We're going Climatarian -- Join Us!

The daily choices you make matter.  The clothes you wear, the household goods you use, and the food you eat all make a difference when it comes to your effect on the environment. 

This is especially true for food.  Agriculture accounts for just over 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and farmed livestock contribute 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.  The food choices we make also have a large impact on water usage, with agriculture being the largest consumer of freshwater in the U.S. 

In an effort help us all eat better for the planet, Alter Eco will be focusing more heavily on “climatarian” recipes and lifestyle tips moving forward. The climatarian diet is a way of eating that focuses on foods that have as little impact on our climate and planet as possible. Recognizing that livestock-related agriculture is typically very water and energy-intensive, and produces significantly more greenhouse gas emissions, the climatarian diet focuses mainly on eating a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, and other plants.  

If you can find your climatarian foods locally, even better! Eating foods grown locally dramatically reduces the carbon emissions that are otherwise needed to ship food from around the world.  Although our globalized society has given us the luxury of eating avocados in January, it takes a significant amount of fossil fuels to get that ripe avocado to your grocery store.  Eating from local farms is not only better for the planet, but it allows you to support your neighbor farmer and builds strong community connections.

Although it may come as no surprise, eating the right way for the planet is also healthy for you! People that eat plant-rich diets that are low in meat and processed foods often report significant health effects.  Better sleep, clearer skin, reduced anxiety, lower cholesterol, and more energy are just a few. 

Eating this way may seem complicated, but the climatarian diet has some very simple principles:

• Add more plant-based, locally-grown, and seasonal foods
• Cut down on food waste by using the entire plant, making a plan to use up leftovers, or composting what you don’t use
• Limit factory-farmed and highly processed foods 

That’s it! That’s all you need to do to eat healthier for yourself and the planet.  And the best part? The climatarian diet isn’t about eliminating things from your diet, but more about increasing the number of foods that are good for all of us, including our planet.  You don’t have to completely cut out anything you enjoy, just focus on eating a few more local vegetables and maybe cooking one or two more meals a week at home. 

To kick start your new planet-friendly eating style, we are going to be featuring climate-friendly recipes, so stay tuned.  You'll be able to easily identify our climatarian recipes and content by our climatarian stamp:

Food is a crucial part of life here on Earth.  With a little care and attention, we can make sure the food we eat supports us, our neighbors, and the rest of life that we share this planet with.   

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and sign up for our newsletter for all the latest information on going climatarian. Share your recipes and lifestyle tips with us @altereco_foods!