Are You a Locavore? And How Do You Do It in the Winter?

Be a Locavore All Year Round by Eating Locally Even in Winter

All this week I’ve been talking about food from an environmental perspective. I’ve been doing so because as I first pointed out, living a Low Density Lifestyle is not just about individual health and wellness and individual healthy living, but also about the health and wellness of the planet.

It makes sense that if you are to live a Low Density Lifestyle and feel light of body and mind, then you are going to tread lighter on the planet. And with Earth Day coming soon, what better time to discuss healthy living and our connection to the earth than now.

And so, I’ve told you about the White House Organic Garden and the garden plans, I told you how Monsanto was waging a PR battle against the White House Organic Garden, and then I posted an interview with Michael Pollen, who always has important things to say about eating locally and organically.

Ultimately, if you want to live a Low Density Lifestyle on the planet, then eating locally whenever possible is the best way to go, because then you’re lowering the economic and energy costs of getting the food to you.

Nowadays, if you are someone who likes to eat locally, you can call yourself a “Locavore.” A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles (240 km).

The locavore movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to produce their own food, with the argument that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locally grown food is an environmentally friendly means of obtaining food, since supermarkets that import their food use more fossil fuels and non-renewable resources.

The term “Locavore” was coined by Jessica Prentice from the San Francisco Bay Area on the occasion of World Environment Day 2005 to describe and promote the practice of eating a diet consisting of food harvested from within an area most commonly bound by a 100-mile (160 km) radius. “Localvore” is sometimes also used.

The New Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore as its word of the year 2007. The local foods movement is gaining momentum as people discover that the best-tasting and most sustainable choices are foods that are fresh, seasonal, and grown close to home.

Some locavores draw inspiration from the The 100-Mile Diet or from advocates of local eating like Barbara Kingsolver whose book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle chronicles her family’s attempts to eat locally. Others just follow their taste buds to farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture programs, and community gardens.

A study in the 2007 Dewey Health Review revealed that a Locavore diet (study included 100 individuals ages 18-55 eating local food grown within an 80-mile (130 km) radius) resulted in a 19% increase in sturdiness of bowel movement and an overall drop in sleep apnea and night terrors.

So becoming a locavore is a great way to ensure that you’re living a Low Density Lifestyle in relation to the planet.

One question many people have, if they are trying to be a locavore, is What Do I Do in the Winter? In many parts of the world, winter gets mighty cold and there is no local foods to eat.

Watch the video above and you will learn how to be a year-round locavore. And when you do you’ll really be living a Low Density Lifestyle and truly be experiencing healthy living.