Tips on Eating Green for the Environment

Have you considered how your diet affects the environment? Every day, huge amounts of food are produced, processed, transported, consumed and thrown away. This puts a serious strain on the Earth’s natural resources.

The good news is that research points toward dietary changes that we can all make to reduce food’s impact on the planet. Less is more when it comes to eating your way toward a healthier Earth. Here are some simple things you can do to lessen your impact on the environment.

Plan meals each week and buy only what you need for that time period.

In the U.S. alone, 40 percent of food is wasted annually on= average at a cost of at least $589 per family. Food waste largely contributes to the depletion of the Earth’s resources, since production requires water, land and energy—even for the food that ends up in
landfills. Reducing food waste saves you money because you buy less.

Go meatless one or more days a week.

Meat production hits Earth’s resources harder than any other food group, followed by dairy. Reducing beef consumption and eating more plant-based protein sources—such as beans, nuts and grains—could decrease greenhouse gas emissions from food production by up to 35 percent.

Reduce your calorie intake from non-nutritious foods.

When it comes to changing your diet in an effort to help the planet, one of the simplest approaches is to cut back on eating non-nutritious foods. Swapping refined carbs and saturated and trans fats with more fruit, vegetables and dietary fiber can help you lose
weight and improve your overall health. That would reduce overall health care costs and resources, and hopefully lead to less waste and a need for less food.

Click here for healthy plant-based recipes.

Dr. Daniel Pourshalimi is a board-certified Internal Medicine MD. He works at Crescent City Physicians, Inc., a subsidiary of Touro Infirmary. After earning his medical degree from the University of California in Los Angeles, Dr. Pourshalimi completed residency at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center. With over 6 years of experience, Dr. Pourshalimi believes that the human body has a remarkable ability to heal itself given the chance to do so with a whole food plant-based diet. Many chronic medical conditions, that are thought to be irreversible under conventional medical wisdom, can be reversed with science-based nutrition. Dr. Pourshalimi has seen this happen time and again in his own practice. His purpose and drive comes from helping others and seeing his patients becoming healthier and happier. One of his greatest motivations is inspiring lifestyle changes and in many instances being able to take patients off of medications when appropriate.