The 100-Mile Diet

In the North American industrial food system, the average distance from food source to plate is 1,500 miles. The 100 Mile Diet refers to the purchasing, consumption, or production of food all within a 100-mile radius from an individual’s residence. The phrase was coined in 2005 by James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith, two Canadians who prescribed a one-year experiment of only eating food produced no further than 100 miles from their home. This included all meat and dairy.

For James and Alisa, the purpose of following this diet was to reduce their ecological footprints and support local farming communities. Today, the couple no longer follows the diet, but tries to eat locally grown food as much as possible. Nowadays, the common term for an individual primarily eating local food is “locavore.” People all across the country are engaging in this practice. Eating locally is gaining momentum with the rapid growth of Farmers’ Markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture).

Reasons to eat local food:

• Better taste
• Fresher produce
• Supports local economy
• Longer opportunity for food to ripen
• Better for air quality and pollution
• Keeps you in touch with the seasons
• Supports responsible land development

When local is unavailable, try these alternatives:
Organic: protect the environment and your body from unhealthy toxins and hormones.

Family farms: buying from a company like Cabot, a family-owned dairy co-op in Vermont is a better choice than large corporate conglomerates like Kraft.

Local businesses: local foods like coffee and bread are hard to come by so supporting your neighborhood coffee shop or bakery is the next best thing.

Terroir: or “taste of the earth” means purchasing foods that are famous in their region such as Parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy.

Sources:

1. “Living on the 100-Mile Diet.” thetyee.ca. 28 June 2005.
2. “Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon chew the fat on their 100-mile diet.” Grist.org. 24 April 2007.
3. “Local-Food Movement: The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet.” Time.com. 11 June 2006.
4. “10 Reasons to Eat Local Food .” lifebeginsat30.com. 29 August 2005.
5. Smith, Alisa. The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating. Random House Canada, 2007. Print

Additional Learning:
An Overview of the 100-Mile Diet.” Ecolife.com. 8 November 2011.

© Integrative Nutrition

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