Health + Food + Sustainability

​You probably already intuitively know that what you eat makes a difference for your health and the health of the environment.  This link was investigated by researchers* who found three specific things you can do to save the planet - and safeguard your health:
Reduce your consumption of individually packaged snacks, soda-pop and candy, which all tend to travel long distances to come to your mouth, are not the best option for your health, and clog the earth and seas up with wrapper waste. 

Don’t bulk buy if you are a small household and your bulk buys don’t get all eaten up or used up. Up to one third of all food is wasted, with about half of that waste by us consumers. Food waste hurts the planet, and the pocket book, especially as the cost of living is going up these days.
Make microwave meals a special treat, and not something you eat regularly. Like with candy and pop, the travel and production necessary to bring these foods to your table, and into your belly, are hard on the environment, and not always the best option for your health.
In the US, if we were to collectively take these three actions, we would reduce our carbon emissions by one quarter. We would also reshape our food systems, with, probably, more local foods, fresh foods and healthier foods produced and supplied and produced. 
These three tips involved not doing something. When you make a change away from something, you need something to change too.
Two things you can do to be healthier and save the planet are:

Eat five fruits or vegetables a day. Blueberries count - and they are delicious. 

Happiness Inducing recipe #1: Mix equal parts of frozen blueberries and vanilla yogurt together. Let sit for about 5 minutes and enjoy a delicious confection that tastes as good as candy but is much better for  your health and the planet.
Eat beans once a week - or if that feels like too much, once a month. Beans are among the most commonly eaten foods in the world, nutritious, and easy on the planet. 
Happiness Inducing recipe #2:

• Cook your beans as you normally do, or use two cans of black beans (if you use canned beans, rinse them off)
  
• Peel and thinly slice two onions, and saute the onions on high heat for about 3-5 min, careful not to brown them. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, and let saute for about an hour, occasionally stirring them. This will caramelize the onions. They will be translucent and sweet.  
  
• Add your beans to your caramelized onions, turning the heat up again until you hear a sizzle, then turn on low and stir until the sizzle sound is gone.  and cook on low, stirring occasionally, until everything glistens and looks delicious. 
  
• Cut up some cabbage very thinly. Dice some tomatoes. Chop some cilantro- if you like it.
  
• Mix one par mayonnaise, one quarter vinegar, one teaspoon or tablespoon coconut syrup (depending on your sweet tooth), and a pinch of salt. 
• With beans on half the plate, and cabbage on the other half, drizzle the dressing over the cabbage, enjoy this meal as you save the planet, eat healthier and have a deliciously happy time.

Song, L., Cai, H., & Zhu, T. (2021), Large-Scale Microanalysis of U.S. Household Food Carbon Footprints and Reduction Potentials. Environmental Science Technology, 22, 15323–15332 doi: 10.1021/acs.est.1c02658