“There’s a direct relationship between our food, our environment, our genetics and our health. Eating locally grown foods gives us our most nutritious meals, most flavorful meals. Few choices have as many personal ramifications as that which we decide to eat.”
— cardiologist and professional chef Michael S. Fenster, MD.
There are many good reasons to eat locally produced foods, the first among them that they’re very good for us,” says Dr. Mike. He offers four compelling reasons to be a ‘Localvore’:
Money: Shopping for what is bountifully in season, and thus locally overstocked, can mean big savings. By purchasing items produced locally, your money strengthens the local economy and helps sustain the people producing the types of food stuffs that you wish to sustain yourself. “That is the smiley face circle of life,” he says.
Freshness: “In some ways, it’s amazing we’re alive considering all the food we eat that’s dead,” Dr. Mike says, noting almost 60 percent of the modern Western diet is prepackaged, preserved, and processed. Because local growers don’t have to add preservatives or pick produce weeks early to ensure their produce will keep during shipping, local foods can be consumed at the peak of freshness and ripeness—when they taste their very best.
Rhythms: Our great hairy ancestors have always been omnivores. There is ample evidence that the reason we as a species became the smartest kids on the block is that we took advantage of a varied diet. By leveraging the seasonal and cyclic variations that naturally occur, your palate will never become dull and monochromatic.
Sustainability: All the reasons for purchasing high-quality ingredients locally ultimately circle back and rest upon the concept of sustainability. In knowing where your food comes from, in being able to ascertain both what it contains and what it does not contain, you take a proactive step in determining your own health and wellness.
Focus on procuring the best for you and those who depend upon you, Sustain yourself and your family. By doing this, you will also deliver positive local impact.
Michael Fenster, M.D., F.A.C.C., FSCA&I, PEMBA, is a board-certified interventional cardiologist. Also known as “Dr. Mike,” author of “Eating Well, Living Better: The Grassroots Gourmet Guide to Good Health and Great Food,” (www.whatscookingwithdoc.com)
