Put simply, food miles are the measure of the distance food travels from the field to your plate. Food travels further these days often because the centralized systems of supermarkets have taken over from local and regional markets. It defies common sense to buy a pint of milk produced in England when it can be produced locally.
The further your food travels the more of the vitamins and minerals that are lost. The fresher the fruit the better the nutrient value to your body. Strawberries bought locally have more antioxidants and vital vitamins than if they arrive in a container traveling thousands of miles. A local diet has health benefits. This may mean going to the fish market and getting fresh fish or to the vegetable market and getting locally sourced vegetables. If you really do not have the time for this most supermarkets sell local produce. Make sure to wash fruit and vegetables well to remove any insecticide.
The regular weekly supermarket shop in the Gulf exposes us to a bewildering array of foods from all over the world: kiwi fruits from New Zealand, bananas from Ecuador. Such international displays give us greater choice and guaranteed year round stocks. But before reaching supermarket shelves, much of our fruit and vegetables have travelled thousands of miles, resulting in a significant reduction of vital nutrients. Spinach stored at room temperature loses between 50 and 90 percent of its vitamin C within 24 hours of being picked.
The problem with some fruit and vegetables is that light, temperature and time deplete the vitamin content. Imported produce can have lower levels of these vitamins, whereas freshly picked fruit and vegetables will contain maximum nutrients. Today retailers can source food at the touch of a computer key from around the globe wherever it is cheapest. Local or sometimes frozen food is more likely to have preserved their goodness. In the Gulf doctors recommend a good quality daily vitamin such as Permea Plus to make sure we are getting our full quota of vitamins. I looked at some lovely green apples that my son chose for his lunch box; they were all a perfect shape and exactly the same size but these apples had travelled 10,133 miles from the US. I note that my broccoli has travelled from Spain at 858 miles and my grapes are from Chile at 7247 miles.
It makes sense to try as hard as possible to buy local produce in season as it has health benefits for the whole family and also because it supports the local economy. The Gulf has an excellent supply of fresh fish and the natural diet for the area is fresh fish with rice and salad followed by fruit and maybe some dates. Foods rich in Omega 3 oils such as fish, nuts and seeds help protect the heart.
Food for thought
We need energy to live our lives and the fresher the food we eat the more alive it is and the more energy it gives to our bodies.
Ask Alva
I am extremely overweight. I am 35 years old and I weigh 129 kilos. In February I weighed 140 kilos. Over a period of 4 months I lost about 10 kilos. But now my weight has come to a standstill. In 1998 I used to weigh 75 kilos but since then my weight has been on an upward climb. Do you think Actrim can help me and give me some motivation to carry on?— A Reader
I can see your weight is really causing you concern; but the positive point is that you are determined to do something about it while you are still young and healthy. I would guess you would be classed as very obese. Which means you need to lose weight or face severe health problems in the future. Crash dieting is never the answer. Exercising is a brilliant start and if you e-mail to [email protected] I will send you a copy of my chair exercises that can be done sitting down. You may want to talk to your pharmacist about taking Actrim to help speed up the weight loss. — Alva