the person who harvested it. You can find these markets by visiting the USDA website, which has a farmers’ market search engine.

Locally-Owned Food Producers

Endorse local artisans! Buy from local, bakeries, coffeehouses, and ice cream stores. Though a loaf of bread from your local bakery may be a bit pricy, it will be much more delicious and fresh.

Go Local at Home

The easiest way to go local? Do it yourself. While you most likely will not want to slaughter your own meat, you can surely grow a little herb garden or maybe even a tomato patch.

Get involved with your community, minimize food waste, and put fresher, nutrient rich food into your body by eating local. Follow these easy tips and know that you’re doing something good for your family and your planet.

James Kim is a writer for foodonthetable.com.  Food on the Table is a company that provides online budget meal planning services.  Their goal is to help families eat better and save money.