We use cookies to offer you a better experience, analyze site traffic, and serve targeted advertisements. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Terms of use.

iafg-d
  • Individuals
  • Companies and Groups
  • Advisors and Brokers
  • Phone 1-800-463-6236
  • FR
  • Connect
    • My Client Space
    • Advisor Centre
    • Dealer Centre (UniFI)
    • Partner Centre (Rave)
iafg-d
  • Individuals homepage
  • Insurance
    • Coverage
      • Life insurance
      • Car insurance
      • RV insurance
      • Home insurance
      • Mortgage insurance
      • Health and disability insurance
      • Travel Insurance
    • Tools
      • iA Financial Compass
      • Term life insurance calculator
      • Critical illness insurance calculator
      • See all tools
      Life Events
      • Moving in together
      • Buying a home
      • Having a child
      • Starting a business
      • Planning your retirement
      • See all life events
    • I am already a client
      • Customer service
      • Make a claim
      • Find a form
      • My group insurance
      • Change my address
      • Change my beneficiary
      • Connect to My Client Space
      Advice
      • Advice zone
      • The value of an advisor
  • Savings and Retirement
    • Savings and Investments
      • RRSP, TFSA and other plans

        For my projects or my retirement

      • RRIF, LIF and annuities

        For my retirement income

      • RESP

        For my children’s education

      • Investment funds

        Segregated funds, mutual funds…

      • Private Wealth

        Stock market, stocks, bonds…

    • Tools
      • iA Financial Compass
      • Retirement calculator
      • Education savings calculator
      • RRSP loan calculator
      • RRSP calculator
      • TFSA calculator
      • See all tools
      Life Events
      • Saving for a project
      • Moving in together
      • Buying a home
      • Having a child
      • Starting a business
      • Planning your retirement
      • See all life events
    • I am already a client
      • Customer service
      • Find a form
      • My group retirement plan
      • Change my address
      • Change my beneficiary
      • Connect to My Client Space
      Invest better
      • Fund performance and overview
      • Guaranteed fund rates
      • Economic and financial publications
      • Economic news
      • Advice zone
      • The value of an advisor
  • Loans
    • Products
      • RRSP loans

        For my retirement

      • RESP loans

        For my children’s education

      • Investment loan

        For my financial prosperity

    • Tools
      • iA Financial Compass
      • RRSP loan calculator
      • See all tools
      Life Events
      • Buying a home
      • See all life events
    • I am already a client
      • Customer service
      • Change my address
      • Change my beneficiary
      • Connect to My Client Space
      Advice
      • Advice zone
      • The value of an advisor
  • Connect
    • My Client Space
    • Advisor Centre
    • Dealer Centre (UniFI)
    • Partner Centre (Rave)
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Contact us
  • Contact an advisor
FR

Advice Zone

  • Overview
  • My Vehicle
  • My House
  • My Family
  • My Projects
  • My Finances
  • My Career
  • My Involvement
  • My Security
  • My Retirement
  • Our Experts

The benefits of local food

Discover ways to increase your consumption of local food without compromising on variety and your budget.

Food can often travel thousands of kilometres before finding its way to your table. Here are a few tips to reduce “food mileage”:

Grow it yourself

There are two ways:

  1. Make a garden at home or plant fruit trees or bushes in your yard.
  2. If you don’t have land to cultivate, community gardens in your city may be an option to garden at very little expense and enable you to benefit from gardening tips from other members.

Obviously, it’s hard to grow bananas in Rimouski or avocados in Saskatoon. Focus on fruits and vegetables that are better adapted to our climate:

  • Apples and mixed berries
  • Tomatoes
  • Lettuce
  • Beans
  • Cucumbers, zucchini, etc.

Additionally, gardening is good for your physical and mental health. Three and a half hours of gardening burns 100 calories – the equivalent of two hours of jogging1.

Gardening is also good for your brain: according to scientists, mycobacterium vaccae, a nonpathogenic species of bacteria that lives naturally in soil, acts as an antidepressant. In fact, it stimulates the production of serotonin and noradrenalin in the brain, thus helping the body better manage chemical balance in the brain and combat depression2.

Buy local

Obviously, gardening takes time and partially meets our needs.

Here are a few tips for buying local, ideally in bulk and without using plastic bags.

  1. Local seasonable food is often cheaper than food that travels long distances. Choose seasonal products and where possible, freeze fruits and vegetables for winter and spring. Preserves are also a good option for consumption in colder weather.
  2. If you have a bigger budget, local agriculture is an option for food, generally organic, produced on a small scale, in the form of local food baskets.

Some employers and organizations near you may also choose urban agriculture. 

Take advantage of the taste of summer!



1 https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what_are_the_physical_and_mental_benefits_of_gardening

2 https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/antidepressant-microbes-soil.htm

Looking for advice?

Your home is a big investment for you. Whether you own a house or a condo, one of our advisors can help you find the right home insurance for your needs.

Contact an advisor

Tools and advice

  • iA Financial Compass
  • Ways to Save Money—and the Planet
  • What to Plant to Attract Pollinators to Your Vegetable Garden
  • 7 ways to volunteer remotely
  • About iA
  • Careers
  • Contact us
  • Find an advisor
  • Make a claim
  • Connect to My Client Space
  • Advice Zone
  • Sustainable development
  • COVID-19
  • Site map
  • Unsubscribe
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy and security
  • Terms of use
  • Unclaimed property

INVESTED IN YOU. © 2023 Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. – iA Financial Group. All rights reserved.