“Wait, why are we having leftovers for lunch?”, asked my husband with plain ignorance while sitting at the dining table yesterday. This took me by storm and made me realize how many more people out there would be oblivious to the fact of favouring their planet by eating leftovers! Well, now is high time to finally get into this discussion about how the sustainability of our planet immensely relies on our eating habits. So, buckle up, you are about to hit with five eco-friendly, healthy eating tips that will protect our planet in the long run – the basic concept behind ‘Green Living'. 

1. Endorse The Classic Mantra Of Reduce, Reuse And Recycle: The Well-Known 3 Rs:

Who is not familiar with the famous 3 Rs? Of course, everyone knows but, how can they be employed in our eating habits to protect the planet? First, you should know that food production, processing, storage, transportation and even consumption take an immense amount of energy and resources. Now getting back to the question, the following are the ways to preserve the Earth by acknowledging the 3 Rs:

• Reduce the waste of your food. By tossing food into the trash, you are not only wasting food but also the energy and resources it took to reach your plate.

• Reuse the leftovers from the previous day. Normalize eating it off and on. Trust me, you are doing a big favour to your planet.

• Recycle the leftover food in your freezer by adding some spices and veggies, and voila! you have a new dish – a side tip to save your money too! 

2. Let The Earth Breath: Change Gears From Animal-Based Food to Plant-Rich Diet: 

Gradually switching from animal-based food to plant-based is considered the most impactful step towards a greener future. This is because animals contribute more to greenhouse gas emissions. These gases absorb the heat of the sun, hence warming the Earth, called ‘Global Warming'. 

Moreover, animals take more land to breed resulting in deforestation and loss of biodiversity. They also contribute to polluting the environment. On the other hand, plant-rich diets: vegetables, fruits, beans, pulses, nuts etc take less water in production as well as in cooking, unlike animal-rich food. 

3. Make Eco-friendly Choices: Stick To Seasonal Fruits And Vegetables: 

Unlock the advantages of a healthy diet by making eco-friendly choices. Developing the habit of eating only seasonal produce not only benefits your health but also sustains the planet. Wondering how exactly eating seasonal fruits and vegetables helps the environment? Well, by consuming the seasonal produce, you will not leave it for packaging process, storage and transportation later on hence, saving enormous resources. 

4. Conserve the Earth Resources: Lower Your Ultra-Processed Food Intake: 

Earth resources can further be conserved and saved for future generations by adopting another nature-friendly habit: lowering ultra-processed food consumption. By reducing this intake, we will help the Earth by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, produced during their production and transportation. It will further conserve the resources too that it takes for processing. Overall, the less the consumption of processed food, the more the sustainability of our planet! 

5. Help The Planet: Choose Local, Eat Local: 

Another way to go greener is to choose local food: preferring the local economy. It helps in the form of less transportation which means low GHG emissions and hence, low air pollution. Overall, it will reduce the carbon print on the environment – helping the planet to be saved for upcoming generations! 

Conclusion: 

Adopting an eco-friendly, nature-loving eating lifestyle will preserve this planet and its resources for future generations. One small action by someone can potentially have a ripple effect, ultimately sustaining the planet for future people. So people, save this planet for your children, save it for the Earth itself; most importantly, save it for yourself!