Going Green- The Food We Eat
By Stephanie Tabor
Our generation, besides being notorious for obesity and overeating, is consumed with purchasing food products that, yes, may taste good but are consequently damaging our bodies.
Packaged and frozen food alongside our fast food culture is driving more Americans to be overweight in addition to taking in unnecessary toxins, chemicals, and preservatives.
Below are a few ways to create a green diet and control your health through what you eat:
- Eat FRESH- What does this mean? Well, although it may be efficient to grab a boxed TV dinner and pop it into our microwaves, these frozen foods contain loads of preservatives as well as high fat contents. These frozen foods are processed and therefore not natural. Furthermore, fresh fruits and veggies that can be purchased at a local farmers market or in supermarkets is the better option as opposed to canned fruits and vegetables.
- Shop at stores such as Wegmans, Trader Joes, or Whole Foods. Wegmans has a section of their store designated for organic foods as well as gluten free products. Whole Foods sells prepared dinner options that are all organic including organic sushi as well as pizza.
- Cook as opposed to eat out. Cooking at home lets you know how your food is prepared. When you go eat at a restaurant or when you order in you are not sure how the chef is preparing your food. Cooking from home lets you manage the products you use and you are able to maintain a healthy and organic environment.
 Purchase organic chicken, fish, meat. Unfortunately, many poultry products contain hormones, which could be potentially dangerous to our bodies and cause disease. Stick to poultry and meat that contain a seal that they are in fact organic products.
Yes, going green could be more costly as well as more time consuming but in the end the benefits may outweigh the consequences. A few years ago a major fast food chain publicized the fact that they now use “real chicken” for their chicken nuggets. My question is, what were they using before? The point is, we have to be cautious of what we put in our bodies.
 It’s scary but unfortunately we do not know where majority of our food comes from. In a documentary entitled Food Inc. journalists uncover the origin of the foods we eat every day. The outlying message is that majority of the food that enters our body can be potentially harmful to us.
Going green and turning to organic cuisine could make a huge difference not only in our lives but in the entire food industry. |
