Eating healthy has many benefits. Improving your diet can help you to lose weight, protect the environment and feel better about your contribution to the planet. Below are four easy steps for going green and getting healthy.
Eat at home: Instead of going out for dinner, try eating at home more often. When you cook yourself, chances are the meals you are making are healthier than restaurants foods that are high in calories, fat and carbohydrates. Eating at home can help you to save on your consumption of gas and keep a little money in your pocket at the same time.
- Reduce the amount of meat you eat: According to a recent United Nations report, the meat industry has been found to be the number one contributor to global warming. Cutting meat from your diet completely isn’t something that appeals to everyone. So instead, trying simply reducing the amount of meat you eat. Consuming a large amount of red meat isn’t good for your health. Instead, switch to eating lean white meats like chicken and turkey if you feel you must eat some amount of meat.
- Cook more often with more local, seasonal ingredients: Cooking with local, seasonal ingredients allows you to not support the transportation of goods, which requires the use of diesel vehicles that pollute the air. In addition, buying local helps you to support the farmers in your area.
- Go organic! The pesticides and fertilizers often used by farmers to grow their crops can be destructive to the environment. Instead of purchasing goods that are grown with the use of harmful chemicals, buy only organic foods.
Jennifer Griffin, Contributing Writer and Public Relations, GreeningDetroit.com
Jennifer is pursuing a degree in Journalism and English from Wayne State University, and she is also a Contributing Writer for The South End.
