Lately I’ve been giving as much thought about the global energy crisis going on as my personal energy needs. Greenhouse gases are warming up the outdoor environment where we live and play, and our food choices are part of the problem.
Not convinced your chow makes a difference? Just gnaw on this statistic: The global food system contributes approximately one-third of anthropogenic greenhouse gases. No other broadly defined sector – not transportation nor mining – is responsible for such a large share. So compelling is the link between sustainable agricultural practices and the greenhouse gases, the Swedish National Food Administration last May became the first national food agency to propose guidelines that consider environmental aspects of human food choices alongside individual health matters.
Let’s face it: Endurance athletes consume a lot of calories. Are your food choices helping or hurting the environment?
Greener trails and
better performance
Fortunately the recipe for “going green” is a painless decision for endurance athletes. Food choices friendly to the trails are the same choices that keep us healthy, lean and fast. As outlined by Kate Geagan, MS, RD, from her book Go Green, Get Lean, there are six basic principles for achieving a low-carbon footprint for your training table.
1) Include an abundance of plant foods and less meat in your diet. According to research by Carnegie Mellon analysts, replacing red meat and dairy with chicken, fish or eggs one day per week would save the equivalent of driving 760 miles per year. That helps, especially if you’re one of those athletes driving an SUV to handle the Northern winters. But you could do more. Replacing red meat and dairy with vegetarian choices one day a week is equivalent of not driving 1,160 miles. No single change in your diet can do more to stave off global warming trends, even buying all local foods.
What about the health benefits of eating red meat as a protein source and iron source? A 2003 Swedish study found that organic beef raised on grass rather than concentrated feed (mostly corn) emits 40 percent less greenhouse gases and consumes 85 percent less energy.
2) Decrease dairy. This principle was a tough one for me to swallow. Cutting out beef was no problem. But cheese. Is it really that bad?
Driving through Wisconsin, recently, between Wausau and Eau Claire, I couldn’t help but notice cows looking, well, happy. They were mostly hanging out by barns or in pastures, lying down with no apparent worries in the world. I did note their signature smell – ode de’nure – however. Unfortunately, this waste is only part of the methane problem produced by livestock. Their burps and farts contribute a great deal of nitrous oxide. In fact, the average cow contributes about 500 liters of methane to the environment daily.
Is there a difference between organic and range-fed livestock, and industrial feedlots? Certainly. While cows are ruminant animals no matter where they are raised, the concentration of manure waste produced in industrial factory farms must be siphoned into large man-made lagoons. These millions of gallons of liquid waste often contain contaminants, including hormones and antibiotics that leach into groundwater. Keeping one’s dairy intake to a minimum means no more than one or two servings of low-fat dairy per day, and 5 ounces of cheese per month. This amount provides essential calcium, potassium and protein needed for top performance. Alternative sources of calcium can be obtained from plant foods such as tofu, enriched soy milk, chickpeas, broccoli, Swiss chard, butternut squash and sardines.
3) Keep portions in check. On average, every American household discards more than 1.25 pounds of food each day or about 14 percent of the food purchased. This figure does not include the waste tossed into compost piles or sent down the disposal. Organic food waste (table scraps) trucked to the landfill is a major contributor to methane gas emissions, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat close to the earth’s surface.
4) Sip sustainably. In her book Go Green, Get Lean, Geagan advocates going “back to the tap.” Fluid guzzling athletes best take note. Bottled water barely existed in the marketplace 30 years ago. Yet, in 2006, Americans consumed 31 billion liters of bottled water, roughly the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of crude oil. That’s enough fossil fuel to run 3 million cars for one year, according to the Earth Policy Institute.
If concern for the environment can’t break your habit of purchasing bottled water, then consider your pocketbook. Bottled water is about 1,000 times more expensive than tap water. Which is ironic since 40 percent of bottled water comes from the tap.
5) Buy local and seasonal produce. All fruits and vegetables are “lower carbon” options than highly processed foods or proteins, but the environmental benefits are canceled out if they are air-freighted or hothouse-grown.
Produce packs a lot of essential nutrients for athletes, providing a rich source of antioxidants, fiber and potassium without a lot of calories. Fortunately, the Midwest produces an abundance of summer produce. But what about the rest of the year? Rather than buying the organic broccoli flown in from California, a better option is to freeze locally grown produce yourself or purchase “naked” frozen vegetables (with no added sauces). Less processing means a smaller carbon footprint.
6) Use the kitchen more, drive-through less. Environmentally smart food choices do not come in packages with undecipherable ingredients. Convenience and concern for our waistlines has created a market for snack foods and ready-to-eat meals. Take those 100-calorie snack packs, for example. Just think of the amount of processing that goes into putting 100 calories into a package, and then distributing the product to the marketplace. Do we really need to those 100 calories that badly?
Brewing coffee at home instead of swinging through the local coffee stand for a single-use cup of java saves fossil fuels and keeps more money in our pockets. Try creating your own health pack of nuts, dried fruits and a bit of chocolate instead of buying prepackaged, single-portion snack packs. Again, what’s better for your health is better for your bottom line.
What about those days when you’re in too much of a rush to start brown bagging a lunch and your homemade snack supply has run out? Then it is time to be choosy about which companies are conscientiously trying to create greener products.
When I checked in with Tara DelloIacono, RD, from Clif Bar, and she sent me via e-mail her thoughts on the energy-in/energy-out aspect of her company’s packaged sport bars. “Our ecologist tracks our energy input and we offset (with wind credits) and aim to reduce each year,” she said. “We have been up to this kind of thing long before it become trendy to be ‘green.’ But I am soooo glad we can see that ‘greening up’ is now a trend. That is progress.”
Other companies, such as Vital Choice, who distribute wild salmon products via airplane, have also begun to try “greening up” by supporting wind energy programs.
Supporting local farmers is the best way to keep the trails open, snow on the ground, and the air clean. Start today.
Donna Marlor, MA, BSN, RD, holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and nursing from Northern Michigan University and a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She is a former NMU cross-country ski team member, and still enjoys competing in skiing and running at the master’s level. Marlor resides in Marquette, Michigan, with her husband and chocolate Lab, and can be reached via www.donnamarlor.com.
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