7 Simple Steps for Earth Friendly Eating Without Changing Your Diet
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Our environment is in danger. Global warming is real and should be a serious concern for all of us. The industrial farming corporations are doing serious harm to the planet. And while many local farms and ranches in Texas are slowly shifting their focus to sustainable and regenerative practices, we also have to do our part.
We all need to do our part to counteract the devastation being done. Getting involved in a tactile, hands-on way is the best avenue for engraining positive habits into your everyday life. There are many ways to get involved in your food system. Here are 7 of them and they're a lot simpler than you imagine.
Importance of Food Literacy
We have a whole video about food literacy right here at TexasRealFood, so be sure to check that out. For a quick overview, food literacy means understanding the impact your food choices have on your health, your community, and the environment. Having a strong grasp of food literacy lays the foundation for countless other positive food habits.
Grow Your Own Home Garden!
Having a sustainable vegetable garden right outside your home is doable for many Americans. It’s a great way to connect with the environment in a sensual way. With just a small patch of soil and a little effort, you’ll be rewarded with fresh, whole vegetables that you can be sure are truly organic. This food will be better for your body and better for the environment.
P.S. We recently had a webinar on how to plan your vegetable garden in Texas that you can check out here!
Shop at Your Local Farmers Market!
The majority of the food products lining our supermarket shelves are a result of industrial farming, genetic engineering, monocultures, over refining & processing, and other harmful practices. Industrial farming is the largest threat to our planet. Avoiding grocery store shopping is one of the best ways you can stand against industrial farming. The food you find at farmer’s markets will be far healthier and more fresh. You might find yourself paying a bit more, but the tradeoff is well worth it.
Find your local farmers market here.
Raise Your Own Chickens
Raising a couple of chickens might be easier than you would expect. Treating animals humanely is far easier than it could seem, given how terribly they are treated in factory farms. Raising chickens can provide you with eggs and eventually meat at the end of their happy lives. Your kids might even enjoy having them as pets.
Cooking at Home
Cooking a true homemade meal, means cooking from scratch with real ingredients. Whether you grow and raise the ingredients yourself or buy them from your local farmer’s market, by cooking meals yourself, you keep your money within the community and keep your family eating naturally and healthily. If you want to know more about home cooked dinners, we have a video all about that, right here at TexasRealFood.
Need ideas? Our in-house chef has some great recipes here.
Limit Your Waste
Limiting the waste of you and your family means first becoming conscious of exactly how much waste you are generating. People often generate more waste than they realize. There are simple steps that you can take to limit your water use, food spoilage, and general pollution. Incorporating the practices of freezing, pickling, canning, and fermenting are all ways to make your fresh food last longer. Cooking meals in large batches and saving the leftovers is the most efficient use of natural food resources.
Buy Directly From Your Local Farms and Ranches!
The best way to ensure you are getting the absolute freshest food for your family is to shop directly from farmers and ranchers. This food is guaranteed to be healthier and tastier than the similar products you’ll find in a grocery store. Buying directly isn’t just good for you and your family, but for the farmer and the community as well. Good farmers need to earn a profit for their hard work, and profiting farmers are more likely to purchase the supplies they need for their livelihoods from the local economy. This keeps the local dollar circulating and out of the hands of the industrial farming corporations.
Check out farms and ranches near you.
So these are 7 of the simple ways that you can be involved in your food system. It is important to get involved, especially in our modern times. Give at least one, if not all of these options a try and start making a difference for yourself, your community, and your environment.
We would love to hear your opinions, so head on down to the comment section and join the conversation. Be sure to subscribe and check out the other videos here at TexasRealFood's Youtube Channel
Sources:
Food Literacy Center
Health Benefits of Home-Cooked Meals (how long do cooked meals last?)
