Since St. Patrick's Day is coming up, it's a good time to ask yourself, "Am I eating green?"
Trish Brimhall, RDN, CD, CLE, says eating green may conjure up images of leafy green vegetables, but eating green goes far behind salad habits.
She explained there are essentially two basic meanings to eating green:
1. Eating more green plants that provide rich sources of fiber, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins A, C, K, and Folate. So think gut health, immune function, vision health, as just some of the health benefits from eating green foods.
2. Eating green is nutrition on an environmental level – reducing our carbon foot-print and maximizing sustainability of the food supply.
So how do you start eating green? Trish says the first meaning is straightforward and obvious, but the second approach may include strategies you've not thought of.
She shared a few with us:
Eat more plants. Incorporate plant-source proteins, and include some vegetarian meals in your weekly menus.
Drink tap water. Bottled water has 300 times higher carbon footprint than tap water. So don't just swap soda for bottled water, choose tap water. You can filter it at home, use reusable bottles or cups, and you can save anywhere from $300-$1000 per year. (that keeps a bit more green in your wallet ).
You can learn more from Trish at nutritiousintent.com.
