Community / Blogs

The opinions expressed in these blogs are solely those of the people who wrote them, and do not represent the views of WPSU or Penn State University.

Local Food Journey

Join the Journey

Posted by Brittany Trott on 06/01 at 01:50 PM

Fat. Salt. Sugar. These three ingredients make up a majority of the American diet.

What happened to hearty, wholesome, and nutritious foods? They have been replaced by cheap, processed, and potentially harmful foods.

Manufacturers discovered that if they sweetened fruits, vegetables, and grains, consumers would buy and consume more. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – the cheap, sweet chemical of choice – is now a component in everything from bread to soda to ketchup to yogurt. And our nation is getting fatter as a result.

According to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, 63% of Americans are overweight. And the documentary, Food, Inc., says one in three children born after 2000 will contract diabetes. Obesity has become the number two cause of preventable death in the United States, following smoking.

Industrial farms are also to blame for the declining health of our nation. Pigs, chickens, and cows are forced to live in confinement and are pumped full of antibiotics and artificial hormones, which are eventually passed along to humans. 

So how do we turnaround these trends? The answer is simpler than you may think. We need to return to our agricultural roots.

Over the Moon Farm, Rebersburg. Photo Credit Emily Wiley.

Locally grown food has become a popular alternative to processed and chemically enhanced foods.

Not convinced? Here are five reasons to eat locally:

• Improve Your Health: Industrial farms produce foods that may contain bacteria, pesticides, antibiotic residue, and artificial hormones. Such additives are harmful to the human body.
• Eat Higher Quality Food: Local foods are fresher and riper and taste better. They contain no chemical preservatives and therefore have a higher nutritional value.
• Support Your Local Economy: When you buy close to home, you support neighborhood farms and businesses and help to keep money circulating in the local economy.
• Better Our Environment: Local foods are sustainable foods. It takes less energy to produce and transport locally grown products than their industrial counterparts.
• Acquire Knowledge: Knowledge is power. When you buy locally, you know where your food was grown and who cultivated and harvested it.

This summer WPSU will explore what Centre County has to offer in our journey to eat healthy, locally grown food. We will visit farmers markets and explore CSAs. We will interview farmers and consumers. We will share recipes and restaurant recommendations.

Tell us. What motivates you to eat locally?