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Eat Local. Eat Healthy

You are what you eat,
so why not eat local, organic, pesticide-free and non-GMO foods?

At least half of your diet should be local and sustainably grown food. 

For organics, the easiest thing to do is find a health food store in your neighbourhood.  There you will be able to find a full range of natural foods and products.  Search for "Health Food Retail" in the Yellow Pages online.  But you should also be able to scout out grocery stores (big and small) in your area that offer organic produce.

For local, read the labels on your produce and try to avoid the stuff that has traveled the world to get to the store.

As for the big question everyone is asking -- should I eat local or organic? -- use your best judgement and avoid foods that are heavily sprayed with pesticides.  There are several lists of the top foods to buy organic, with strawberries, raspberries, grapes, cantaloupe, peaches, apples, spinach, winter squash, tomatoes, and potatoes being high on the list.  Fortunately, our friends at Local Flavour Plus have developed a rating system for local and sustainably grown produce that will help take the guesswork out of what to buy.

Home Delivery -- Food Boxes

1. Organic Food Boxes
There are several organizations and companies that offer a weekly or bi-weekly organic food box.  Check them all for price, sizes, range of produce, and frequency of delivery.

Field to Table -- Good Food Box  or Organic Box   (Toronto)
Field to Table is a program of Foodshare, a not-for profit organization founded in 1985 to address problems of hunger and foodbanks in Toronto.  They have developed a number of innovative programs, including community gardening and food distribution.  The Good Food Box emphasizes locally-grown produce and often includes organic produce.

Front Door Organics (Toronto)
Front Door Organics deliveries certified organic produce and groceries to your Toronto home.  You can choose a fresh box CUSTOMIZED to your individual preferences, or you can go for the simplicity and economy of a BASIC box.  Front Door Organics also carries over 100 organic grocery products that can be added to your fresh box delivery.

Green Earth Organics (Toronto)
Green Earth Organics is a home delivery service- offering delivery of farm-fresh organic produce to homes throughout the Toronto area.  Deliveries will be made weekly or every 2 weeks - you decide. 

Plan B Organics
Plan B uses a community-shared agriculture model.  You buy a share (or half-share) from them and you will receive a weekly supply of fresh produce.  A share is 14 - 20 items each week for 20 weeks and is enough to feed 4 adults.

WOW Foods (Weekly Organic Wonder) (Greater Toronto Area, including Barrie and Guelph)
You can create your own Weekly Organic Wonder (WOW) Box by choosing from a selection of over 2,000 fruits, vegetables, meats, and grocery items. You can also choose a pre-packaged WOW Box of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
   

2.  Organic Meats
Back to Nature Beef
Located in Chatham, Back to Nature will deliver in southwestern Ontario and Toronto.

Berettta Organic Farm
Located in King City, Beretta offers free delivery in the Toronto area for orders over $75.
 

3.  Online Grocers
Grocery Gateway (Greater Toronto Area, including Ajax, Hamilton, Georgetown Aurora)
Grocery Gateway is offers some organic and natural products (including cleaners).  Run the demo on the website and search for "organic".
 

Natural Food Buying Clubs and Co-ops 

Ontario Natural Foods Co-op
If you are serious about buying natural and organic foods and home supplies, and if you can find a few like-minded friends around the neighbourhood or office, then you should look into setting up a buying club through the Ontario Natural Foods Co-op (ONFC).

The ONFC supplies its members and customers with a broad range of high quality products: cheese, juice, grains, beans, pasta, nuts, prepared foods, and household and personal care products. Many of these products are organically grown, without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Buying clubs can purchase foods at a discounted rate, with a further discount for orders over $1,000.  Deliveries are made to a drop-off point (usually a home) where the group meets to divide the order.

Co-ops
A cooperative or co-op is an organization owned and controlled democratically by its members.  They offer similar discounts on organic and natural foods.  Members are required to work a certain number of hours at the co-op. 

For a list of Ontario cooperatives (many of which are food cooperatives), see the North American directory of Co-ops produced by the Common Ground Co-op in Illinois.  In Toronto, visit Karma Co-op.
 

Fair Trade  (Coffee)
"Fair trade" is an international effort to ensure that 3rd world workers receive a decent wage and standard of living in exchange for their product.  Coffee is one of the major products grown by fair trade cooperatives.  

TransFair Canada has a directory of Fair Trade retailers across Canada, with over 70 retailers in Ontario. You can do a search for your town (Ctrl-F) to find the Fair Trade retailers in your area. 
 

The 100 Mile Diet
If you are up for a challenge, try the 100 mile diet. It's the ultimate in local sustainability (short of growing all your own food).  To help you, there's a neat website http://www.100milediet.org/, where you can order the book of the same name by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon.
 

Grow Your Own
From veggies to berry bushes, you can turn your yard into a productive source of food which you can eat fresh or preserve.
 

Go Vegetarian
The Toronto Vegetarian Association has a wealth of information, great recipes, a meal planner, and a cool "Veggie challenge".
 

Put it all together
Create your own food plan!  Aim for at least 60% locally grown and/or organic food in your meals.  You can also set a goal to reduce your meat consumption (or go vegetarian).