By Heather McCauley
In honor of the upcoming holiday which revolves around green beer and shamrocks, St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve decided to take this opportunity to delve into an alternative meaning of the word green – a departure from the range between chartreuse and emerald on the color wheel. Nearly everyone can now relate green terminology with things that are beneficial for the environment. Reduce, reuse, recycle; eco-friendly; reclaimed materials; natural resources – all of these phrases relate back to the environmental definition of green. So, how does this environmental term relate to what we feed our bodies?
According to an online definition of green, it can mean “new, fresh” and “not fully processed” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Green). This relates so well with how a body can be ideally nourished. If we consider that the body is a machine – one which requires fuel to function – then we can also consider that the more premium the fuel, the better the function. To green up our planet, we may choose renewable resources over non-renewable resources. In order to green up our bodies, we could choose natural, fresh foods with little or no processing over foods that have been processed in plants hundreds of miles away with preservatives and other questionable ingredients added.
People choose to eat green in different ways and for different reasons. If you are concerned about reducing your carbon footprint, you may choose to purchase locally-grown or farmed products. These are the types of products which are fresher and have been minimally processed. These products are also, incidentally, a higher quality fuel to feed your body. Just consider that although you may not always recycle and you may drive your car more often than you walk – if you are eating “new, fresh” and “not fully processed” foods, you are doing your part to GO GREEN!
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