How To Eat Sustainably

You hear a lot about sustainable energy, but you can eat sustainably, too. The good news is that you don’t have to have a special type of food. Sustainable eating is simply healthy eating using food that is less processed. It’s grown following good farming practices that protect the environment. In other words, it’s healthy eating. The food industry emits greenhouse gas that’s equal to 33% of all emissions.

How is the food grown or created?

Farming can benefit the ecology or work against it. Sustainable farming is organic farming. It uses practices that build the soil, keeps pests away, and encourage healthy plants in natural ways without adding chemicals. How do you know if they’re using those practices? The food they grow is labeled organic. While there’s a lot of controversy about whether reducing beef consumption is vital to the environment, there’s little doubt that consuming a diet higher in plant-based food is healthier. More sustainable diets are also healthier.

Choosing food locally grown also plays a role in sustainability.

Getting food to the market requires some form of energy, whether you’re transporting the food by train or truck. Why not choose food grown closer to home so it doesn’t have to travel as far? It’s not just more sustainable, it’s healthier. When local farmers grow food, they pick the food in the morning and deliver it to the store. The food is picked at peak ripeness, unlike food that comes at a distance that ripens as it’s transported.

Packaging and processing play a role in sustainability.

Plastic food packaging negatively affects Mother Nature. It either doesn’t degrade or releases chemicals into the environment if it does degrade. The worst offenders are highly processed foods. It has all the same issues as whole food, but hundreds of extra steps along the way that affect the environment. If you focus on eating sustainably, you’ll also have a healthier diet.

• The more people who eat sustainably, the more impact it will have on the environment. It will affect the overall health of individuals as they do. It can help reduce the incidence of obesity, which has become a national epidemic.
• Consuming a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to give up meat or animal products entirely. It just means most of your food will come from plants. Choosing in-season, local fruits and vegetables is an important part of that diet.
• Consuming a sustainable, plant-based diet can reduce weight, boost energy and metabolism, and reduce inflammation. It’s the healthier way to eat.
• Meal prep and composting food scraps can help the environment and your pocketbook. Meal prep uses all the ingredients in several dishes so there’s limited waste and no leftovers. Composting returns nutrients to the soil.

For more information, contact us today at Thrive Fitness!