Obesity is a serious health problem among Americans; but the impact of what we eat doesn’t stop at our waistlines. No, dietary choices also have a serious impact on the environment and many popular, convenient items are veritable trash factories, while many weight loss plans are packed with artificial ingredients and wrapped in layers of plastic. The fact is, dieters need better options – but there are sustainable items out there.
Before you dive into the wide world of weight loss programs, take a moment to consider what the conditions are for sustainable dining. You’ll quickly discover that the foods that are best for our planet are also best for you.
Fade Out Fads
One of the most common problems people have when trying to lose weight is that there are so many diets being marketed – but most of those diets are fads and don’t work. Rather, if you want to lose weight reliably, you need to make fundamental changes to the way you eat, and that often starts with reducing the amount of meat you eat. Not only are meat products a major contributor to heart disease, animal agriculture is an environmental issue, contributing to global warming and water waste, among other issues.
Another reason to skip the fad diets is that many of them don’t involve real food. The classic Master Cleanse, for example, is just water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup, and that’s simply not food. Other popular diets, such as SlimFast, contain mostly dairy products, low-quality fat like canola oil, and a variety of sugars. The bottom line is that if you want to lose weight, skip all these factory-made goods and focus on eating real foods, ideally locally grown, organic produce.
Considering Convenience
Fad diets are popular in large part because they’re convenient; they (supposedly) give you everything you need to succeed. If you’re looking for a simplified way to eat healthy and shed some pounds, then, where can you turn without trashing the environment? One weight loss plan to consider is Green Chef, a meal delivery plan that emphasizes healthy, semi-homemade eating. Compared to many other diet plans, Green Chef provides a variety of well-rounded meals – no shakes or smoothies but also no shopping, which for most busy dieters is a good balance.
In addition to providing healthy, pre-structured meals, Green Chef also considers environmental issues. All of their packaging is recyclable and the company collaborates with TerraPass to operate a carbon neutral business. Compared to many meal delivery programs, this diet plan has mastered the packaging problem. In comparison, other delivery services are overrun with packaging and carbon waste.
Practices Not Products
Ultimately, the simplest way to ensure your diet is also environmentally friendly is to focus on a diet practice, not a particular product. The most effective diets in long-term studies are those that tune into a way of eating, rather than a particular set of foods. The DASH diet, Mediterranean diet, and even flexitarian eating habits all provide diners with flexibility regarding what to eat and how to buy it. These plans give you the option to buy ingredients in bulk with minimal packaging, focus on organic ingredients, and are nutritionally complete – without the need for added vitamins.
Even former fads are tuning in to the need to be more eco-friendly. Atkins, the classic high-protein, high-fat diet, now promotes a plant-based variant: eco-Atkins. Plant-based diets, or even meatless Mondays, all make a difference when it comes to how much waste we produce. You have to do all the prep yourself, making plans like eco-Atkins more challenging, but it’s worth the effort.
Dieting doesn’t have to involve artificial products and piles of packaging – it can be as natural as any other way of eating. If you need to lose weight, then, consider how you approach the process. Dieting can take many different forms, so opt for one that offers results with real food. It’s better for you and for the planet.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
