Processed food is bad for you and bad for the planet…

Simple in theory, just don’t eat processed foods.  Hard in practice because it seems like everything is processed.  It’s not just those non recylable celophane wrappers your junk food comes in, it’s the energy used to create the food that’s seriously harmful to Mother Nature, not to mention imagining your food taking form in a factory is kind of gross.

Here are some tips on Green Eating that will not only help you save the planet, but shrink your waistline while you’re at it.

1) Go Flexitarian

Unless of course you already are a vegetarian, in which case, go on with your brocolli loving selves.  Scientists (yes, scientists) say that if we all ate 20% less meat, the global impact would be the same as if every person who had a car traded in their gas guzzler for a hybrid.

Animals raised for meat use up a lot of land and a lot of energy to create, the land they use up isn’t replenished quite as quickly as it is needed to raise more animals for food, therefore more and more land is used for feeding and animals.

Vegetarian diets are clasically lower in saturated fat and cholestoral, by making a few days a week meat free you could save the ,all the while getting ready for bathing suit season.

2) Eat Seasonally

New York is awesome now because grocery stores need to tell you where your produce came from, so you can see whether or not your food travelled thousands of miles to get here.

Let’s just say a lot of fuel is used to bring you fresh strawberries in January.  By eating seasonally and locally you not only get fresher food, but you cut down on air pollution.

Have no idea what in season food is?  Check out the Green Market, the food there is fresh from local farmers.

3) You too can be a “Locavore”

Eating locally isn’t as intimidating as it sounds; like I mentioned above you can always check out a local farmers market, or you could join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, it’s like the fresh direct of local farms.

Joining a CSA means you’ll get regular deliveries from local farms that grow naturally without interference from big, mega-conglomerates.  The downside is you can’t pick your food, you get what ever is growing.  The upside – it’s all fresh and created by sustainable farming methods.

4) Pack your lunch!

Not only does this allow you ultimate control of what you put in your body, but it cuts down on waste.  All those plastic boxes, bags, and wax-lined papers pile up… in a landfill somewhere.

By bringing your lunch from home, you save calories, save money and save on waste.

5) Buy Organic Meat

Not all foods are better off organic, it really depends.

Fruits with thick skins are generally fine to buy conventionally, the one place you should most definitely splurge on organics is meat.  Grass fed cows are healthier cows.  When livestock is fed a diet of corn and processed grain they get sick, then are pumped full of antibiotics, not only do those antibiotics go into the parts of their body that will one day be cooked and served to you, but it goes into their waste otherwise known as the fertilizer that seeps into the land.

There are lots of little changes that you can make in your kitchen that benefit the planet and benefit your body.  Natural foods tend to be better for you, and since we only get one planet and one body they’re worth the effort and expense.