It’s not something that I’ve ever blogged about, but it’s something that I live on a daily basis: our journey to healthy eating while supporting local farmers the best that we can. I began on this crusade about 8 years ago now, and in the beginning it was almost overwhelming, but now its more old hat than anything. Lucky for us, we have some pretty fantastic local agriculture here at our fingertips – sure you’ve heard of California strawberries, but have you ever had a Louisiana strawberry? They are amazing.

My daughter and I make frequent trips to the local farmer’s market here to buy our veggies and fruit. I do my best to incorporate seasonal produce into our daily meals by cooking with what is available at the time. I love it because I know I’m getting the freshest produce available, and I feel good about going the extra mile to provide that for my daughter because the vitamin benefits are higher when the produce is fresher.

Once food is harvested it quickly begins to lose it’s nutrients, plus we find that local produce tastes better (and it’s not just in my head – science backs me up by reminding me that after harvesting plant cells begin to shrink, produce slowly loses it’s vitality and flavor, and sugars turn to starches) which are the main reasons that we buy local. Aside from the taste, we like to support our local economy because buying local means farmers have the support to continue the production cycle.

Serving in my role as one of the Walmart Moms, I was recently able to take part in a webinar that put the focus solely on Walmart’s committment to sustainability. I will just be honest with you and tell you that prior to my involvement in the Walmart moms, I was completely clueless on the giant leaps that Walmart was taking towards becoming a more eco-friendly company, but also sustainability as a whole.

One of strides that Walmart is making is towards supporting local food and local farmers. As this Reuters article points out, “Walmart said it will double the amount of locally grown produce sold at its stores by the end of 2015.” That is impressive by any measure. In addition, Walmart will provide training to local farmers to “encourage the production of more food with fewer resources and less waste.”

Check out this quick video on Walmart’s committment to selling more local produce, and then share in the comments – do you shop local? Why or why not? Would you feel better about produce bought in a non-local store if you knew it was coming from a local supplier, and not across the country?

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms program. Though I am not compensated to be a part of the program, opportunities to create content like this one are compensated. However, everything I said above is 100% my opinion and true. For more information please read my disclosure policy.