We have all heard of them, the various "location" diets (eg. South Beach Diet, Sonoma Diet), but what about the "Pickering" diet? While it is not officially a diet, nor are there any books written about the Pickering diet, it simply means eating fruits, vegetables and meats grown locally in Pickering and Durham Region (or your very own back yard).

Much has been said and written lately about the macrobiotic movement and the benefits of eating locally grown foods for health and environmental reasons (a community that is reliant on its own locally grown food supply contributes less to environmental damage and global warming due to transportation of foods). There are also economic benefits to buying locally grown foods as it supports local farmers and keeps money in the region.

The best place to start your local food buying endeavours is Durham Farm Fresh, an excellent web site that has lots of information on finding local producers and growers, local farmers' markets, as well as restaurants that use locally grown foods in their menus. Two particular books of interest to this topic are The 100 Mile Diet by Alisa Dawn Smith and Coming home to eat : the pleasures and politics of local foods by Gary Paul Nabhan. Both are excellent resources on the local food movement. Pickering Public Library also has some resources on macrobiotics, a dietary regimen that involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other local foodstuffs, mostly vegetables and beans with fish also being allowed.

No matter what your diet related interests are, the Pickering Public Library can help you find the information you need with a quick visit to one of our five branches or by calling 905-831-6265.