13 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
1. Buy Organic Whenever Possible
· It is better for us, the soil, the environment, and is more sustainable compared to conventional farming.
The Dirty Dozen– These are the foods with the highest amounts of pesticides.
· Peaches
· Strawberries
· Apples
Domestic blueberries
· Nectarines
· Sweet bell peppers
· Spinach, kale and collard greens
· Cherries
· Potatoes
· Imported grapes
· Lettuce
Cnn.com
· Food has to travel less distance using less gas.
· Usually picked the day or day before making it fresher and more nutritious
· Usually use more sustainable practices
4. Join a Community Supported Agriculture
Supports local farmers
Many are organic just have to ask
Visit https://www.localharvest.org/csa/ to find a CSA near you!
5.Grow a garden
Don’t have room? Use containers
Cheaper, can be organic, full of nutrients, uses very little energy to produce.
6. Choose Whole Foods Over Processed Foods
Foods that have been altered from its natural state
· Processed foods are usually higher in fat, salt, and sugar.
· Contains many food additives, artificial colors, hydrogenated oils (trans fat) are bodies do not need.
· Usually lack nutritional value
· Shipped long distances creating a larger carbon footprint
Whole Foods
· Unprocessed or less processed and usually use less energy to produce
· Contains more nutrients, fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidant
· Have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and many other chronic diseases.
· Ex) Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds
Make vegetarian meals a couple nights a week. You can get protein from beans, nuts, legumes, and some other sources. You don’t need to eat meat everyday.
I thought of one more after I published this!
13. Start a compost
I keep a bowl in our fridge and throw any food scraps we have (peals, the unusable ends, etc) into the bowl and then add it to the compost at the end of the week!
Here are just a couple ways you can become a more sustainable eater today. These changes don’t have to be hard and you can start by making baby steps. Start thinking about where your food comes from and what you are putting into your body!
This was part of the Homestead Barn Hop, the Morris Tribe, Sew Chatty, Sew Can Do, Craft-O- Maniac, Homemaker on a Dime, Frugally Sustainable, Thrifty Decorating, The Girl Creative, Inspire Me Monday, Homestead Helps
We recently found a new “Sustainable” restaurant. It is a chinese restaurant that uses absolutely NO MSG and they use as much local food as possible. It was more expensive but it was also much more personable! Great reminders I need to put my re-usable grocery bags in the car tonight LOL! 😉
Wow thats awesome! I don’t even care about paying a little extra when I know it is better for the environment in the long run! Me too! I always almost forget my bags!
I love your blog and your tips on eating more sustainably! Each week, I host a week-long party called Inspire Me Monday. I would love for you to share this post with us & to join our creative community!
Have a wonderful week!
Create With Joy
http://create-with-joy.com
Thanks for the encouragement and the invite! I have just linked up!
Great post. I didn’t know that about meat but does make sense.
Thank you! There are some really good documentaries out on netflix about factory farm meat. Its a little scary. Food Inc is really gross but the one I watched yesterday was called Fresh not as bad!
Hi Amy, just wanted to stop by and let you know that I have awarded you the Liebster Award on my blog today! I have really enjoyed reading your blog! http://beautifulsmhw.blogspot.com/2012/04/ive-been-liebstered.html
O wow thank you so much I really appreciate it! I’m so glad you have enjoyed it! This makes me happy 🙂
We definitely have some work to do.:) We do pretty well at not eating out, and eating a lot of whole foods, but there are a lot of other things we need to try.:)
Every little bit counts. Don’t feel overwhelmed just take one step at a time!
What we need now is to try hard to limit the eating out part…still can’t do it well 🙁
Its ok to eat out once in awhile. I’ve found if I plan ahead better I eat out a lot less. That and we don’t have money for it right now haha
Great tips! I do most of these things as much as possible, but you reminded me that I haven’t composted in a while. Also, I’ve been using reusable grocery bags for years, but had never thought of buying veggie bags. Thanks to you, I just ordered a set. 🙂
Jill
http://www.zazzypeacockstudios.blogspot.com
So glad I could help 🙂 Thanks for coming by Jill!
That’s a great list, it really got me thinking. Also don’t worry so much about the meat if you’re eating organic – the energy and water consumption is far more reasonable than feedlot/CFO meat.