A quick search in Google’s database for the term “100 Mile Diet in British Columbia” brings up over 25,000 results alone. On a global search for 100 Mile Diet the results shoot up to over 1.5 million, showcasing the growing awareness of the impact of importing our foods. What is the 100 Mile Diet? It is a movement based on eating only foods that are grown & processed within a 100 mile radius from your place of residence. It is a belief that we should become more proactive in knowing exactly where our food comes from, how it is processed & what is involved in getting it from its origins to our dinner table. Began by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon in the Spring of 2005, this movement is environmentally responsible, community oriented and with a little work definitely economically feasible.

It is a popular trend amongst those who are tuning into the support of our local farmers & local sustainability. As the distance travelled by our foods typically found at the supermarkets grows yearly, steps must be taken at the grassroots level to curb this growth in distance, which is currently 2500-4000 kilometres according to World Watch. By initiating the process to switch to the 100 Mile Diet, you are also starting a personal knowledge base into what it is you are eating & where it’s from. Instead of just looking for organic broccoli at your local Safeway, you’ll have to become creative by searching out local farms that grow broccoli, when it’s in season, where it is sold (often at a local farmers market where you can find like minded people) & just how to prep & store it so you can have your steamed broccoli & cheese sauce mid winter. It also forces you to sacrifice some of the cupboard staples that you have become accustomed to as necessities. Sugar and flour are just two items that you might have to go without unless you do some hunting & find a local grower.

As governments, media & Big Business continue to portray us citizens as merely consumers, often using this term in non-economic speeches & contexts, we are left feeling a little more disbonded with Mother Earth each day. The 100 Mile Diet is one way in which we can take a stance against being seen as just a source of a country's GNP; we can take our buying power & keep it local. By reducing the amount of our expenditures that leave the province we will benefit immediately just through the knowledge that you know who you are purchasing from & what exactly you are purchasing. Many local farms will allow a tour of their facilities & appreciate questions & comments. Over the years, they too have begun to feel separated from the public through advances in Agri-business & the negative light cast on agriculture in the media & popular culture, where the focus is solely on how hip the market where you buy your groceries is in the cities, as opposed to showing the hard working folks who strive to bring a quality product to your table. Taking the time to get to know your local farmer is a chance for both ends of the spectrum to interact & understand. Once you begin to appreciate how the food is properly processed & handled locally before it gets to the markets, you can then comprehend how much more work & energy is used in the importation of such goods from thousands of miles away, often from places with totally different standards & customs . With every piece of broccoli eaten locally, you are one step closer to being in tune with what your little section of Mother Earth has to offer.

The 100 Mile Diet can be taken as lightly or as seriously as one would like. The key is to do something to be involved in what you eat & know its origin. Learn about everything that is made locally, create a list of items, then arrange it into a variation of meals to see if you think you can stick to it. Be prepared to do more work such as canning & practicing with substitutions when it comes to known recipes. A lot of things can be kept frozen as well, so be prepared to make bulk purchases when local items are in season. Set a goal & write it down. Find someone close to join your cause; it’s always better when you have someone who’s in it with you. This also aids in brainstorming for new recipe ideas & alternatives. Just do it! Start with making just one day’s worth of meals using the 100 Mile Diet guidelines, or have a potluck dinner with friends & family where all dishes have to adhere to the 100 Mile limit. And most importantly, look upon it as a fun & enlightening experience.