The foods we choose to eat are important. From vegetables and fruits, to grain products, to milk and meat and their respective alternatives, we make choices everyday that ultimately affect our health!
Canada’s Food Guide puts vegetables and fruit at the top of the food guide rainbow for a reason. Vegetables and fruit have vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants that we can’t get from other foods. They are also naturally low in calories and fat (with some exceptions) and high in fibre.
High vegetable and fruit intake is linked with reduced obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. The more variety and colours you choose the better!
The average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles (that’s over 2,400 kilometers). In the week or more that it takes most foods from harvest to the dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink and produce loses its vitality.
The longer produce sits after harvest (either traveling to the grocery store, on the shelf or at home) it starts to lose that fresh flavour and crunch. The same is true for nutrition. Some vegetables and fruits have been shown to lose nutrients the longer the sit between harvest and consumption.
Food isn’t just about nutrition, it’s also about taste. When nutritious food tastes good, we enjoy it! Think about that first Ontario strawberry – it can’t be copied by California berries found year-round.
Fresh vegetables and fruit always taste the best! When you eat local food that was grown in your own community – it is usually picked within a day or two. It’s crisp, sweet, and loaded with flavor.
In the winter months, when we can’t get local vegetables and fruits – the ones in the grocery store usually travel from far away. Frozen and canned vegetables and fruit can be a great choice this time of year because they usually processed quickly after they were harvested. Be sure to pick frozen and canned vegetables and fruits with little added salt, fat and sugar!
Vegetables and fruits aren’t the only local foods grown or raised in Huron and Perth. Check out local meats, dairy products, preserves and even honey and maple syrup.
Want to eat a healthy diet that tastes good? Choose locally-grown, locally-harvested fresh vegetables, fruits and other local foods and eat by season. Buying locally-grown or raised foods also provides economic value to the province, its farmers, and ensures that access to local, fresh, healthy, and wholesome products is available to you today, tomorrow, and well into the future.
Want to know more about how food and nutrition affects your health or what’s in season?
