5 Ways to Eat Healthier for Yourself and the Planet

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In honor of Earth Day, here are five things you can do not just for your health but for the planet, too:

Buy Locally
Buy produce from local farm stands or farmer's markets whenever possible. The less distance your food has to travel to get to your plate, the better. Also, local food is fresher and the fresher your food, the more nutrients it retains.

Eat Seasonally
Eat only fruits and vegetables that are in season is a good idea. Produce that is out of season often has to be shipped long distances from other countries in order to get to your local supermarket.

Buy Organic
Don't buy organic just for your health - buy it for the planet, too. By saying no to chemicals and pesticides, you're saying no to the toxic effects these chemicals have on the land, water, farm workers, wildlife, and human population as a whole.

Limit Meat and Dairy Consumption
From the land and water resources that are exhausted to the hormones and antibiotics that are pumped into the animals, the toxic effects on the environment caused by the meat and dairy industries are many. Cutting back on or eliminating these foods from your diet or choosing to eat only organic, grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free meat and dairy products is both a conscientious and a healthy choice.

Safe Seafood Selection
For your health and the health of our oceans, choose your seafood wisely. Some of the best seafood choices are wild Alaskan salmon, albacore tuna, farmed rainbow trout, sardines, anchovies, and Atlantic mackerel. Among the worst choices are farmed salmon, farmed shrimp from Southeast Asia and Latin America, Chilean sea bass, shark, and red snapper. For more on choosing seafood, check out the Environmental Defense Fund's seafood selector.

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