Nine health reasons you should eat local food

Gardening with a group

The neighbourhood that plants together drops a pants size together, says new research. A recent study from the University of Utah found people who participate in community gardening have a lower body mass index — as well as reduced odds of being overweight — than their non-gardening neighbours. (For some women, it amounted to an 11-pound difference!)

Bonus: Studies show gardening is a major stress reliever and mood booster, not to mention great exercise.

Log on for nearby produce

You don’t even have to leave the house to enjoy local eatsu001e. Home-delivery services are popping up from coast to coast, bringing the freshest produce directly to your doorstep. Try Fresh Option Organic Delivery in Winnipeg, Mama Earth Organics in Toronto or SPUD on the West Coast. Look for start-ups like Toronto’s Food Story, which lets you shop online from your fave farmers’ market.

Bite into organic tomatoes

You say tomato, we sayu001e.u001e.u001e.u001eorganic! When it comes to this fleshy red fruit, it’s best to give conventionally grown produce a pass. Not only do the local organic varieties have more flavour, but a recent study by Brazilian researchers shows that organic tomatoes contain substantially higher levels of vitamin C and polyphenols (antioxidants that help prevent cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers) than their non-organic grown counterparts.

Our best summer tomato recipes

Pick your own

Here’s one of the most fun summer activities: Load up the kids and head to a pick-your-own patch. Not only will you leave with lots of fresh produce, you’ll expose your brood to local agriculture and a taste of where food comes from (not to mention an active day in the sun).

Bonus: Freeze or preserve what you pick for a hit of summer flavour in the cold winter months.

Forage for your dinner

The next time you go for a walk in the woods, bring a basket! Dandelions, leeks, nettles, garlic, fiddleheads, chanterelle and morel mushrooms — they all grow in the wild and are ready to be found in a green space near you (make sure to grab a guide if you’re not sure what to look for). And not only do these hand-picked plants add extra zip to everything from salads to risotto, there are some bonus health benefits to be had: Heart-healthy wild leeks contain iron and folate, and “gourmet weed” purslane is one of the best sources of omega-3s you can find.

Eat in season

“August is an amazing month for food,” says Crawford. “You name it, it’s out there. Stone fruit, sweet corn, halibut and spot prawns, heirloom tomatoes, summer berries — you can literally have it all!”

Celebrate local food heroes

It’s time to give it up for the people who put food on your table. “There are so many passionate, dedicated farmers and growers out there,” says chef Lynn Crawford, who gets to meet them in her Food Network show Pitchin’ In. “What a giftu001c it is to have their wonderful harvest available to us!” Visit the nearest farmers’ market or pop into your local butcher or cheese boutique for an inspiring meet-and-greet.

Try it tonight: Serve up Crawford’s Everything Green Salad with Lemon Pistachio Vinaigrette and veggies from the market.

Get more from Lynn Crawford’s new book, on shelves in September

Choose from your province

This just in: New rules from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have redefined what it means to “buy local.” In the past, for food to be called local, it had to be grown within 50 km of where it was sold. But, as of May, as long as food is sold in the province or territory it’s produced in, it’s considered local.

Clock food miles

Here's a number for you: 5,364. That’s how many kilometres a basket of groceries purchased at a Toronto supermarket has travelled before reaching store shelves, says a Canadian study. (That’s 81 times farther than the same items purchased at a neighbourhood farmers’ market!) Buying local reduces harmful carbon emissions, supports small-scale farmers and means produce is picked at its ripest and most nutritious. “Where your food comes from is important,” says Crawford. “Ultimately you are what you eat.”

See our favourite farm-to-table restaurants