100 Mile Diet- A Fun Way to Eat Local

Do you know where the food you ate for lunch came from? You may know where you purchased the bread for your sandwich, but did you ever wonder where the wheat came from, the lettuce or the tuna?

The truth is, that even when we can determine the origin of the food we consume, it is often cultivated hundreds or thousands of miles away and shipped by truck, boat, even plane to a supermarket in our town.

Recognizing the changing face of our food systems, on March 21, 2005 a Vancouver couple pledged to purchase and consume food from within 100 miles of their home, exclusively. For an entire year!

But the Canadians are not alone. Folks all over the country have begun to prioritize local, seasonal foods over their industrial alternatives. Even in the heart of DC, one can consume entirely local foods, as we will see in a couple weeks, when a group of local foodies open their home for a benefit dinner featuring a menu of entirely local food and drink to benefit of two local youth gardening programs.

Stay tuned for more details on this event as well as the challenges of planning your own local food celebration.