If you’re fond of visiting popular and highly rated restaurants, you must’ve come across a common phrase they all use: “we use the freshest ingredients sourced from local farmers.” As more people get educated about eating healthy foods, markets have emphasized using fresh ingredients. Danielle Riddle, an Executive Chef and is the founder of Haute Foods, the brains behind the Good Eats guide, a published author, and a regular contributor to Bodybuilding.com’s food section. 
She claims to spend a lot of time in her neighborhood farmers market looking for the most gorgeous and recent vegetables. She points out that people need to focus on organic and seasonal ingredients when making food. Here are her five reasons why using fresh ingredients matters.
1. Better Flavor
Danielle Riddle enjoys creating beautiful recipes with exceptional flavor, and she does this with the help of fresh ingredients. It’s a scientific fact that cooking with fresh ingredients makes your food taste better. The further food travels, the more likely it is to absorb, carry or come into contact with other chemicals. While frozen food may retain its taste, the texture and shape can be affected, making it less appetizing. Fresh ingredients are harvested and distributed on the same day. They don’t require preservation, which can corrupt their taste.
2. Improved Sustainability
You’re supporting the local economy when you purchase fresh vegetables or grow your own organic ingredients. When you buy from a nearby farmer, you reduce supply chain costs and dependence on fossil fuels to transport the produce long distances. Buying from local farms also means buying seasonally. Farmers don’t have to use chemicals and other costly resources to grow out-of-season vegetables and fruits.
3. Saves Money
The freshest ingredients aren’t always the cheapest, but they can help you fight diseases that can drain you financially. Based on her experiences, Danielle Riddle notes that fresh ingredients significantly contribute to a healthy body. She also points out that planting these ingredients in your garden can help you save money you would have used to buy the product while enjoying some of the freshest organic produce. Most of these ingredients don’t require you to have lots of space. You can plant them in sacks, pots, and other containers as part of your gardening.
4. Safe from Contamination
When you focus on using fresh ingredients from the local farm, you will worry less about your ingredients being contaminated by many hands, chemicals, and other elements. In most cases, your tomatoes, onions, carrots, cucumbers, and other colorful vegetables will only pass through the farmers’ hands to your doorstep. According to Danielle Riddle, it’s also easier to know how the ingredients have been grown based on where they come from through a simple chat with the harvesters.
5. Enhanced Health Benefits
Your food retains a lot more nutrients when you cook with fresh ingredients. Your ingredients have no pesticides and other artificial substances, meaning your food is more nutritious. Nutrient-packed foods can do a lot to your body, including improving cognitive function, boosting the immune system, strengthening heat and bones, and preventing illnesses. In simple terms, fresh ingredients contribute to your overall health.
