Eat Green

Eating Green – doesn’t mean setting up a Tee pee in your back yard and living on kale leaves. Every little bit counts and you can start today.

What does it mean to eat green?

Eating green means eating whole, nutritious, minimally-processed foods that are healthy for you and the environment. Think about how your food is grown and where it comes from, it could be having a huge impact on you and the environment.

Why bother – I don’t see what all the fuss is about?

There’s a lot of things we don’t see but it doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. Your everyday choices make an impact.

The environment

Have you heard about Orang-utans losing their homes and the deforestation of the  Amazon forest for palm oil production? Or land degradation due to pesticides? These are a big deal, affecting water availability and biodiversity.

Your health

You know the saying ‘you are what you eat’, it really is true. Eating fresh, whole foods with fewer chemicals has a heap of benefits for your well being.

Human rights

We have it pretty great in Australia, but a lot of food we take for granted is sourced from third world countries where conditions aren’t so great. Read about chocolate and why fair-trade is important. 

Other people’s livelihood

If you work long hours and hard to create something, do you expect fair pay and to be able to continue your work in a positive way? Farmers face this challenge every day and there are growing concerns about how they can keep up with consumer demands.

Food security

There are billions of people to feed around the world but only limited resources to do it. All food requires resources, we’re talking water, fuel, chemicals and labour. The fewer resources required, the better! Have a look at the water footprint of different foods. A kilo of chocolate requires 17,196 litres of water, where as a kilo of bananas is only 790 litres!

You can find out more about these impacts at sustainable table.

What can you do?

You don’t need to give up your favourite foods to make a difference; try to make small changes. Check out Shop Ethical’s guide to ethical products in Australia!

• Eat seasonal and local foods, google where your favourite foods come from and try to find the best source. You could even try growing your own veggies and herbs in pots.
• Cut back on processed foods and try one day a week meat free. I Spy Plum Pie has some great meatless Monday recipes!
• Use your shopping dollar to vote. Shops stock products that sell, so support products that are sustainable as much as you can.
• Reduce waste, at home and eating out. Shop as you need so that less food goes to waste.