Sustainable Food Choice is as Easy as Eating Seasonally

We hope you enjoy this very information article!

By Sophia Baker-French, Nicole Lukas

4th Year UBC Nutrition/Dietetic Students

Sustainability is the new buzz word, but what does it really mean when it comes to making food choices? There is no easy answer, but there are shortcuts to help cut down on some of the confusion you might be feeling. For many conscious consumers, shopping has become a chore in aligning our concerns for human health, environmental health, social ethics and global economics with our food choices. Many of us feel the emotional burden of social and environmental responsibility, but do not have access to reliable information about the origin of food and the business practices of food companies. It can be tiring to research sustainable and ethical purchases and it is frustrating to know that some companies are taking advantage of the best efforts of conscious consumers.

Our advice: take a short cut. To avoid the ploys of the market place and the businesses that are targeting you, try eating seasonally and locally. Seasonal foods are foods that are picked and processed in your local area in their appropriate harvest season. There are many reasons for buying local, seasonal foods.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables are much fresher. The distance travelled and time taken for your food to go from farm to plate is shorter. As a result your food tastes much better. As an added bonus, your produce is actually richer in vitamins and minerals since the nutritional quality of produce lessens with time.

Additionally, producing foods within their appropriate season is less energy intensive because less processing is needed and less fuel is required. Energy is not being used to heat greenhouses to produce tomatoes and transport them out of season. As you add more seasonal foods to your diet there is also less room for highly processed foods- like corn chips and pop. These are the foods that are the least beneficial for our bodies. Reducing these foods and increasing seasonal options is an environmentally sustainable choice with great benefit to your personal health.

Eating seasonally supports your local economy by keeping your money in the community. This way you know exactly where your money is going. Eating seasonally and locally also takes out some of the middlemen – meaning the farmers benefit as well. Agricultural and food processing techniques can differ greatly as can their impacts on human and environmental health. You will also more likely be able to learn about the techniques being used in your local system allowing you to more easily make a food choice that meets your own ethical standards.

Sustainability is a hot topic right now as we become better aware of the Earth’s limited capacity to support life. The media has taken hold of the word sustainability and made food shopping more complicated than ever. A gradual move to eating seasonally and locally is a simple step to a more sustainable lifestyle.

To find out more about what is seasonal in your area try looking up your local farmer’s market association. For BC check out www.bcfarmersmarket.org .

namaste,

Zoey

Zoey Ryan

founding hippy at the Hippy Grandma Eco-Boutique

life & business coach for women

www.hippygrandma.com

Keep the hippy love flowing with earth friendly treasures for your grandbabies, their mamas and you!