With spring finally here, at least according to the calendar, I've been seriously considering implementing the 100-mile diet into my daily regimen of feeding my face.

Perhaps I will call it the 160-kilometre diet, but that doesn't roll off the tongue quite as nicely. That's probably why Canadian writers Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon decided to name their book The 100 Mile Diet.

I'll most likely deviate from the diet, hopefully just a little. I can't go without exotic fruit, but I will try my best to stick to the diet as much as possible.

The plan is quite simple and consists of purchasing and consuming foods that are produced within 100 miles of your town or place of residence.

Taking on this challenging diet won't be easy and will require attending farmers markets on a regular basis as well as hitting up some of the local ranches for some tasty beef and maybe even some chicken.

I must admit, I just about became a vegetarian last week after watching two documentaries, Food Inc. and Food Matters, which take a critical look at the food and health industries.

Last summer, I remember there being plenty of local pickings available for the 100-mile diet. There was a bountiful supply of non-GMO, pesticide-free corn, fresh organic fruits and vegetables sold by Footprints Harvest, which is run by three local women, and now Merritt has a health food store, which sells some local, sustainably produced foods, even super foods!

If you can't see yourself doing the 100-mile diet, at the very least, try to purchase B.C. goods. Better yet, grow your own stuff. Does anyone want to start up a community garden?

What better way to see the fruits of your labour, get some fresh air, save money, and get to know your neighbours than by having a community garden?

As opposed to all the get green quick schemes out there, things like the 100-mile diet and community gardening are legitimate methods of conservation and of supporting and protecting the ecosystem. They also cut down on the use of fuels by reducing or eliminating trips to the grocery store, which further the problem when plastic packaging is needed to bring food from stores to the car, and then to the cupboard.

You will find yourself getting out of the house more, communicating with people from the community, and you will likely feel better all around.

Long gone are the times when we knew the names of most of the people living on our street. I barely know the names of those next door to me.

Statistics show that a highly interactive community creates more happiness and reduces crime.

— John O'Connor