3 Outstanding Benefits of Sustainable Eating
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about sustainability. Sustainability is more than just a buzzword, though — it’s a huge step we can all take to care for ourselves, each other, and our planet. But while pursuing an eco-friendly lifestyle, let’s zero in on one aspect of it: sustainable eating.
Living sustainably means making good use of the earth’s resources, reducing waste, and ensuring your lifestyle is easy to, well, sustain. Sustainable eating, then, is about choosing food that’s healthy for you and the planet. Think organic whole foods and packaging that won’t still be sitting in a landfill long after you’re gone.
Without further ado, here are the top three benefits of sustainable eating.
A Healthy Body
An important principle of sustainable eating is to choose foods that are natural, organic, and minimally processed. And of course these foods are going to be better for your body than unsustainable, processed junk foods.
As the saying goes, you are what you eat, and as much as we'd love to be salty, crunchy finger-licking goodness, the lack of nutrients and abundance of digestive issues that accompany a heavily processed diet aren't always worth it.
But there’s no need to swear off snacking altogether — the right healthy snacks can be addictively delicious and make you feel great. Our dairy-free Outstanding cheese balls, for example, are entirely plant-based and loaded with protein, vitamins, and minerals, so you get all the flavor but none of the, uh, side effects.
Reduced Environmental Impact
When you practice sustainable eating, you choose foods that are not only good for you but also good for the planet. There are several ways to accomplish this.
— Reject wasteful packaging. While, realistically, it’s almost impossible to go totally zero waste, buying food with reusable or biodegradable packaging goes a long way toward reducing the amount of waste you produce.
— Cook with clean ingredients and whole foods. The less processing your food undergoes before it reaches your table, the lower its negative impact on the planet.
— Eat less (or no) meat. Not only is a plant-based diet better for you, but it’s also healthier for the environment. The whole process of raising livestock and producing meat is a big contributor to climate change, and you can fight back by cutting down on — or completely eliminating — meat and animal products.
Just as healthy food choices help make the planet healthier, a healthier planet improves our overall health. Basically, sustainable eating makes each healthy choice come full circle over and over again.
Easier on the Wallet
A simple way to practice more sustainable eating is to shop at local farmers markets and small businesses. Not only does this usually mean you end up with minimally processed food and less packaging waste, but it also helps sustain your local economy — all while costing you less in the long run.
Think about it this way: If you buy local, organic ingredients and combine them into many different meals, you’re getting a lot more bang for your buck than if you’d only bought a couple of pre-made dishes.
Not to mention, you get the added bonus of stretching your creative muscles and improving your cooking skills as you try out new recipes and hunt for ways to use up all the ingredients instead of just tossing the last little bits.
Sustainable Eating: Better for Everyone
It should be a no-brainer to want to take care of ourselves and the world around us. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to know the best ways of doing that. But the more you learn about and practice sustainable eating, the easier it will be to make healthier, more sustainable choices each and every day.
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