One way to a greener heart is to eat greener! The westerners diet includes lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added sugar and refined grains. This is because our lives are fast moving, and fast food (and frozen food) is how we eat. But one of the keys to a greener lifestyle is getting back to the basics when it comes to what we eat. Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan is a great book that hones in on the fundamentals to a greener and healthier diet. To achieve a greener heart try to incorporate some or all of these rules into your family's diet.
1. Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
This just makes sense. Think to yourself the next time you are at the super-market, "would great-grandma know what this is?" This is a great trick when picking out yogurt not Go-Gurt, for example.
2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
If you would not cook with it yourself why would you let others use these ingredients to cook for you? Ask yourself, "do I cook with monosodium glutamate (MSG)?" if not, leave it on the shelf.
3. Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup.
Not because it is worse for you than sugar, but because, like many unfamiliar food ingredients in packaged foods, it is a strong indication that the product has been highly processed. In addition, we should not be eating as much sugar as we do!
4. Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients.
Check the label, some foods, like Honey Nut Cheerios may surprise you. Leave these foods for special occasions.
5. Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients…. Or at least to ingredients that can be easily pronounced.
Think grocery store products, not when baking. When you are making food yourself you can often pronounce the ingredients you are using. This is a good trick to keep it simple and a way to consume less processed foods.
6. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.
Why you ask? Because processed foods generally dominate the center isles.
7. Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
The more processed a food product is the longer shelf life it has, and the less nutritious it typically is. Keep in mind exceptions, such as honey.
8. Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature.
This will help you to keep chemicals and foodlike substances out of your diet. Try it, pick up a box of Pop Tarts and try to picture all those ingredients in their raw state… Tricky, tricky.
9. Get out of the supermarket whenever you can.
Buy fruits, veggies and eggs from your local farmer’s market. If you live in a rural area, keep your eyes peeled for homemade signs by the roadside advertising fresh eggs and other fresh products. Or try your own green thumb out. If you are a beginner, start small with herbs.
10. It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car.
Enough said!
11. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.
Follow the old Chinese Proverb, “eating what stands on one leg [mushrooms and plant foods] is better than eating what stands on two [fowl], which is better than eating what stands on four legs [cows, and pigs].
12. Drink the spinach water.
Or at least save it for soup or sauces. This is because the water that veggies are cooked in is rich in vitamins and makes yummy stock.
13. Eat animals that have themselves eaten well.
This should be self-evident but is highly over looked by the industrial food industry that feed animals unhealthy grains and sometimes even coco to make cattle plump up faster and ready for market sooner. Try looking for all grass-fed cattle at your local butcher or supermarket.
14. If you have the space, buy a freezer.
Freezing fresh food from the farmer’s market, garden or butcher is a great way to ensure fresh eating on a budget and all year round.
15. It’s okay to salt and sweeten your food.
Just do it yourself. The amount of salt you put on your natural food is far less than what is put into processed foods. Everything in moderation.
16. Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.
This is because they are likely high in sugar and dyes.
17. Eat junk food as long as you cook it yourself.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying sweets in moderation, but food manufactures have made treats so inexpensive and readily available that we consume them far too often.
18. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper.
Eat a big, healthy breakfast and keep dinner as the smallest meal of your day. You are more active after breakfast then after dinner!
19. Limit your snacks to unprocessed foods
Snack foods are often laden with fat, sugar and salt. If you find yourself hungry between meals go for plant foods or unsalted nuts to tie you over.
20. Cook!
If you do not have the time to cook each day cook a larger portion when you can and freeze it for later.
It may seem overwhelming at first, but in time eating greener is achievable! Try to pick a few rules to start off with and master them one by one. After that, incorporate another rule until you are satisfied with your eating transition. Good luck!
