Local produce could mean more nutrients
You’ve heard all about the perks of buying local—you support small businesses and get food that’s as fresh-from-the-farm as it can be. But is there anything really in it for you except a sense of well-being for doing farmers a favor? You bet! The produce in your supermarkets probably spent days in transit before finally reaching your local grocer, and even then it’s spent a few days on the shelves before you take it home—and all the while it’s been losing nutrients. By picking it up from your farmer’s market, though, it can spend less time just reaching its destination, so it’s still in peak ripeness by the time you buy.
Seasonal foods pack in the vitamins
Researchers analyzed the nutrient levels of fruits and vegetables at different times of the year and found that season played a role in the health—vitamin C in spinach was 55 percent higher in the winter, for instance. Part of that could have to do with the very reason it’s better for the environment: It doesn’t have to travel so far. If the food had to grow in a warm, faraway area before reaching your grocery store, it could have spent time on a ship, plane or truck. Some options are better than others—a plane gives off more emissions than a ship, for example—but buying in-season is an easy rule of thumb for making sure your food didn’t have to travel far to get to you