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How Your Next Grocery Trip Could Save the Earth

Posted April 22, 2008 at 03:00 PM by Caroline Shannon

Section: Her Fitness, Her Health, Her Nutrition

A day like today (it’s Earth Day, chicas!), makes it especially easy to recognize many of the things that we can all be doing to make our world a bit better—use reusable bags when grocery shopping, walk or ride your bike when possible, and cut back on electricity.

Pretty easy, right?

But what about the food that goes into your mouth? Well, it turns out that there are a few ways to make your grub more eco-friendly, too. Listen up because, according to NutritionData’s Chief Nutritionist Monica Reinagel, the adage, “You are what you eat” could not be more true when it comes to discussing our Earth:

1. Eat locally. Reinagel says the average American meal travels 1,500 miles to reach our plates, “guzzling fuel” and releasing CO2 emissions along the way. Learn to choose foods from growers close to your hometown—what Reinagel calls being a “locavore”—and you will “significantly reduce the environmental impact of your diet.” To find farms and growers near you, Reinagel suggests visiting LocalHarvest.org.

2. Eat seasonally. Eating foods that are not in season where you live means they have either been stored from another season or transported from another climate. Again, the transportation of these food items consumes energy and degrades the nutritional quality of the products.  Check out a site like Sustainable Table to find out what is in season in your area. That way, the next time you hit the grocery store you will know whether the produce you are thinking about buying is from the farmer down the road or several continents across the globe. What’s more, one of the good things about studying up on the whereabouts of your produce is that you will know whether fresh or frozen is your better option. And when it comes to the fresh versus frozen debate, Reinagel has said, ““It’s all a matter of where you are getting it from. Frozen is a great choice, and sometimes the better choice.”

3. Eat fewer packaged and preprocessed foods. This is where the bigger picture comes in; for many of us, the big plastic bags at stores are an obvious no-no. But when it comes to all the tiny packaging that we are constantly kicking to the trash, it takes a little more focus. “Even when they are organic or ‘all-natural,’ processed foods consume energy and water, add cost, and create waste at every step of production, packaging, and distribution. Not only will reduced intake of packaged foods lower your grocery bill, but buying whole, unprocessed foods will also improve the nutritional quality of your meals, all while reducing the negative impact of your diet on the planet.

4. Choose organic. “Organic foods preserve healthier soil, air, and groundwater by eliminating or strictly limiting the use of pesticides, drugs, hormones, and artificial fertilizers,” Reinagel said. “Organic practices are healthier for farmers, neighbors of farmers, consumers, and the planet than industrial farming practices.” But, like Reinagel has already pointed out, buying organic is not enough to help keep our planet healthy. “Choosing foods that are local, seasonal, unprocessed, and sustainably grown is just as important,” Reinagel said. Tight on money? Check out the Top 12 Organic Foods that you should be throwing in your cart TO-DAY.

Now, don’t get me wrong—No one is asking you to do a complete 180 degree turn-around today. I, for one, will still buy Spring Oreos every time I see their yellow icing, goodness hit the shelves. But the point is learning to find a balance, and that we can do, right? 

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Tags: caroline shannon, diet, earth, earth day, food, groceries, locally-grown, nutrition, organic, planet, recycle, seasonal, sustainable

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