HEATHER THOMAS: Earth-conscious media reminds us to recycle everything from glass to newspapers; switch to reusable items from shopping bags to water bottles; and choose alternative energy sources like water, wind or solar power. However, something rarely mentioned is the effect our food choices have on the environment. Did you know that in addition to the health of your body, the foods you eat have a direct impact on the health of the planet?

The mantra of More Vegetables and Less Meat applies to both the health conscious and environmentally conscious eater. With regard to environmental impact, it is just as important to make healthier food choices, as it is to responsibly dispose of waste and conserve water. Here is some valuable information to consider before the next trip to the grocery store.

More Vegetables: Choose locally grown produce (that which travels less than 100 miles before it’s consumed) as an ideal source of vitamins and nutrients. It will taste fresher because it can be eaten with 24 hours of picking, you will be supporting local farmers and eliminating the environmental damage caused by long-distance transportation. Best of all, whole fruits and vegetables come in their own natural ‘wrapper’, resulting in no additional energy needed to produce packaging, no preservatives required for freshness and no extraneous waste to contribute to landfills. Enjoying locally grown produce also affords an opportunity to appreciate the seasonality of different fruits and vegetables, and explore some new cuisines. Those with a green thumb may want to consider planting a garden – indoors or out. My article Plant a Garden for Sustainable Living  provides tips to get you started.

Less Meat: Reducing your meat consumption will benefit the planet due to a couple of different factors influential in the carbon footprint attributed to ruminant animals (cattle, sheep, buffalo, camels and goats). The first is their production of the potent greenhouse gas, methane, which is contributing to global climate change. According to the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), over half of the global methane emissions come from human-related sources such as natural gas production, coal mining, and landfills. Also leading the list are the enteric fermentation (digestive process) and manure management of livestock, which is responsible for 28% of this total, equalling approximately 80 million metric tons of methane a year.

The next factor takes into consideration the animal’s food source. Unless the livestock are grazing on grass, they are likely being housed in large sheds or barns, and fed factory-produced corn and soy based products that contain chemical, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. The factories that produce this feed are major contributors to air pollution and some of the leading producers of nitrous oxide and ammonia. 

Finally, there is the livestock manure management process for these factory-bred animals. Ideally, if animals are on well-managed pastured based farms, their manure is evenly distributed back into the Earth, and acts as an organic fertilizer in a closed, sustainable system. Conversely, the manure of factory farmed animals is processed through liquid manure management systems or holding tanks, and is responsible for significant amounts of methane, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, ground and water.

When it’s time to choose the ingredients for your next meal, consider ‘beefing’ up on vegetables instead of meat. However if you aren’t willing to give up your carnivorous ways, making small adjustments in old habits can make a big different in both heart health and the health of the planet. Limiting your meat consumption to organic, 100% grass-fed beef, portioned in small serving sizes, is a wonderful beginning. Going meatless one day a week is a fun way to snap out of old ruts and explore some new creative vegetarian recipes.

Here are some great vegetarian recipes: AllRecipes.com Food.com CookingLight.com 

Do you have a meatless recipe to share?