Shores Summer 2022

RECONNECTING BACK TO REAL FOOD
W H Y E A T I N G
LOCAL MATTERS
BY EMILY SCHIELD
There’s something magical about seeing the local farmer’s markets come to life after a long winter. Vendor booths are filled with
spirited and passionate farmers offering fresh vegetables beaming with color, beautiful flower bouquets made with love, local raw
honey, farm-fresh eggs, grass-fed meat and even samples of fermented sourdough bread all create a sensory experience that plays
on the human desire to eat with connection and purpose
Purchasing local food is not only a fun, explorative experience, it offers a multitude of health and environmental benefits. Oh, and
don’t forget to always to have a large reusable farmer’s market bag to bring along, it’s easy to buy more than you anticipate with the
abundance of freshness around you!
Local food is nutrient-dense
Eating local food is highly beneficial for your body because
you receive more nutrients from food that was just harvested
compared to food that ships to the grocery store from several
states away. The longer produce sits on a truck, the greater
chance it has of losing vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Additionally, a study conducted by Montclair State University
revealed that the vitamin C content of broccoli was cut in half
when it was shipped out of the country opposed to when it
was sourced locally. When you think about it, local food
usually gets harvested the same morning it gets sold and at
peak ripeness, which is also when food maintains the highest
amount of nutrients (and has the best culinary flavor!)
Local food is fresh and flavorful
There’s nothing quite like biting into that first juicy, bright red
strawberry of the season, smelling the aroma of freshly
chopped basil or indulging in the pungent, savory bite of a
cooked garlic bulb mashed on top of sourdough bread. When
our olfactory senses get a whiff of these smells (or even begin
thinking of how good the food is going to taste), it stimulates
our appetite because of the anticipation of the food about to
be eaten, a phenomenon called the sensory specific appetite.
This anticipation creates a multitude of physiological
reactions (such as an increase of salvia and digestive enzymes)
that help prepare the body for easier digestion of those
specific foods we smell. If you walk into a kitchen with
something delicious cooking, you know this phenomenon all
too well. When we are excited to eat the fresh, local foods we
cook, it not only helps prepare our digestive tract, it also
increases our food enjoyment, creating a positive food
experience that we will naturally crave to repeat again and
again.
Eating local allows you to experiment
more in the kitchen
Sometimes meal preparation can be
intimidating and daunting, but basing your
meal ideas off of local produce can help yield
some clarity in what recipes to try out. It
allows for more creative experimentation,
especially knowing the food you are
purchasing will have the most ideal flavor.
Asparagus in the Spring, strawberries in early
Summer, heirloom tomatoes in late Summer
and apples in Fall, there’s so much variety to
choose from and a plethora of recipes to
create with the ever-changing availability of
fresh foods.
Eating local reconnects you back to your
body’s desire to eat within the seasons
Before industrial food production, humans
used to eat within the rhythm of the seasons,
intuitively desiring cooling foods such as
watermelon and cucumber in the summer
when the temperature is hot and we need
more hydration. Similarly, we crave eating
grounding root vegetables such as squash and
sweet potatoes during the colder seasons
when our body needs heavier satiation and
warmth. Maintaining a balance of eating
seasonally and choosing local foods helps your
body to stay in harmony and balance with the
environment, leading to more vibrant health
and an understanding of what foods your
inner wisdom is naturally craving.
Purchasing local food allows
for a slow-down mentality
and creates a deeper human
connection and respect for
growing food
One of my favorite aspects of
strolling through the farmer’s
market (usually with a
homemade lavender lemonade in
hand) is that I mentally slow
down and take in the beauty of
seeing nature’s medicine in front
of my eyes. I breathe slower, I
begin to halt my usual quick
walking pace, I relax my
shoulders and allow myself to be
fully present. An appreciation
sets in for the smell, texture,
color and taste of local fruits and
vegetables as well as the human
hands who work tirelessly to
provide wholesome food to the
community. It’s an inner
enjoyment of feeling grateful and
an hour of time taken to
thoughtfully purchase food that
will be used to create delicious,
nourishing and healing meals.
Don’t forget to make a note of
when your local farmer’s markets
are happening and make it a
priority to enjoy the food
shopping experience!