| "Locavore" was the Oxford American Dictionary | | | | Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, spinach is known to be |
| Word of the Year in 2007. A locavore is someone | | | | high in iron, but it is the calcium also found in spinach |
| who makes an effort to eat food that comes from | | | | that allows our bodies to absorb most of the iron in |
| his or her surrounding area. Some insist on food | | | | the spinach. In his book, In Defense of Food, Michael |
| coming from within a 100-mile radius of their homes, | | | | Pollan advises us to eat foods that humans have |
| others are less strict. What are the benefits of eating | | | | relied on for centuries. He reports that societies |
| locally? How difficult is it to be a locavore? What | | | | relying on a "traditional" diet of foods found in nearby |
| resources are available to locavores in the five | | | | regions have a much lower incidence of so-called |
| boroughs? This article will answer those initial | | | | "Western" diseases. |
| questions and help you find the right questions to | | | | One of the most compelling reasons to buy directly |
| ask. | | | | from local farmers is to support farms that treat |
| You may be thinking, "Isn't most of the food I can | | | | animals humanely. For animals involved in the |
| buy in New York from New York?" No. No, it is not. | | | | production of meat, dairy, and eggs found in most |
| The modern food system in America is built on the | | | | grocery stores and restaurants, cruelty is the norm. |
| platform of cheap food. Most of the food in this | | | | Animal cruelty laws, which protect our pets don't |
| country comes from huge assembly line operations | | | | apply to farm animals. Regardless of the fact that |
| that run like factories, giving birth to the term | | | | pigs are known to be as smart as dogs, they can |
| "factory farm." These factory farms ship to locations | | | | legally be confined for most of their lives in a pen |
| around the world driving out small farms that cannot | | | | that doesn't even give them enough room to turn |
| compete on price. A walk through the produce | | | | around. Because of the amount of pigs in these |
| section of your local grocery store is like a trip to | | | | confinement facilities waste builds up, damaging air |
| California and South America. The meat and dairy | | | | quality. The damage is so severe that when people |
| departments will take you to the Midwest. Purchasing | | | | enter these pig facilities they must put on masks in |
| seafood is practically a world tour. Being a locavore in | | | | order to breathe. But the pigs' airways are allowed to |
| New York takes effort. | | | | be constantly damaged by this toxic air. This type of |
| There are lots of reasons people are willing to put in | | | | cruelty extends to most animals farmed throughout |
| the effort to eat locally in New York. Local eating, | | | | the world. It might be a stretch to ask that all farm |
| compared to indiscriminate eating, consumes less oil, | | | | animals be treated like family pets, but they are not |
| is better for the environment, is better for our | | | | even treated as well as their wild counterparts. Even |
| health, is kinder to animals, supports a local economy, | | | | if farm animals are destined to have short lives, there |
| puts eaters in touch with the seasons, and just plain | | | | is no excuse for torturing them while they are on this |
| tastes better. Some of these benefits rely on your | | | | earth. To read more about farm animal rights I |
| ability to ask the producer questions about the food | | | | recommend the animal rights classic Animal Liberation. |
| production, a task that is much easier in a local food | | | | Be warned, however, that Peter Singer will try to |
| system where direct farm-to-consumer sales are the | | | | convince you to become a vegetarian. He does have |
| norm. | | | | a good argument for vegetarianism, but he also |
| When consumers consciously consider food choices, | | | | concedes that eating products from humanely raised |
| they can reduce oil consumption and usage. The | | | | animals is acceptable as well. Though attaining food |
| obvious oil usage comes from transport of food | | | | from humanely treated animals was extremely |
| products. As mentioned in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, | | | | difficult when Animal Liberation was first published in |
| on average, food in this country travels about 1500 | | | | 1975, it is much less difficult today. The beauty of |
| miles to your plate. And when you think about | | | | direct sales from farmer to consumer is that you, as |
| processed foods typically comprising many ingredients | | | | consumer, can head to your local farmers market |
| shipped from several distant locations, it's easy to | | | | and talk to the person responsible for the food on |
| see that a wise food choice can have immensely | | | | your plate. Talking to farmers is an excellent way to |
| positive effects. Combining the environmental effects | | | | eat consciously. Learn a little bit about the various |
| of consuming local products and organic products can | | | | forms of animal cruelty, and then ask farmers at |
| make an even bigger impact. Eating organic greatly | | | | market if they engage in those activities. You may |
| reduces oil consumption in the growing of produce | | | | also want to ask farmers what they feed their |
| and animal feed by eliminating the use of synthetic | | | | animals. Ruminants, like cows, sheep, and goats, have |
| fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, which all require | | | | evolved to subsist on grass and forage and when |
| oil in their production. The conventional (inefficient) | | | | farmers feed these animals grains, it can cause |
| food production model requires more calories of oil | | | | discomfort and health problems for the animals. |
| than calories of food produced. The organic system | | | | Buying food from local farms can also be a |
| uses one calorie of fossil fuel for every two calories | | | | conservation effort. There are many species and |
| of food. In her popular locavore book Animal, | | | | breeds of plants and animals that are farmed so |
| Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver writes that if | | | | rarely that they are endanger of extinction. It may |
| every U.S. citizen ate one more meal a week | | | | seem counter-intuitive, but the only way to |
| composed entirely of locally and organically raised | | | | encourage the continued existence of these rare |
| meat and produce we could reduce our country's oil | | | | domestic plants and animals is to eat them. According |
| consumption by over 30 million gallons of oil every | | | | to Slow Food International's Ark of Taste "93% of |
| week. | | | | North American food product diversity has been lost |
| In addition to oil usage the conventional food system | | | | since 1900." The large farms supplying most grocery |
| takes its toll on the environment in other ways. The | | | | stores and restaurants are not supplying diversity. It |
| transport itself increases air pollution and releases | | | | is the small farms, which you can find in your local |
| greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. More pollution | | | | farmers market, that present a more diverse |
| is caused by excessive use of chemical pesticides, | | | | selection of plant and animal species and breeds. |
| herbicides, and fertilizers. These excess chemicals end | | | | Animal, Vegetable, Miracle states that "according to |
| up in our waterways. As stated in The Omnivore's | | | | Indian crop ecologist Vandana Shiva, humans have |
| Dilemma nitrogen from synthetic fertilizer coupled | | | | eaten some 80,000 plant species in our history. After |
| with runoff from animal confinement feedlots has | | | | recent precipitous changes, three-quarters of all |
| created an algal bloom dead zone the size of the | | | | human food now comes from just eight species, with |
| state of New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico. The use | | | | the field quickly narrowing down to genetically |
| of chemical fertilizers also creates imbalance in the soil | | | | modified corn, soy, and canola." There are many |
| by dousing the land with nitrogen, phosphorous, | | | | breeds of farm animals, once prevalent, that are now |
| potassium and little else. This imbalance depletes the | | | | almost nonexistent. But look to your local farms to |
| soil of other nutrients. It is certainly possible that | | | | find meat from Red Wattle Hogs, Navajo Churro |
| farmers in your local region are using theses harmful | | | | Sheep, Buckeye Chicken, or Pineywoods cattle. |
| conventional methods, however, it is much easier to | | | | Supporting local farms is also a great way to support |
| learn how your food is produced when you can talk | | | | members of our community and boost the economy |
| to the farmer at your local market, or better yet, | | | | in our region. It takes effort to buy local food. There |
| schedule a visit to the source. | | | | are more convenient ways to get food on the table. |
| It is undeniable that eating local farm-to-table foods is | | | | However, eating locally makes a statement that |
| better for consumer health. The so-called "Western" | | | | where your food comes from is important to you. |
| diet, heavy in processed foods, is thought to | | | | The more consumers care about local eating, the |
| contribute to many health problems including obesity, | | | | greater the chance that convenient ways to eat |
| adult-onset diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. | | | | locally will arise. Eating locally will put you in touch with |
| Buying foods directly from farms avoids processed | | | | the seasons and connect you to your region with the |
| foods entirely. Fresher produce is known to have | | | | added benefit of eating produce when it's at its peak. |
| more nutrients than produce that has traveled long | | | | In this country it's rare to find truly regional cuisine. If |
| distances in a truck bed. Organic produce also | | | | America is to grow as a gourmet nation we need to |
| contains more nutrients and antioxidants than | | | | develop cuisine based on fresh, local ingredients and |
| conventional produce. The antioxidants are the plants | | | | establish/reestablish good regional cooking. As it is, |
| natural pesticide. Think about it: a plant that needs to | | | | much of the cuisine in America relies on ingredients |
| fight pests on its own logically would contain more | | | | from other parts of the world so the food is |
| antioxidants than a plant sprayed with a chemical | | | | destined to be inferior to food eaten in its indigenous |
| pesticide. Some produce found in grocery stores or | | | | region. Which brings us to the best thing about local |
| restaurants are genetically modified organisms | | | | food: it tastes better. Fresher food tastes better |
| (GMOs). The health effects of GMOs are unknown. | | | | than food that sits on a truck, boat, or plane |
| The studies that have been done on them are | | | | traveling. Grocery store produce is often bred for |
| extremely biased as most of the studies are funded | | | | shelf-life while sacrificing taste. As long as the |
| by the companies that create GMOs. | | | | produce looks good and can survive shipping and |
| In addition to the benefits derived from eating local | | | | sitting in the store for a while, taste is not a big |
| fruits, vegetables, grains, and other plant matter, | | | | concern. When you start buying local produce you |
| animal products from small local farms are healthier in | | | | may find a few odd-shaped vegetables, but they are |
| general as well. Animals raised on pasture produce | | | | all grown with taste, first and foremost, in mind. |
| healthier eggs, meat, and dairy. Compared to your | | | | Grocery stores make other concessions which |
| typical grocery store eggs from factory farmed | | | | sacrifice taste. For example milk is sometimes |
| chickens pastured eggs have 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 | | | | ultra-pasteurized, which increases shelf life but results |
| less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more | | | | in bland milk. Grocery store fish and meat is |
| omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E, and 7 | | | | sometimes color enhanced so you can't use color as |
| times more beta carotene. Grass-fed beef has | | | | a guide of freshness either. The same can be true |
| shown similar health benefits when compared to | | | | for fruits and vegetables, which are often picked well |
| feedlot grain-fed beef. | | | | before they are ripe and then sprayed with ethylene, |
| As a species, humans have evolved to rely on food | | | | a plant hormone, which changes the color of the fruit |
| found in nature. We are designed to reap the most | | | | to give the appearance of ripeness. To ensure your |
| benefit from our foods when nutrients are present in | | | | food is fresh, make an effort to buy as much food |
| their natural proportions. For example, as described in | | | | as you can from local farms. |