We read and hear a lot about eating locally these days, and many of us assume the phenomenon is of recent origin, and of course we are delighted to be part of the movement to finally be eating "sensibly."

It turns out that a famous man with special powers, who lived from 1877 to 1945, "knew" of the phenomenon of eating locally, and of the benefits of it on our health. For those unfamiliar with Edgar Cayce, he was called "The Sleeping Prophet", and would enter a self-induced trance, then proceed to dish out incredibly detailed medical and health advice to those who sought his services, for which he never charged, and that advice was always tailored specifically to each individual. Cayce was very concerned about the freshness of food and a concept he called "acclimatization".

Here is Reading #2-14: "Have vegetables that are fresh and especially those grown in the vicinity where the body resides. Shipped vegetables are never very good."

Reading #3542-1: "Do not have large quantities of any fruits, vegetables, meats that are not grown in or come from the area where the body is--at the time it partakes of such foods.
This will be found to be a good rule to be followed by all. This prepares the system to acclimate itself to any given territory."

Reading #340-31: "(Retention of food values) depends upon preparation of same, age, and how long (since) gathered. All of these have their factors in the food values. As it is so well advertised that coffee loses its value in fifteen to twenty to twenty-five days after being roasted, so do foods or vegetables lose their food values after being gathered--in the same proportion in hours as coffee does in days."

Reading #135-1: "Eat more of the vegetables that are raw......Tomatoes if they are RIPENED ON THE VINE, otherwise, those that are canned WITHOUT preservative--or especially benzoate of soda. (Do not use such...as preservatives.)"

Reading #894-4: "Tomatoes--these are WELL for the body....only when well ripened on the vine, not as gathered green and ripened afterwards."

The above readings are excerpted from one of the many books about Edgar Cayce: THE EDGAR CAYCE HANDBOOK FOR HEALTH THROUGH DRUGLESS THERAPY, by Dr. Harold J. Reilly, based on Dr. Reilly's 45 years' work with the Cayce readings. (See the section in Chapter 5, titled ACCLIMATIZATION for these readings, and others.)