A long time ago, the seed of an idea was planted by Chef Emeril Lagasse, of all people. (At least I swear I saw this on his show ~10 years ago, but a quick internet search yielded nothing but the 100 mile diet – which is an intriguing book I’ll be reading soon.) During a period of daytime TV watching, I heard Emeril discuss the concept of eating local – specifically eating foods sourced within 100 miles of your home. The benefits are obvious, such as reducing transit emissions and contributing to your local economy. The negatives are also obvious…
… what do you eat in the winter?
If the concept of the Perimetarian is taken to its logical conclusion, then the farther from the center of the grocer, the better. Choosing to skip the grocery store altogether, in favor of a farmers market or a local CSA, could not be more Perimetarian.
From an evolutionary perspective, this style of eating should also be healthful. After all, in our hunter/gatherer days, we may have eaten within a couple mile radius on any given day. In our modern world, there are myriad food options that would never have been available in hunter/gatherer times, and we are blessed to have them. Humans living in tropical islands just hundreds of years ago would have been lucky if their island had meat options beyond rodents and bats – wild chickens or pigs would have been a boon. The Inuit would have required meat & seafood as the staple of their diet when plants were in hiding during the desolate arctic winters. Both societies survived and thrived without supermarkets. But I enjoy the variety that modernity affords us.
In my own life, I examined my current dietary intake and realized that I was probably doing pretty well on the 100-mile challenge… or at least I could do well if I was extra diligent during the spring/summer/fall seasons. I was guilty of buying carrots and salad greens from California when they were available at my local farmers market, but the concept of eating local didn’t seem extraordinarily restrictive. After taking stock, I realized that there were really only four foods that I’d never be able to source within 100 miles:
- Coffee
- Avocados
- Almonds
- Seafood
I’ve since shed my almond habit. I’ll write more about Tree Nuts in another post. I’m also eating less avocados now, mostly for sustainability concerns (save the bees!). But coffee is daily and seafood (particularly salmon and oysters) are weekly for me.
About once / year, usually in the Spring, I’ll do my best to stick to the 100-mile challenge for about a month or so.
Try it yourself for 30 days and see how it goes. If nothing else, you’ll gain a renewed appreciation for the oranges and berries that you have access to year-round.