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Green Nutrition

Green Nutrition. Not just broccoli, cabbage and spinach……. Sustainable nutrition. What is sustainable nutrition?

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Green Nutrition

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  1. Green Nutrition Not just broccoli, cabbage and spinach…….

  2. Sustainable nutrition • What is sustainable nutrition? • “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” Brundtland Commission of the United Nations

  3. Goals • Sustainable or “green” nutrition’s goals: • Reduce carbon footprint • The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). • Improve individual health through quality of diet

  4. Who Cares? • Carbon additions in the atmosphere interfere with our natural ecosystems, including climate, landfills, water and soil to name a few • Pesticides and other containments in our water • Excess garbage filling up landfills-where does it go? • Healthy soil equals healthy compost

  5. How Do We Achieve These Goals? • Production method • Is organic better? • Transportation & Storage • Food selection • Animal vs. plant protein • Processed foods • Packaging & Waste

  6. Is Organic ‘Green’? • Organic does reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers • Large scale organic farming utilizes irrigation, fuel, electricity and transportation as conventional farming does • Soil and water conservation practices may be similar to convention farming • Nutrient composition of organic foods may not be superior • Exception grass fed beef: omega 6:3 fatty acid ratio of .16/1 versus grain fed beef ratio of 20/1 • Farm to plate and soil quality are more important to the nutrient composition of a food than ‘organic’ is.

  7. Dirty Dozen vs. Clean Fifteen • The Dirty Dozen 2011 • Apples • Celery • Strawberries • Peaches • Spinach • Nectarines (imported) • Grapes (imported) • Sweet bell peppers • Potatoes • Blueberries (domestic) • Lettuce • Kale/collard greens • The Clean Fifteen • Onions • Sweet corn • Pineapples • Avocado • Asparagus • Sweet peas • Mangoes • Eggplants • Cantaloupe (domestic) • Kiwi • Cabbage • Watermelon • Sweet potatoes • Grapefruit • Mushrooms

  8. Transportation & Storage • More than 800 million tons of food shipped around the world, in the US we consume nearly 20% of all petroleum that is burned annually. Our food travels 25% farther than it did 20 years ago. • Refrigeration and freezers impact a food’s carbon footprint • Do the food mapping exercise to see where your farm to fork food cycle is.

  9. Food Selection • Animal vs. Plant • Animal protein generally uses significantly more fossil fuel than plant production due to methane & waste production • It takes 16 pound of feed to produce 1 pound of meat • U.S. consumes more protein than necessary. • Protein needs for an adult .8g/kg body weight • Cut out 2 ounces of meat a day and save 819 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year • The more processed a food is the more likely is has a higher carbon foot print. Converting apples to applesauce to apple juice requires additional steps and additional energy used. It also reduces the nutrient density of the food

  10. Packaging & Waste • Agriculture can covert animal waste into fertilizer & other uses. • 40% of all food waste is at the consumer level. • Look at the packaging of the foods you purchased and calculate the difference between how much the packaging weighs and how much the food weighs. • Additional packaging in processed foods means additional waste. • How much food waste is at your house? Look at where the potato peelings go, in the trash can, garbage disposal or compost bin? • Compost requires air, something not available in a landfill • Buy less, eat less, store & preserve food properly.

  11. Go for the Green Tips • Start a garden-no yard? Try container gardening • Shop at the local farmers’ market • Buy a share from a Community Supported Agriculture Farm (CSA) • Buy directly from local farms, road stands and U-pick farms • Compost fruit and vegetable scraps, use on your garden! • Select packaging options that are recyclable and environmentally friendly. • Complete a Master Gardener course • Freeze or can fresh seasonal food • Use reusable shopping bags

  12. Benefits of Green Nutrition • Improved diet quality and potential weight loss • Support of local farmers • Lowered nutritional carbon footprint though: • Fewer miles your food travels when you consume fewer process foods and more local food • Reduced travel to restaurants as you cook ‘green’ at home

  13. Green Food Checklist

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