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#b365 March Tip: Go Green
When it comes to healthy eating, there’s a lot of conflicting information out there. But everyone agrees on at least one piece of advice: Eat your greens. It’s true—adding more greens to your diet will improve your digestion, brighten your skin, and help you shed weight. But at barre3, when we talk about “going green” we’re talking about more than just filling your plates with kale, spinach, and chard. To us, going green is about deeply nourishing our bodies so we feel strong and balanced. It’s about celebrating delicious whole foods and cultivating habits that are better for our health and the environment. Here are seven tips for how you can start incorporating a little more green in your life:
Replace grains and starches with greens.
Greens are a quick way to boost your energy levels and give your body a fresh start, so instead of loading your plate up with bread or rice, start by piling on the kale and spinach. And as spring and summer produce becomes available, we invite you to branch out and try some other seasonal greens like swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, asparagus, snap peas, fiddleheads, zucchini, and green beans. When you fuel your body with a variety of what’s in season, not only will you have a more well-rounded, balanced diet, you’ll also eat foods that have better flavor and higher levels of antioxidants.
Shop at the farmer’s market.
One of the best places to find a big selection of fresh, green vegetables bursting with flavor is at the farmer’s market. Shopping here connects you with your food and your community. You get to meet the people growing your veggies and understand where your food is coming from. It’s also healthy for the environment because you’re buying locally, which means fewer fossil fuels get burned transporting food from the farm to your table.
To find a farmer’s market in your area, search here. If getting to a market is difficult, you can also look into signing up for a CSA box, which is essentially like having a local farmer hand pick a bunch of fresh vegetables just for you. At the barre3 Home Office in Portland, Oregon, Andrea Bemis from Dishing Up the Dirt drops off a CSA box every week. We love it!
Prioritize when to buy organic.
Have you heard of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15? The Dirty Dozen is a list of fruits and vegetables that are typically grown with a lot of pesticides, which is as bad for the environment as it is for your body. Health experts recommend buying organic whenever possible. The Clean 15 is a list of foods that have a relatively low pesticide load and therefore are okay to buy non-organic if you’re on a budget. The lists can help you prioritize which organic veggies are worth the investment.
The Dirty Dozen
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Celery
- Spinach
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Snap peas
The Clean 15
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Sweet peas
- Onions
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Papayas
- Kiwi
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
- Sweet potatoes
Choose grass-fed, organic meat when possible.
Grass-fed organic meat is no longer exclusive to farmer’s markets and Whole Foods. More and more, mainstream grocery stores like Costco and Trader Joe’s are carrying it. And for good reason. Just like humans, animals are healthier when they replace starches with greens—and when they get better nutrition, so do we. Meat from grass-fed animals is generally leaner and free of hormones and antibiotics. You might pay a bit more for it, but in the end, we think it’s worth the slightly higher price tag.
Avoid processed foods.
Our bodies thrive on whole foods that grow naturally, not processed foods that rely on chemicals and stabilizers to extend their shelf life. Processed foods are no friend to the environment, either, since they require packaging that can be difficult—or even impossible—to recycle. Help reduce the amount of waste that goes into the landfill by sticking to whole foods. A trick to help you stay on the right track: Shop mostly on the perimeter of your grocery store. That’s where you’ll find the fresh produce and lean meats. The processed options—think cookies, cereal, pasta—are usually displayed on the inside aisles.
Use reusable grocery bags.
You’ll need something to carry all your greenery home, but plastic bags require petroleum to produce, they can take up to 1,000 years to degrade, and they can be lethal to wildlife and sea animals. Why not go one step greener with reuseable grocery bags?
Make hydration a habit.
Did you know that dehydration can make you feel tired and cause headaches? Thirst can also be mistaken for hunger. You’re less likely to overeat or reach for a bag of potato chips when you’ve been keeping your body hydrated. To make water an integrated part of your day, try carrying around a cool water bottle. It’s easy to refill throughout the day, and it’s helps the environment by reducing the use of plastic water bottles.
What are your favorite ways to go green? Tell us about them in the comments below. Also, be sure to keep an eye on Instagram throughout March. We’ll be offering more tips all month long to help you stay motivated to live green. From bike commuting and gardening to organic beauty products, you’ll learn how to take green living beyond the kitchen. #b365
When it comes to healthy eating, there’s a lot of conflicting information out there. But everyone agrees on at least one piece of advice: Eat your greens. It’s true—adding more greens to your diet will improve your digestion, brighten your skin, and help you shed weight. But at barre3, when we talk about “going green” we’re talking about more than just filling your plates with kale, spinach, and chard. To us, going green is about deeply nourishing our bodies so we feel strong and balanced. It’s about celebrating delicious whole foods and cultivating habits that are better for our health and the environment. Here are seven tips for how you can start incorporating a little more green in your life:
Replace grains and starches with greens.
Greens are a quick way to boost your energy levels and give your body a fresh start, so instead of loading your plate up with bread or rice, start by piling on the kale and spinach. And as spring and summer produce becomes available, we invite you to branch out and try some other seasonal greens like swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, asparagus, snap peas, fiddleheads, zucchini, and green beans. When you fuel your body with a variety of what’s in season, not only will you have a more well-rounded, balanced diet, you’ll also eat foods that have better flavor and higher levels of antioxidants.
Shop at the farmer’s market.
One of the best places to find a big selection of fresh, green vegetables bursting with flavor is at the farmer’s market. Shopping here connects you with your food and your community. You get to meet the people growing your veggies and understand where your food is coming from. It’s also healthy for the environment because you’re buying locally, which means fewer fossil fuels get burned transporting food from the farm to your table.
To find a farmer’s market in your area, search here. If getting to a market is difficult, you can also look into signing up for a CSA box, which is essentially like having a local farmer hand pick a bunch of fresh vegetables just for you. At the barre3 Home Office in Portland, Oregon, Andrea Bemis from Dishing Up the Dirt drops off a CSA box every week. We love it!
Prioritize when to buy organic.
Have you heard of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15? The Dirty Dozen is a list of fruits and vegetables that are typically grown with a lot of pesticides, which is as bad for the environment as it is for your body. Health experts recommend buying organic whenever possible. The Clean 15 is a list of foods that have a relatively low pesticide load and therefore are okay to buy non-organic if you’re on a budget. The lists can help you prioritize which organic veggies are worth the investment.
The Dirty Dozen
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Celery
- Spinach
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Snap peas
The Clean 15
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Sweet peas
- Onions
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Papayas
- Kiwi
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
- Sweet potatoes
Choose grass-fed, organic meat when possible.
Grass-fed organic meat is no longer exclusive to farmer’s markets and Whole Foods. More and more, mainstream grocery stores like Costco and Trader Joe’s are carrying it. And for good reason. Just like humans, animals are healthier when they replace starches with greens—and when they get better nutrition, so do we. Meat from grass-fed animals is generally leaner and free of hormones and antibiotics. You might pay a bit more for it, but in the end, we think it’s worth the slightly higher price tag.
Avoid processed foods.
Our bodies thrive on whole foods that grow naturally, not processed foods that rely on chemicals and stabilizers to extend their shelf life. Processed foods are no friend to the environment, either, since they require packaging that can be difficult—or even impossible—to recycle. Help reduce the amount of waste that goes into the landfill by sticking to whole foods. A trick to help you stay on the right track: Shop mostly on the perimeter of your grocery store. That’s where you’ll find the fresh produce and lean meats. The processed options—think cookies, cereal, pasta—are usually displayed on the inside aisles.
Use reusable grocery bags.
You’ll need something to carry all your greenery home, but plastic bags require petroleum to produce, they can take up to 1,000 years to degrade, and they can be lethal to wildlife and sea animals. Why not go one step greener with reuseable grocery bags?
Make hydration a habit.
Did you know that dehydration can make you feel tired and cause headaches? Thirst can also be mistaken for hunger. You’re less likely to overeat or reach for a bag of potato chips when you’ve been keeping your body hydrated. To make water an integrated part of your day, try carrying around a cool water bottle. It’s easy to refill throughout the day, and it’s helps the environment by reducing the use of plastic water bottles.
What are your favorite ways to go green? Tell us about them in the comments below. Also, be sure to keep an eye on Instagram throughout March. We’ll be offering more tips all month long to help you stay motivated to live green. From bike commuting and gardening to organic beauty products, you’ll learn how to take green living beyond the kitchen. #b365
