Friday, February 27, 2009
Eating Green: Good for You and the Environment
Personal accountability is essential to achieving a healthy weight. The same goes for protecting and sustaining a healthy environment. You may not realize it, but the food choices you make and the way you shop for, prepare, and serve food can negatively impact the environment. So in honor of Earth Day this year, make small, meaningful and "greener" changes to your eating habits. Here are some great "eating green" tips to help you get started.
Make a Shopping List– Take inventory of everything you need for preparing healthy meals at home before you head out the door. This will prevent the need to make multiple trips back and forth to the store. You’ll not only save on fuel, but reduce the wear and tear on your car and your nervous system.
Got Canvas?– Neither paper nor plastic bags are a very good choice for the environment. It takes gallons of crude oil to make plastic bags, and many trees are sacrificed to make paper bags. Instead of using paper or plastic bags, invest in reusable canvas shopping bags. Most stores make them available for purchase near the checkout stand.
Say Goodbye to Plastic Water Bottles – Americans buy billions of plastic water bottles every year, and every year those same billions of empty bottles get thrown in the trash. Break the habit and use a neoprene bottle instead. If you think your tap water tastes "yucky" use a water-filtering system.
Buy Local and Organic– Buying locally grown foods at a farmer’s market cuts down on the environmental costs associated with transporting produce to your community from great distances. Eating organically grown fruits and vegetables is also a good way to not only reduce your exposure to pesticides but help reduce the runoff and pollutants from "toxic" farming that can contaminate our water, soil, and air.
Eat Less Meat– The resources needed to raise livestock (e.g. feed, water, land, and fossil fuels) is significantly greater than those required for growing vegetables and grains. Try swapping out at least one meat dish a week for a vegetarian plate. If you do eat meat, buy free range, organically raised meat and poultry.
Start a Veggie Garden–It doesn’t take much to start your own vegetable garden. If space is limited, start small with a planter box, nutrient rich soil, and a few seeds of your favorite veggies. Another benefit to gardening is that it will also make you appreciate the hard day to day work of farmers.
Cook and Clean Up Efficiently– Save energy and speed up cooking times by covering pots. The lid will keep the heat in and bring what you’re cooking to the right temperature faster. When it’s time to clean up, make sure the dishwasher is "full" before you run it. If you have a small number of dirty dishes, think about doing them the old-fashioned way: by hand, using a full basin of water (no running water) and a biodegradable dish detergent.
Make a Shopping List– Take inventory of everything you need for preparing healthy meals at home before you head out the door. This will prevent the need to make multiple trips back and forth to the store. You’ll not only save on fuel, but reduce the wear and tear on your car and your nervous system.
Got Canvas?– Neither paper nor plastic bags are a very good choice for the environment. It takes gallons of crude oil to make plastic bags, and many trees are sacrificed to make paper bags. Instead of using paper or plastic bags, invest in reusable canvas shopping bags. Most stores make them available for purchase near the checkout stand.
Say Goodbye to Plastic Water Bottles – Americans buy billions of plastic water bottles every year, and every year those same billions of empty bottles get thrown in the trash. Break the habit and use a neoprene bottle instead. If you think your tap water tastes "yucky" use a water-filtering system.
Buy Local and Organic– Buying locally grown foods at a farmer’s market cuts down on the environmental costs associated with transporting produce to your community from great distances. Eating organically grown fruits and vegetables is also a good way to not only reduce your exposure to pesticides but help reduce the runoff and pollutants from "toxic" farming that can contaminate our water, soil, and air.
Eat Less Meat– The resources needed to raise livestock (e.g. feed, water, land, and fossil fuels) is significantly greater than those required for growing vegetables and grains. Try swapping out at least one meat dish a week for a vegetarian plate. If you do eat meat, buy free range, organically raised meat and poultry.
Start a Veggie Garden–It doesn’t take much to start your own vegetable garden. If space is limited, start small with a planter box, nutrient rich soil, and a few seeds of your favorite veggies. Another benefit to gardening is that it will also make you appreciate the hard day to day work of farmers.
Cook and Clean Up Efficiently– Save energy and speed up cooking times by covering pots. The lid will keep the heat in and bring what you’re cooking to the right temperature faster. When it’s time to clean up, make sure the dishwasher is "full" before you run it. If you have a small number of dirty dishes, think about doing them the old-fashioned way: by hand, using a full basin of water (no running water) and a biodegradable dish detergent.
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