The green diet is more than just a method for eating healthy: it is a lifestyle strategy. In addition to encouraging the incorporation of organic and locally grown foods, the green diet puts an emphasis on where the food you eat comes from and how that food is processed, packaged and prepared. The overall goal of the green diet is not just to support a healthy body, but also to support a healthy environment.
Going Organic
One staple of the green diet is the consumption of organic foods. As the University of California notes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the labeling of "organic" foods, which are foods that farmers -- or food companies -- have not treated with pesticides, growth hormones, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics or other synthetic materials. In addition to running off into streams and contaminating local environments and water supplies, materials such as pesticides can also have direct impacts on human health. California State University Chico notes that farmers working with pesticides have an increased risk for developing cancers, neurological disorders and several other health problems.
Food Origin
Consuming organic foods is a top priority when following the green diet; however, a food's geographic origin can sometimes be a more significant factor. While organic foods have environmental benefits, these benefits start to dwindle when companies must transport the foods long distances, expending high quantities of energy for powering vehicles and refrigeration in the process. According to the University of California, locally-grown foods, or foods grown within a 150-miles of your home, can have several benefits, regardless of whether their production involved synthetic materials or not. Purchasing locally-grown foods supports the local economy and, more importantly, the smaller distances the foods need to travel lower the amounts of fossil fuel-expenditure. Also, because the foods reach the consumer sooner, they are typically fresher.
Preparation
Preparing meals at home is another key principle of the green diet. When you make your own meals, you know exactly what the ingredients are and where they came from. Most restaurants do not rely on locally grown or organic ingredients; and the same is true for mass-produced, prepackaged items like canned soups and microwavable meals. These prepackaged meals also typically contain artificial preservatives.
Variety
Large industrial farms typically use the same fields over and over for producing the same crops, a process known as mono-cropping. The downsides to this process are that the soil loses its fertility as the plants keep draining the same specific nutrients, and that the plants lose their genetic diversity, making them more susceptible to parasites and -- eventually -- extinction. For these reasons, as the green resource website Care2 notes, the green diet puts an emphasis on eating a variety of different foods. Organic farms, which typically do not mono-crop, are some of the best places for finding this variety.
Optimal Options
The green diet puts an emphasis on natural food choices that are high in dietary fiber. These include breads, pastas and couscous that are 100-percent whole grain or whole wheat; wild or brown rice; and cereals that have at least 3 g of fiber. When selecting organic foods, the best options are those foods that would otherwise receive high amounts of chemical treatment. These include raspberries, potatoes, grapes, strawberries, apples, spinach, pears, peaches, winter squash and green beans.
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