Healthy habits for you & the earth

As scary as droughts, floods, malaria, and deadly heat emergencies sound, the good news is that finding ways to reduce your carbon footprint and reduce how much you contribute to global warming are also generally good for your health.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Grow some food at home

   If you have a yard, a deck, or even a window box, you can grow produce in warm weather. Growing your own salad ingredients or fruit to serve your family provides you with healthier meal choices while lowering the amount of greenhouse gases you use to drive to grocery stores. It also provides you with the exercise benefits of gardening and the experience of spending time outside.

2. Eat organic and local food, not processed food
   
   
   

   What’s wrong with this cereal label? The cereal in the box contains everything but grain! Healthy food is not heavily processed; conversely heavily processed food often contains high fructose corn syrup, a non-natural ingredient that increases obesity risk while wrecking havoc with farm land. Michael Pollan masterfully explains the link between growing corn on industrial farms and global warming in his sentinel book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

   A simple rule for buying and eating healthier food: choose the packaged food item with the smallest food label. You can find minimally processed food items in almost any grocery store--you do not need to shop in the high-end organic, natural food stores. Just eat fresh fruits and vegetables more, and when you do buy packaged foods, avoid high fructose corn syrup by reading the label.

3. Drive your car a little less.
   

   If you can walk or ride your bike, do so. If you need wheels, take the train or bus, or share a ride with a friend. Studies show that for every 30 minutes you spend commuting alone in your car every day, the more likely you are to gain weight. The easiest way to cut back on carbon emissions is to drive less, and you can also improve your exercise profile and reduce your obesity risk.