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Two families are weeding foreign food from their diet this August and taking on the 100 mile challenge.

The challenge was inspired by authors James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith of The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating who spent a year eating food produced within 100 miles of their home in Vancouver, B.C.

Locally raised and produced food is an increasing trend because of the benefits of reducing the carbon footprint of moving food, increasing local economies and improving health.

“I’m so tired of processed food, I really want to know what’s going in our babies,” said Lark Hamilton who will be venturing into the challenge with her husband and three children alongside the Nielsen family of six.

The two families have both started gardens with a selection of fruits and vegetables including raspberries, lettuce, corn, potatoes, tomatoes and beets.

“With the garden I know exactly where things are coming from and even what’s in the soil,” said Amber Nielsen who’s spearheading the planning for the two families with Lark.

The two said the children have already shown an active role in the venture, picking food right from the garden and eating it.

“I was raised eating food right from the garden and I think it’s important that my children have the same experience,” said Hamilton who said her hippie upbringing is a big reason why she wanted to try the challenge.

“It’s important to know how to garden to know where food comes from and to be able to sustain yourself,” she said.

And with Carstairs’ location, the two women are confident they’ll be able to find a variety of foods to munch on for the 31 days of August.

Nielsen said she started researching at the grocery store, looking on yogurt containers and milk to find which products are locally made.

The two plan to make use of U-pick farms, a Hutterite colony that can offer chicken, and are looking into a bio-dynamic organic farm just west of Carstairs. Hamilton has also found a neighbour who can supply them with wheat.

“We have so much available right here in the county, why am I buying food from Costco?” said Hamilton.

Both women know they won’t be able to use sugar or salt for the month and are trying to find ways around this, finding alternatives such as honey for a sweetener.

They’re also planning to use butter for a lot of the cooking instead of oil but aren’t sure what to use in lieu of coffee.

“It’ll be interesting to see what becomes permanent after this,” said Nielsen who hopes some of the habits created through the month would stick.

The families hope more people will join the growing trend that’s turning good eating into a revolution.

“It’s a great way to get to know the people that live around you,” said Hamilton who’s gotten to know her neighbours more in her quest for local food.

Hamilton and Nielsen are compiling a list of places to find locally grown and produced food and will be blogging their journey on 100milemenu.blogspot.com.