Luscious, Light, and Low-Carbon
Three Keys to Eco-Friendly Weight Management
In Big Green Cookbook, you’ll find recipes that’ll meet anyone’s culinary pleasure—even if having a dietary dilemma. These are three key ways that greening your eating can be slimming. Sign up for “Big Green Cookletter” where you’ll find additional planet-pleasing, palate-pleasing weight loss tips.
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“Green-size” me
A lot of resources and energy goes into meat production. So if you eat meat, “green-size” it! That means to enjoy more petite-sized portions of it to make the environmental impact more petite. It’s one way to have your meat and eat it, too—even if only slightly more greenly. The same “green-sizing” idea can be beneficial for any foods that require cooking. For instance, make mini meatloaves, meatballs, or mini burgers instead of their hefty counterparts. Indulge in chicken nuggets instead of oversized fried chicken breasts. And bake mini cupcakes instead of not-so-mini ones—or instead of a full-size cake—to shrink-size the cooking energy required. By reducing the size of these rich foods, you’re reducing the calories, too!
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Be at least a part-time vegetarian
Go vegetarian when it fits your lifestyle. Studies suggest that following a vegetarian eating plan—especially a vegan diet—can be effective for weight loss. But if a vegetarian eating plan doesn’t suit your style, aim to be a flexitarian—or someone who eats a plant-based diet but who’ll eat chicken, fish, or meat on occasion. It’s kind of like an occasional vegetarian. Better yet, be an ecotarian—or someone who makes food choices based on environmental impact while following a plant-based eating plan with, if desired, small amounts of organic poultry or meat. (I’m an ecotarian, by the way!)
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Try earth-style on for size
Make veggies and fruits the center of attention on your dining plates. Be sure to use every edible produce part—skin, seeds, and all—whenever possible to create less waste and add texture and eco-flair. I call that “earth-style” cuisine. It ultimately plays a helpful role in weight management as it can boost dietary fiber intake—which can boost the feeling of fullness. Make sure to go organic when you can and scrub skins and outer peels well first.
“Luscious, Light, and Low-Carbon: Three Keys to Earth-Friendly Weight Management” adapted from Big Green Cookbook by Jackie Newgent, RD (Wiley).
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