Green Family Meals

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Green Family Meals

Family meals are usually one of the most enjoyable times of the day. It provides an opportunity for families to slow the pace down, eat some delicious food, and talk to each other. For green families it also provides an opportunity for them to further their dedication to the environment by choosing foods that compliment their goals and ideals. This might seem rather simplistic but many green families believe that what you choose to eat is essentially a vote for the type of world you want. There are various ways that families might choose to “green” their meals.

Eating Local

Eating local means purchasing and eating foods that were grown in or near your local community. Choosing to eat local foods is better for the environment and it is better for the local economy as well. It is said that dollars spent locally go twice as far.

Local food usually travels 100 miles or less from farm to plate so needless pollution is avoided when our food does not need to be frozen, refrigerated, or trucked across country for thousands of miles. Local food is fresh because it doesn’t have to travel very far. The taste of a fresh picked tomato is infinitely better tasting and healthier for you than a tomato picked a week ago and ripened with chemicals. Local eating is also referred to as seasonal eating because you are only be to find what can be grown seasonally in your area. This makes local eating a more economical choice in most cases as well, since you won’t be buying expensive imported foods that are not in season. Local eating also reduces the chance that your food has been contaminated while being processed or shipped.

Organic Food

Organic agriculture is sustainable agriculture. It is a method of producing food without harming the land in any way. Organic farmers seek to work the land without preventing future generations from being able to use it as well. Organic farmers conserve water, preserve the soil, and provide food products that are chemical free and fit for human consumption. Organic farmers may also sell locally many times, helping to conserve energy and fossil fuels that would otherwise be spent in transportation. They are a healthy choice for humans and the planet alike.

Organics are becoming widely available in mainstream grocery stores in addition to the health foods stores where you would normally find them. Local farmers and farmer’s markets are also a good place to purchase organics from. If your access to organic food is limited by availability or budget you can also grow your own in your backyard or through a community garden.

Eat Grass Fed Meat

Eating animal products and meat from grass fed animals is the environmentally friendly choice. Animals raised in confinement are unhealthy and not eating their native diet. Therefore they require antibiotics and hormones in order to turn a profit for their owners. Their meat and milk is also much more likely to be contaminated with e.coli, salmonella and other pathogens. When you buy meat and milk from a local, small farmer, you are supporting healthy green eating! Not to mention that grass fed meat is tastier and much healthier. One reason for this is because of the higher amounts of certain nutrients, such as Omega 3 fatty acids and CLA in grass fed.