5 Eco-Friendly Eating Habits You Should Adopt

5 Eco-Friendly Eating Habits You Should Adopt

Being ecologically aware is now more important than ever, as the effects of global warming and pollution are more dreadful and visible than most of us have ever thought was possible.

In the long list of things you can do to contribute to the planet’s healing process, you may not even have thought of your eating habits. However, they definitely do matter.

What, how, when and why you choose to eat is of essence, and if you begin giving it some thought, you can in fact do a great deal to protect the environment and your own well-being. Here are some green eating habits everybody can and should adopt today.

Stay Close to Home

By eating food that has traveled from across the world, you’re eating something which has added to air pollution, as transport of imported food is bound to generate more carbon emissions than those grown closer to you.

Some data shows that food travels an average of 1,500 miles from where it was produced to where it’s sold.  

The transportation energy required for that is huge and is something you can do about now. Do some research into your local community and find out where the nearest places are where people grow and produce precisely what you need, so that you can buy it there and contain the damage to the environment.

Through doing so, you’ll also get to eat fresher food, with a higher chance that the nutrients in it are still intact, instead of being lost in time and traffic while the food was crossing great distances to get to your plate.

Plants Are Your Friends

If your diet mostly consists of plant-based foods, you’re already making a positive impact on the environment.

Namely, animal-based products require much more space and, more importantly, water. With water becoming a growingly precious resource, you’ll help save some of it by opting for plants instead of meat, eggs or dairy products.

You should also bear in mind that the livestock industry is a significant contributor to the worldwide greenhouse gas emission.

Therefore, if you replace some of your animal-based meals with such foods as fruit, vegetables, nuts or legumes, you’ll already be on a great way towards sustainable eating. Plus, your diet will be healthier and so will you.

Shopping with Planet in Mind

Another aspect of shopping that can make your eating more mindful and eco-friendlier refers to the amount of food you buy.

If you purchase too much of something and you end up throwing it away in the end, you’re only wasting food and making the piles on the landfills around the world even more enormous than they have to be.

Plus, you now have the opportunity to choose organic foods, grown and produced ethically, but also non-GMO foods and free of any unhealthy additives.

If you also decide to buy nutritious bulk foods online, you can buy just as much as you need. This means that you don’t have to buy more than you can consume, which automatically reduces waste.

The best thing is that now it’s also possible to get healthy foods to cater to anybody’s dietary needs, whether you’re eating keto, gluten-free or vegetarian food.

Don’t Overstay Your Welcome in the Kitchen

Making your meals from scratch is always a good idea, as you then know where you got each ingredient from and you can be sure that your food is sanitary and loaded with vitamin and minerals your body needs.

Still, you should be mindful of how much time you spend cooking. Making a bit extra food while your stove is already on can save more than your time, but also the energy needed for your appliances to work.

Yes, you might need some more time to chop the ingredients, but preparing a bigger pot of soup today might mean you won’t have to do any work tomorrow.

Similarly, if you’re making chicken, you can combine it with some rice or peas today and a bowl of fresh salad tomorrow, so that your diet is varied enough, you don’t have to turn the stove on twice and your cooking practice is environmentally friendly.

Catch Your Own Fish

Well, not exactly fish, although you can do that as well. If you truly want to know that your food is organic and that you’re eating it the same day that it’s been picked or plucked, you should grow it yourself.

If you have some space in your backyard, use it to create a small garden. You’ll get to spend more time outdoors, in the fresh air, you’ll be more physically active and you’ll get to enjoy delicious food.

There’s no carbon footprint and you can use your own compost as a fertilizer. Those who live in buildings or don’t have a backyard can always plant food, herbs and spices in pots, which can be kept on balconies, or even indoors. Add to this the sense of pride and connection with nature, which will make your efforts to eat and live sustainably more worthwhile to you.

If your decisions are both responsible and healthy, then you know they’re the closest to ideal that they can be.

So, make the above-mentioned habits your own starting today and give this planet a better chance at a recovery.

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