Eating Green is Going Green: How a Healthy Lifestyle is Good for the Environment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 33 percent of adults and 16 percent of children in the US are obese. Since 1980, obesity rates for adults have doubled and rates for children have tripled. They numbers are alarming, particularly in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as noted in the diagram below:

Obesity increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions including:

• Coronary heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
• Stroke
• Liver and Gallbladder disease
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
• Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility)

To a person, people know cognitively that they need to eat better and exercise regularly to avoid these problems, but emotionally they find it difficult to change their lifestyle, so many don’t even try. When people learn that my wife and I have moved beyond our regular vegetarian diets to a vegan lifestyle, the most common feedback we get is “I am not disciplined enough to do that.” In emotional intelligence language, that kind of comment would be considered low on the self-actualization scale, which can be a hint to overall low emotional intelligence. Though we try hard not to make a big deal of it or pass judgment on anyone, it is easy to tell from some people’s behavior that our choice to avoid eating animal products somehow indicts them, so they go on the defensive. They proudly say things such as, “Give me their meat” or “I’ll have double meat, ha, ha, ha.” What’s so ironic is that those same folks, of whom few exercise regularly, often comment on how healthy they think we look and they say things like, “You both are so lucky you are so thin.” I always feel like responding about how “lucky” I was feeling at 5:00 that morning in the gym.

We not only have to be careful about what we put in our bodies, we must carefully consider what we put on our bodies. Most cosmetics, household cleaning, hair care, skin care, and personal hygiene products contain harsh chemicals that may be harmful for us and damage the environment at the same time. We have recently replaced all of our personal care products and cleaning supplies in our home with natural products. What’s interesting is that while some of these products have been difficult to find, they haven’t really cost us more money—and many of them have worked better! For a complete list of ingredients that the popular grocery chain Whole Foods deems unacceptable, please visit http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/pdfs/unacceptable-bodycare.pdf.

Here are few tips on being friendly to yourself and the environment:

• Use natural products – Not only are they better for you, many are package in biodegradable containers.
• Try organic and non-processed foods - Organic foods are farmed without the use of environmentally harmful pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and other chemicals.
• Maybe you are not ready to be a vegan, but try eating vegetarian a couple of times per week - Livestock use a lot of resources and produce waste that can lead to water pollution and greenhouse gases.
• Buy locally grown foods - it reduces pollution generated by transportation.

I know it can be daunting to introduce such a lifestyle change, but keep in mind that everybody had to start somewhere. Each time someone walks by you who looks like they don’t take care of themselves should serve as a reminder of how important it is to eat right and exercise regularly. This is not about vanity, but more about your social/emotional/physical health. Imagine the possibilities for you, and the value to our planet!