According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Sustainable eating is about choosing foods that are healthful to our environment and our bodies.” Eating sustainably is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although many believe that eating sustainably can be difficult, there are many simple ways to improve your health along with the environment.
The most common method of eating sustainably is to grow your own food. This can be anything from planting vegetables in your backyard to growing a few herbs in a pot on your kitchen counter. Growing your own food allows you to ensure that there are no added preservatives or chemicals in your food.
However, for those with busy schedules like myself, sometimes growing food can be hard to do. An easy way to eat sustainably without home-grown food is to shop locally. Shopping locally is a wonderful way to support those who grow their own food, and in fact decreases the amount of fuel needed to ship the products to the market. It is also important to fill half your plate with vegetables for each meal. This allows you to get the most nutrients when eating; vegetables boost your immunity and reduce your calorie intake.
With eating sustainably, it is important to also drink sustainably. Instead of purchasing bottled water, a helpful tip is to buy a reusable water bottle. After a one time purchase, it is simple to refill your water battle whenever you need to. Reusable water bottles can vary in sizes and come in many different colors to your preference. In conclusion, there are many simple ways to eat sustainably. If growing your own food doesn’t seem like the right option for you, you can also choose to shop locally and use a reusable water bottle.