Eat Right Knox

Food for Thought                     

Food for Thought contains articles on various nutrition topics written by KAND dietitians.

Local foods, are they better for you?

By Wendy Markham

When you think about nutrition, you most often think about what nutrients are in the food. What vitamins does it have, fat, calories, and the favorite, calories?  What is not often considered is where the food is from. In our global market, we are able to buy foods imported from all over the world. In some ways, this gives us an edge on nutrition by providing many options to suit all tastes. You no longer have to settle for oranges or strawberries to get vitamin C. Now, you can run to the supermarket and purchase exotic fruits from far away countries to get the same vitamin C but with a different flavor. Food is also more accessible. Now, you can run to the local super store and buy your produce in the same location as where you purchase hardware, clothes, and even have your car worked on. Time and travel reduce vital nutrients.

While all these options are pleasing to the palate, there are some downsides to the global food market. Food travels an average of 1500-2500 miles from farm to table. Fruits and vegetables shipped from distant states and countries can spend up to seven to fourteen days in transit before they arrive in the market. Most fruit and vegetables sold in supermarkets are chosen for the ability to withstand harvesting equipment and extended travel, not taste.  This results in very little variety in plants grown.

Does distance make a difference in nutrition? The answer is yes. Spinach stored at room temperature loses between 50 and 90 percent of its vitamin C within 24 hours of being picked and spoils after five days. Time and exposure to light destroys folic acid, a vital nutrient in many green leafy vegetables. Vitamin C, the B vitamins and vitamin E are all important antioxidants that protect against disease, because they attack free radicals which cause oxidative stress and damage our cells leading to cancer and heart disease. These vitamins are particularly sensitive to time. These vitamins are often not in fruit and vegetables that are picked green – they are picked green so they will survive.

Any fruit or vegetable is a healthy choice.  Here’s a few good reasons to buy local:

•  Local food is fresh and tastes good. Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. It is usually full of flavor and has not lost nutrients due to processing and shipping.

•  Local food supports local farm families. Local farmers who sell directly to consumers or to local stores, markets, or institutions can get better prices for their food, which means that farm families can keep their farm operating.

•  Local food builds a strong community. When you buy directly from the farmer, you are establishing a direct connection between with those responsible for growing the food you are eating.

•  Local food helps preserve farmland. Farmland will survive only as long as farms make money. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something to help preserve the land needed to help our community have access to food.

•  Local food supports a clean environment. The average distance most food travels is up to 1400 miles. This burns up a great deal of gas and creates pollution.  Food that is grown and sold locally travels a much shorter distance.

Click here for more information on Knoxville area farmer’s markets.