Food is fundamental to life. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the biggest worries of the future.
With the world’s population projected to eclipse 10 billion by 2050, many are concerned about how to feed that many mouths. And not just feed them but provide them a healthy diet that also doesn’t hurt the environment.
This may seem a sobering and odd topic for a fitness blog, but there is a connection. You see, you can actually help this issue while improving your own fitness and health.
Scientists say that food production (growing crops, raising livestock, fishing, and transporting all that food) is responsible for 20% to 30% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, researchers say that 33% of the ice-free land on our planet is being used to grow our food.
However, nearly 40% of all food in America is wasted each year. That’s 108 billion pounds of food, roughly 130 billion meals, and more than $408 billion in food thrown away each year. And that’s just in the U.S.
So, where do you fit in?
A new study found that if citizens in 28 high-income nations like the United States, Germany, and Japan actually followed the dietary recommendations of their respective governments, greenhouse gases related to the production of the food they eat would fall by 13% to 25%.
By eating healthy and being intentional with what you eat, you can be a part of the solution. When you plan out your meals or, at the very least, eat with intention, you won’t have more on your plate than you need, thus getting rid of having extra food that invariably just gets tossed in the trash.
Less wasted food means less food that needs to be produced, and less food that needs to be produced means less strain on the environment.
So this Earth Day, instead of hugging a tree, just cook yourself a healthy, intentional meal (and then keep doing it) and make a difference.
- The Rebrand of a Decade - November 20, 2024
- Living an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle - August 7, 2024
- The Role Nutrition Plays in Maintaining a Healthy Thyroid - July 25, 2024
