The Kansas City Food Circle

August 20, 2009

Eating Local, Thinking Global
Web Site: Kansas City Food Circle

A personal note from Dr. David:

By now I hope we all know that eating locally grown food is good for the planet. It reduces shipping and our dependency on foreign oil and foods flown and shipped in from foreign countries. These foods, grown to be shipped long distances are harvested before peak nutritional value. When we buy them we pay more and get less in the way of critical micronutrients.

Local food, picked ripe, contains greater amounts of the essential critical nutrients, and if the local crop is organically grown, it contains a significantly greater amount of these essentials. Additionally, it has only been since the advent of rail and air travel and refrigeration that foods not indigenous to an area have been available. The human race adapted to eating locally for ten thousand plus years up until the age of refrigeration, and in the opinion of many experts, we have not had time to adapt to eating outside of nature’s plan.

Now, how do we go about eating a more healthy local diet? We stress eating the foods that are indigenous to the area in which we live in the seasons when they are available.

Last month I attended a meeting of the Kansas City Food Circle, a group of area farmers who grow and promote healthy, local, naturally raised, organic foods. This is where you can get information, for example, about where to get organically grown veggies and grass fed and grass finished beef. You can also get information about local restaurants that feature “locally grown” on their menus. There’s information about all the local farmers’ markets with times and dates, and a wealth of other helpful information.

I have learned that by buying direct I seldom pay more because I’ve eliminated the middle man, and I get enhanced nutritional value for my dollar, and that results in improved health and lower medical bills. Go to www.kcfoodcircle.org, for your family’s sake.

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