NUTRITION

Your body needs a wide variety of nutrients to function properly. These nutrients fall into two main categories:

1. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. They provide the energy your body needs to move, grow, and function.

2. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. While needed in smaller amounts, they play critical roles in everything from immune function to bone health.

Together, these nutrients help keep your body strong, energized, and resilient.

1. Phytonutrients: Natural compounds found in plants that may help prevent disease and support overall health. Unlike vitamins and minerals, they’re not essential for survival but can contribute to wellness in meaningful ways. 

2. Vitamins: Organic substances that help regulate body processes. Different vitamins support different functions, such as vision (vitamin A), immunity (vitamin C), and blood clotting (vitamin K).

3. Minerals: Inorganic elements like calcium, iron, and potassium that your body needs to grow, develop, and stay healthy. They help with everything from bone formation to nerve signaling.

4. Daily Value (%DV): A percentage that shows how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a person’s daily diet, based on a 2,000-kcal (kilocalorie) daily intake. It helps you understand if a food is high or low in a particular nutrient.

5. kcal (kilocalorie): A unit of energy. Commonly referred to as a “calorie,” it measures how much energy you get from food and drinks.

Environment

• The current global food system contributes up to34% of total greenhouse gas emissions; fruits and vegetables alone can account for up to 36% of food miles emissions, representing almost double the emissions from their production (Crippa et al., 2021).
  

• Sourcing food locally reduces transportation emissions- short food supply chains minimize food miles, helping curb climate impact (Striebig et al., 2019).
  

• Farmers markets often serve nearby communities—over half of consumers travel fewer than 6 miles round-trip, lessening environmental footprints (Wardle et al., 2024).
  

Community

• 60% of surveyed shoppers at local markets reported enjoying meeting the farmers, while 40% appreciated building relationships and learning about farming practices (Wardle et al., 2024).
  

• Buying local promotes community trust and encourages transparency around farming methods, pesticide use, and produce handling (Amisson, 2022).
  

• Local produce is often harvested the same day or the day before it's sold, ensuring peak freshness and community health benefits.
  

Nutrition

• Nutritional value drops within 24 hours of harvest- local produce retains more nutrients due to quicker farm to table timelines (Amisson, 2022).
  

• Organic fruits and vegetables generally have higher antioxidant concentrations (e.g., polyphenols, omega-3s) and lower levels of harmful residues like cadmium and pesticides (Vigar et al., 2019).
  

• Organic consumption has been linked to reduced risks of infertility, metabolic syndrome, and allergic sensitization in long term studies (Vigar et al., 2019).
  

Economy

• Short food supply chains support local economies by maintaining jobs and keeping money within the community (Jarzebowski, 2018).
  

• Local procurement systems, like those supported by Whidbey Island’s Food Resiliency Consortium, reflect community commitment to food sovereignty and resilience (Myszkowski, 2021).
  

• Universities and institutions sourcing local food reduce distribution costs and emissions by purchasing in bulk (Striebig et al., 2019).
  

To read the full research paper, please click here.