How Being Healthy can Save the Planet?

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Saving the planet has gradually grown as a serious matter in recent years. In front of many disastrous events that are occurring every day, something has to be done to offer the whole population a proper and healthy environment. Not only for the present population but also for future generations.

Being healthy is definitively the solution to resolve these serious problems that are threatening the well-being of everyone.

But how being healthy can save the planet? There are actually different ways to be healthy that can really change the current condition of the planet. Let’s see them.

Have a healthy diet

Agriculture is the first factor of climate change and contamination of the planet. It occupies 40% of the earth’s surface and is responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions. Improving and adapting our diet is one the best solution to save the planet.

A healthy diet that could possibly save the planet is based on much less meat and lots more vegetables.

Limit the consumption of animal foods

Limiting or even avoiding animal foods is one the best way in being healthy which can save the planet.

In fact, meat consumption has clearly negative consequences for the environment. As studies have shown that the meat industry is responsible for more than 20% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Besides, limiting animal products consumption doesn’t only help to reduce greenhouse gases but it also helps to lower land use and water use. Indeed, most mammals before finishing meat need large quantities of water. About 70% of water is used in the world to feed them. And almost 80% of agricultural land is part of the meat process.

Then, what to do next?

There is no way to radically change your diet and go vegetarian. Even though this latter is a good possibility to profoundly save the planet. For instance, try to eat less meat every week. Go meatless one day a week. There are great substitutes to meet our nutrients such as beans and vegetables, mushrooms, jackfruit, eggplant or tofu that can offer a certain amount of vitamin B, iron and omega-3s.

Eat more vegetable foods

The main change in a healthy diet is to eat far more vegetables. Vegetable food is best suited to meet our nutritional needs. In fact, vegetables are one of the most nutritious foods in providing an essential amount of carbohydrates.

Besides being a key role in the supply of carbohydrates, a vegetarian diet is very effective in meeting the needs of protein, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. It would also considerably save and lower water and land use. A plant-based diet requires less land than the production of animal-based foods. Moreover, global greenhouse gas emissions would decrease as well.

Vegetable foods are definitely the major key to save the planet by fighting climate change, soil, air and water pollution.

Read –> 7 most nutritious foods

Avoid GMOs foods

Even though the use of GMOs is quite recent. There are still huge debates about its healthiness on the environment or not. Most of the plants currently under cultivation are insecticide-producing or herbicide-tolerant plants. Some properties such as the resistance to insects, viruses and drought aim to reduce the impact of agricultural practices on the environment.

Nonetheless, there are major risks including a loss of biodiversity with the loss of a number of species and contamination on other agricultural cultures.

There is an urgent necessity to stop using GMOs on agricultural cultures.

Restrict processed foods consumption

This matter is a bit tricky because most food we buy and eat is processed. Processed foods mean that they’ve been altered containing a high amount of sugar, salt, fat, additives and preservatives. Eating them isn’t inevitably negative for our health.

Nonetheless, the main problem that arises with processed food is overconsumption. These foods are primarily made to be offered and eaten by as many consumers as possible.

But most processed foods made by food industry companies use land, water and transport. Besides, we can waste these foods quickly. Therefore, these effects are fundamentally hurtful for the earth.

It’s important to restrict processed food consumption to save the planet.

Have a healthy lifestyle

The planet is badly hurt because of how human beings are behaving every day. It’s necessary to favour a healthy lifestyle to meet our most important needs while saving the planet.

Use eco-friendly transport

There are several ways to move in an environmentally friendly way in order to reduce your carbon footprint. Indeed, we can consider the use of bicycle, electric bike or scooters which don’t provoke harmful carbon emissions. By using them and exercising, you can enjoy several health benefits for you.

Hybrid or electric vehicles are other ways to reduce air pollution as they use only electricity.

Carpooling is another efficient way to reduce carbon footprint by sharing a car with other riders.

Finally, we can’t help but think of public transport and walking which are both great ways to lower air pollution and carbon footprint into the atmosphere.

Shop and buy local and eco-friendly products

Shopping and buying local and environment-friendly products is an essential part to save the planet. You not only contribute to the health of the environment, but you also help and support economically local businesses.

Environmentally, local businesses don’t spit out a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, these companies sell to local consumers. Therefore, they use less fuel consumption to transport every good. This means less air and noise contamination and thus a healthier life.

Besides, they consume less land and water. The environment is deeply destroyed by big companies that are using hectares and hectares of land and large quantities of water to produce their goods. The cost of these infrastructure is terrible because it destroys biodiversity and increases air, soil contamination.

Waste less food

Terribly, a third of the food produced in the world every year gets wasted. Food waste has thus significant negative impacts on the environment. This results in a waste of natural resources (water, agricultural land, etc.) but also contamination related to food production and their destruction. Moreover, food waste also means a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions (transport of food from farmers and food processors to supermarkets and customers).

A whole process must be done at every stage of the food production and consumption. However, you can help to waste less food by doing little action on your own. For example, buy smaller quantities of foods that you need and will use, freeze and preserve foods if you don’t expect to eat them immediately, make concise and organised lists of meals that you’ll eat, etc.

Be kind

By being kind, you have good behaviour to other people which can make the world happier and more responsible for the environment.

And by being kind, you convey a positive and environmentally-friendly message to all that could set a good example and raise awareness to save the planet. Making your voice heard is also a great step in moving things forward.

Conclusion

Our planet is one of the most beautiful things we have. But we’re on the verge of destroying it.

At every stage of our daily lifestyle, we can make small actions to save the planet.

First of all, it’s necessary to be healthy in our diet. Indeed, the motto is to eat less meat and more vegetables is the main key to save the earth. By reducing our meat consumption, avoiding processed food and GMOs food and favouring more vegetables.

Secondly, having a healthy lifestyle can considerably improve the condition of the planet. Favour ‘green’ transport, buy locally, waste less food or be king around you.

Hopefully, these relevant and effective efforts can make a huge change in the condition of the planet so that every future generation can live in a healthy place.

Sources and further readings

Newairz: 4 tips to be healthy and protect the environment

GreenPeace: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/sustainable-agriculture/eco-farming/eat-more-plants/

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/may/07/true-cost-of-eating-meat-environment-health-animal-welfare

Garden Organic: https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/gmos-environmental-concerns

Photo

RawFilm on unsplash.

Photo of a healthy diet by Brooke Lark on unsplash.

Image of using eco-friendly transport by Cflgroup Media on pixels.

Photo of being king by Sebastián León Prado on unsplash.