Health specialists all recommend eating 5 to 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The new Canadian Food Guide e [+] Read more

Health specialists all recommend eating 5 to 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The new Canadian Food Guide even suggests that adults should consume 7 to 10 portions daily. If meeting these recommendations has many health benefits, including reducing the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer, buying locally-grown produce enhances these benefits.

When you buy fruit and vegetables from local producers, the length of transit before reaching your plate is minimized. Besides being good for the environment, buying local products is good for your health because crops are picked at their peak when their vitamin potential is fully developed. On the other hand, imported fruit and vegetables are picked prematurely, at times while still green, to prevent their over ripening in transit and to ensure they remain appealing. Ethylene treatments are used to complete maturation, but these techniques stifle the development of precious phytochemical components in the fruit and vegetables that help reduce the risk of disease.

Many studies have linked harvesting fruit and vegetables before their prime with the loss of nutrients. Spanish researchers have shown that cherries picked before maturity contained 50% less vitamin C than those allowed to ripen in the tree. Another study revealed that mature berries contained around 320mg of anthocyanins compared to 74mg when they are still green. The same goes for the polyphenols many fruit and vegetables contain. Tomatoes picked green and, thus, deprived of the sun’s light seem to contain less carotenoids and folates.

In addition, imported fruit and vegetables are subjected to physical conditions that can also affect their nutritional value. Variations in temperature, type of packaging, light and oxygen in the area where they are stored all have a negative impact on the produce’s nutritive profile. Vitamin C is particularly vulnerable to these environmental factors. To top it off, nutrients start deteriorating as soon as the produce is picked. The closer to harvest time a fruit or vegetable is eaten, the richer it will be in vitamins, minerals and phytochemical components. Eating fruit and vegetables raw is the way to ingest the most nutrients. Cooking produce in water, especially over long periods, affects the state of many vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B1 and C as well as folates.

Some studies have also shown that imported produce contained higher levels of pesticide residue than those grown here in Canada. Just one more benefit that motivates us to support our local producers. Besides contributing to our local economy, we stand to gain both in terms of nutrition and enjoyment. Fresh produce, picked at their prime is far better tasting. This year, think of your health; buy fresh-picked locally grown produce!