Good for You and Good for the Earth

Celebrating Earth Day 2011: A Billion Acts of Green

In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to share some tips on how you can improve your health while improving the health of our planet at the same time.  This is your chance to be one in a billion acts of green.  We can no longer sit back and ignore the importance of taking care of our environment.  We are what we eat, and the quality of the food we eat and the air we breathe is directly related to the health of our planet.  If not for yourself, get focused on protecting our environment for the sake of your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

If you have not seen the movie "Wall-E", you should definitely take the opportunity to sit down and watch it with you kids on Earth Day.  I caught in on our DVR one day without really knowing what it was about.  I later watched it with Will and found that it was a fantastic way to have great conversation about the importance of taking care of our Earth as well as the importance of eating healthy food and being physically active.  Wow - that was a lot of important lessons in one little movie.


According to an article in Science Daily, "an estimated 19% of total energy used in the US is taken up in the production and supply of food."  In the US alone, food consumption is projected to increase by as much as 20% by the year 2020.  Here are some very important steps to improving and preserving this wonderful planet that takes such good care of us.

Eat Local
According to the USDA, a food is considered local if the distance that it was grown or produced is within 400 miles of your home.  By choosing foods locally grown you choose to support a sustainable, dynamic food system where farmers benefit by receiving a fair price for their goods, local communities thrive and consumers are provided with healthy food and a better future.

Understand How Food is Packaged, Shipped and Prepared
Food travels an average of 1,500 miles from ground to table.  The current systems of food transportation are not supportive of the environment.  The US food system uses a great amount of energy and 20% of this energy goes toward food production, while 80% is used for processing, transport, refrigeration, and preparation.

Excessive packaging of goods is currently putting a strain on the environment because so much trash is ending up in the landfills.  Trees are being cut, factories are consuming power, and toxic dyes are used to create eye catching advertising.  If everyone decided to prepare, cook, and eat at home more often, the abundant fossil fuel use would decrease dramatically.  I know that those individually packaged snack foods and drinks are so easy and tempting when you have have children or when you want to control your portion size.  It is important to control portion size, but there is a way to do it and protect the environment.  Purchase larger containers of snacks and put them in reuseable snack cups or bags.  Same goes for mini drinks.  Pour a smaller serving size into a reusable cup or sports bottle and make a positive impact one snack at a time.

Support Clean Air
Shipping our food long distance and processing it contributes to air and water pollution.  Importing foods by air burns an excessive amount of fuel.  Air freight generates 10 to 30 times as much carbon emissions per mile as trucking.

Shop Farmers Markets

Farmers travel no more than a 50 mile radius to and from their farmers market.  The amount of food they carry and sell is approximately 5 times more energy efficient than foods which were hauled to your local grocery store.  Choose foods from your local market or thosethat arrive from a local community Supported Agriculture (CSA).  Fortunately for all of us, there are more farmers markets and co-ops popping up everyday.  To make it easier for you to find and visit these venues, here are some links for farmers markets and co-ops in the Houston area as well as a link to finding a farmers market near you.

Houston Co-op    http://www.rawfullyorganic.com/
Houston Co-op    http://www.centralcityco-op.com/
Finding Markets, Restaurants, etc. in your area    http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home

Eat Organic

Organic foods have grown in popularity.  A multi-article review in the Alternative Therapies journal compared nutritional content of organic vs. non-organic foods.  Results showed that organic food was found to have "higher protein quality, higher levels of vitamin C and higher mineral levels."

According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, organic foods contain more antioxidant-rich flavonoids than conventionally grown foods.  Organic food typically requires 30 -50% less energy use and less waste production compared to typical farming practices.  Organic farms release less synthetic pesticides into the environment and sustain diverse ecosystems.  While organic food does tend to be a bit more expensive, you can save some money by purchasing through a local co-op.  When you consider the toll on the environment, I am sure that conventionally grown foods are more costly.  Besides, you can either pay for it now in the cost of better quality food or later in the cost of medical care.

Eat Less Processed
Processed foods require more energy to produce and more packaging than do whole foods.  Processed foods may contain xenobiotics.  Xenobiotics include pesticides, herbicides, bisphenol A, surfactants (which are used in food packaging, household chemicals and industrial chemicals), PCBs and dioxins, and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.  They are found in our food, our water, and our air.  Once in our body, they are not easily broken down and can lead to many illnesses resulting from DNA damage.

Choose Sustainable Foods
Buy in bulk.  Most markets offer bins of bulk grains (flour, rice, pasta), snacks (crackers, nuts, chocolate) and liquids (oil, vinegar, honey).  Bring a reusable container to collect these items for your pantry.

Eat Low on the Food Chain

Eat mostly plants and support "Meatless Monday."  This may be the single most effective way for individuals to lower their food-climate impact.  Researchers estimate that adopting one "meatless day" per week, we can reduce greenhouse emissions by 51%!!!  Wow, now that is positive impact that every family can have immediately.  Check out "What's For Dinner" at the bottom of the blog for a great meatless meal - a great way to celebrate Earth Day 2011.

Choose Grass-fed Beef
Orgainic meat, eggs, and dairy products from pasture-raised animals are healthy protein alternatives.  Compared with commercial products, they provide you with healthy, anti-inflammatory fats.  They are rich in antioxidants and they are free from added hormones and antibiotics

Animals that thrive on a foraged diet require much less fossil fuel than a CAFO diet of corn and soy.  Pasture-raised animals do their own fertilizing and harvesting.  Confined animals who are fed grain crops may be consuming some fossil fuel-based fertilizers or those which contain pesticides.

Choose Small Fish
Ocean fisheries around the world are now fearful of the intense over-fishing, pollution and habitat destruction.  Some species of fish are on the brink of extinction.  These fish play roles in complex ecosystems and their removal may affect ocean life in ways that we don't yet even understand.  Choose fish that are smaller than your dinner plate more often.

Brown Bag It
Bring your lunch to work and store foods in reusable containers vs. plastic bags.  Plastic packages are manufactured using oil and therefore are responsible for creating over 24,000 tons of greenhouse gas every year.  Avoid using plastic sandwich bags, foil or cellophane.  Bring your own silverware and glassware rather than the plastic silverware or cups from the cafeteria.  About one-third of the waste in the US consists of plastic packaging.  If you do have to use plastic, don't forget to recycle - an easy step we can all take today.

Carry Reusable Water Bottles Filled with Filtered Water

Drinking filtered water removes many dangerous contaminants.  Drinking filtered water is a more economical practice than drinking bottled water.  The type of plastic in which water is usually sold holds a plastic description of #1 - this is recommended for one time use only.  Instead, choosing a reusable water bottle and fill it with your own filtered water from your home to keep many single-use bottles our of the landfill.

Compost

Composting is a process through which microorganisms break down organic matter (kitchen vegetable scraps, yard waste, lawn clippings) and convert it into soil.  Through this cycle, waste materials can become healthy, nutrient rich soil, which is perfect for replenishing your garden and potted plants.  We recently begain composting, and just like many years ago when we began recycling, it is an empowering process.  Besides the fact that we have very little actual trash these days, I feel like we are making a difference in the environment in multiple ways.  Using vegetable scraps to make enriching organic compost for my garden, which allows us to grow more beautiful and healthy organic produce, which allows us to spend less money on produce elsewhere and less damage to the environment transporting the produce that we would have needed - WIN, WIN, WIN!!!  If you want some help in getting started on composting let me know.  I have an extremely handy husband who built my compost bin, and for a small fee, he just might coach your through it or even build it for you.  There are also many great compost bins available for purchase.

Eat at Green Restaurants
Log on to the GRA Association before deciding on your next dinner out.  The organization's goal was to help restaurants get certified as "green" as simply and effectively as possible.  To do this, the restaurant has to meet certain environment standards, such as basic green improvements, consulting, certification, and green public relations.

As you can see, there are many small things that we all can do everyday to live more gently on this earth.  Making healthy choices close to home facilitates understanding about how and where your food is produced and shipped.  We must address the issue of environmental damage now, before we find ourselves on the "Wall-E" earth.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Resource:  Green Nutrition for the Planet by Chrissy Wellington M.S., C.N.S., L.D.N., C.P.T.


WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
I wanted to share a meatless dish to support "Meatless Mondays" or any other day of the week for that matter.  By incorporating filling meatless items such as beans, whole grains and dense vegetables like sweet potatoes into your diet, you won't even miss the meat.  This combination of ingredients may look a bit strange to you, but trust me it is delicious!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas
Servings:  4 - 8

1-15 oz. can of Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
8 oz. Low-fat or fat-free sour cream
8 Whole grain tortillas
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (optional)
Low-fat or fat-free cream cheese
1-15 oz. Can black beans, rinsed and drained
3-4 Cloves of garlic, minced
Juice from 1 large lime (roll lime on the counter before cutting for more juice)
2 Heaping cups of cooked sweet potato, smashed a bit but still chunky (you can cook sweet potatoes in microwave loosely wrapped in a towel until tender, start with 5 to 8 minutes)
1/2 cup roasted green chiles (I used only one roasted green chile to keep it from being too hot for the kids)
1 t Ground cumin
1/2 t Chili powder
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 T Fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13" baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk green chile sauce with sour cream and set aside.  In a seperate bowl, combine black beans with minced garlic and lime juice.  Toss to coat and set aside.  In a third bowl, combine the peeled and lightly smashed sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices and season with salt and pepper.

Pour a 1/4 cup of the sour cream green chile sauce into the bottom of the 9x13" pan and spread to cover dish.  Inside of each tortilla, spread a little cream cheese down the middle.  On top of cream cheese, spread 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture.  Top with 1/8 of the black bean mixture.  Roll tortilla and place seam side down in the dish on top of sauce.  After all enchiladas are rolled and in the dish, top with rest of sauce.  If you like, top with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Here's to Fresh, Fast, and Fantastic Food!