Farmers Markets Enhance Our Overall Wellness

You can get much more than local produce, meat, and other products at a farmers market. By regularly frequenting your local farmers markets, you may also be able to improve aspects of your wellness. As described by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Wellness Initiative, 'wellness' entails being healthy in many interconnected dimensions of our lives (2016). The eight dimensions of wellness are social, intellectual, environmental, physical, financial, emotional, spiritual, and occupational. This article explores ways that farmers markets can enhance wellness in five of these dimensions.

Social Wellness

Farmers markets are a great place to arrange to meet up with friends, making your visit a social occasion. You could even plan to shop together for an upcoming shared meal. In addition, while visiting a market, you may run into and connect with old friends. And who is to say, with like-minded interests, you might even strike up a friendly conversation among fellow shoppers or perhaps with a favorite vendor. These social interactions can benefit our social wellness by helping to build and maintain lasting healthy relationships with others.  

Intellectual Wellness

This area of wellness involves a person's continued desire to gain new knowledge. To increase your intellectual wellness at the farmers market, ask the vendors about unfamiliar foods or the products they are selling. If it is a new food to you, they can often tell you what it is, how to prepare it, and maybe even share some great recipes. If it is a craft or homemade item, they may even offer classes or workshops on how you can create one too.

Moreover, the selection of produce available at a farmers market varies widely based on the local growing season. This may add to your curiosity and interest in returning week after week to see what new choices are available.

Environmental Wellness

Time spent outdoors can improve your environmental wellness, which is your ability to appreciate and protect your physical environment.

• According to a Michigan State University study, the food we buy in a grocery store typically travels about 1,500 miles to reach our plates, using a significant amount of fuel and creating pollution (Henne, 2012). Purchasing locally reduces the transportation and packaging of goods, thereby helping the environment.
• To cut down on the use of plastic, don't forget to bring your own clean, reusable bags to carry your purchases.
• By supporting local agriculture, you are helping to maintain farmland around you.

Physical Wellness

Eating healthful foods, moving your body, getting adequate sleep, and your overall body functioning make up physical wellness and can be boosted by visiting a farmers market. While at the market, you are being active by walking and carrying your purchases, which has many health benefits. Also, the sunlight on your skin produces much-needed vitamin D for your body.

The local produce you find at a farmers market is fresh and at its peak, meaning it is loaded with vitamins and minerals that have not diminished over time. This peak freshness also means that local produce has superior taste and texture compared to produce that has been picked, stored, and shipped.

The USDA article "Top Reasons to Shop at Farmers Markets" suggests selecting a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables to benefit from the broadest range of nutrients found in plants (Hornick & Wasserman, 2012). More than 4,000 antioxidants occur naturally in plants. These "phytonutrients" have many health benefits, including reducing cancer risk, reducing inflammation, lowering cholesterol, and protecting vision, skin health, bone health, heart health, and much more.

As another aspect of physical wellness, take steps to reduce your risk of foodborne illness by keeping your purchases from the farmers market safe to eat. This includes keeping the items you buy that are ready to eat separate from those that need to be cleaned or cooked (U.S. Department of Agriculture, n.d.). It's best to take your products directly home to be stored properly or bring a cooler with ice packs to keep your perishable items chilled. As always, wash all fresh produce prior to cooking or consuming.

Financial Wellness

Financial wellness—defined as a person's knowledge of financial matters, comfort with their current finances, as well as their future financial prospects can also be positively affected by shopping at farmers markets. The products available there may be less expensive than those found in the supermarket.

When shopping at the farmers market, you may find the best selections by arriving as close to opening as possible. However, if you are looking for deals, stop in at the end of the day when prices may be reduced.

In addition, some farmers markets may also accept benefits that you may be eligible for and are receiving. For instance, look for signs or ask your favorite vendor if they accept:

• SNAP food assistance benefits (formerly known as food stamps),
• WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers, or
• Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) vouchers.

The FMNP program provides vouchers to participants in the USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (also known as the WIC program; Pennsylvania WIC, n.d.). The SFMNP provides low-income senior citizens with similar voucher coupons (Food and Nutrition Service, 2024). Both of these voucher programs can be used to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables at your local farmers markets.

And don't forget – buying locally benefits your local economy and helps support your neighbors' financial wellness too.

Conclusion

Whether you are already a frequent farmers market shopper or not, the next time you visit one, take the opportunity to acknowledge all of these aspects of your wellness that are being enriched during the time you spend there.

If you're not sure where to find a local farmers market or where to purchase farm-fresh food locally, you could try Penn State Extension's Farm Market Finder. Another great website is LocalHarvest.org. Even if you are a regular farmers market customer, you may find a new location at these sites to add to your routine.

References

Food and Nutrition Service. (2024). Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program. U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Henne, B. (2012). How far did your food travel to get to you? Michigan State University Extension.

Hornick, J., & Wasserman, W. (2012). Top reasons to shop at a farmers market. U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Pennsylvania WIC. (n.d.). Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP).

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2016). Creating a healthier life: A step-by-step guide to wellness. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.) Farmers market [Infographic].