That's Fit

5 steps for a lower carbon diet

Posted: Jul 24th 2008 11:00AM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: Food and Nutrition

Not too long ago my son and I were grocery shopping. He pointed to a particular treat that he wanted to try, but instead of asking for it he said "That looks really good, but it creates too much container waste." I had to chuckle a bit. His statement either means I'm doing a good job of teaching him environmental responsibility or I'm a little over the top about it all.

Our nutrition habits are one area where we can reduce our impact on the environment. Healthcastle.com recently posted about five changes you can make for a lower carbon diet:

Buy local. Visit your local farmer's market, but be sure to ask where the produce is from. (I know at the farmer's market near me there is at least one booth that ships produce in from around the country.)
Go seasonal. Buying off-season means your produce was either shipped from a faraway locale or it was grown in a hot house.
Avoid high carbon foods. Even if they're produced locally, meat and dairy are high carbon foods. Reduce your intact by minimizing portion sizes and serving vegetarian meals more often.
Use fewer packaged foods. Not only are packaged foods big waste creators, they often have additives and artificial ingredients that aren't nutritionally beneficial.
Bring home leftovers. If you've got leftovers at a restaurant, don't leave them behind -- it creates unnecessary waste and is a waste of money, too.

Tags: container waste, ContainerWaste, farmers market, FarmersMarket, locavore, locavores, low carbon, low carbon diet, low impact, low impact living, LowCarbon, LowCarbonDiet, LowImpact, LowImpactLiving, packaging, reduce impact, ReduceImpact, seasonal, seasonal foods, SeasonalFoods

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-24-2008 @ 2:25PM

JS said...

I actually have started taking a "gladware" container with me when I go out to eat. It fits just fine in my purse. I hate getting an oversized styrofoam container to hold my leftovers, what a waste. Additionally, the big restaurant containers aren' t practical to pack for lunch the next day and can be proned to leaks. I've gotten a few funny looks, but most people think it is a good idea.

7-24-2008 @ 3:17PM

Heather said...

JS- That's a FABULOUS idea!!

7-24-2008 @ 4:10PM

UH2L said...

Yes, and if more people do it, then it won't seem so odd. But then, how are guys supposed to pull this off since we don't carry purses?

7-24-2008 @ 5:13PM

Francesca Clarke said...

Thanks for the tips! Sounds like getting the whole family involved is paying off.

7-24-2008 @ 4:24PM

Heather said...

Guys have leftovers??!!!
;D

7-25-2008 @ 10:33PM

marcie0305 said...

Your son is wise beyond his years :) Just wanted to say, I really love the recent posts here regarding the impact our food choices have on the Earth, good stuff. Without the health of the Earth, well, we won't have many food choices, or worse. Thanks!!

~Marcie
http://feedingblackmail.blogspot.com

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