A Healthier Hokie: A Blog for Smarter Eating

Green cars, green houses, and green clothes; nowadays, many companies are focusing on ways to become more environmentally friendly. With the increasing depletion of the ozone layer, you may be wondering how you can decrease your ecological footprint. You can greatly diminish your impact by merely eating more environmentally conscious. Here are a few tips on how you can become green in your diet to help maintain our environment:

1. Eat at the bottom of the food chain. The higher you eat up the food chain, the more processing of the food. For your health and the health of the environment, consume more fruits and vegetables instead of processed foods.
2. Eat less meat. If you do not want to rid your diet of meat that’s okay, simply limiting it will make a huge impact! Substitute other protein sources like beans and nuts. In addition, many Americans obtain their daily requirement for iron from red meats. To compensate for the limiting of beef, you should consume more dark green vegetables and iron fortified cereals.
3. Eat more fresh foods. Instead of buying frozen or canned vegetables, buy fresh! Purchase foods from a local farmers market because they will not travel far to reach you and will be the freshest choice! Fresh foods may have a slight increase in price; however, you’ll be saving the environment from the damage of the packaging process and feeding your body the most nutrient dense foods!
4. Don’t buy bottled water. Fill up a water bottle with water from home. This will considerably reduce bottle waste in our landfills and save you money!
5. Don’t use Styrofoam to-go boxes when you are eating in the dining center! Ask for your meal to go only when you really are leaving. Carry a plastic container with you for those times when you can’t finish your meal. Use it to take the leftover food back to your room.

With these simple tips there is no need to buy a new hybrid car; simply becoming a better food consumer will greatly reduce your ecological footprint.