Sustainable Food

As a foodie who is aware of good health, I always do my best to eat foods that are good for me, and lately I’ve been thinking about foods that are good for the environment, too! What I’ve learned is that you don’t need to deprive yourself to eat sustainably; rather, just make wiser decisions at the grocery store. I know that becoming a vegetarian is good for the environment, but I don’t think I could ever give up meat. Instead, I’ve tried to pay more attention to where my meat comes from. Supporting local farmers and butchers doesn’t just help small businesses – think of the lower shipping costs, which also means less energy wasted on transportation. If the meat is organic and grain-fed, that’s even better – I cringe to think of all of the added hormones and chemicals that could be in other meat.

As the oceans are being depleted by over-fishing, it’s also important to choose fish wisely and look for wild, sustainably fished options. It’s best to get fish that are line-caught, which eliminates the risk of catching dolphins and other sea creatures in big fishing nets. The principle of learning where food comes from can be applied to everything in your grocery cart: whether veggies or wine, always shoot for local, organic, and environmentally-aware producers. Stores like Whole Foods or local farmers’ markets are perfect for helping with this. If you’re in the U.S., find a nearby farmer’s market.

And you know what? By taking greater care in researching where my food comes from and what exactly is in it, I feel even better after eating! Being green can be so delicious…