THE JOY OF SUSTAINABLE EATING

“In my food, there is no fear or guilt; only joy and balance” – Ellie Krieger. As a renowned dietician and nutritionist, Ellie Krieger is the brains behind the hit Food Network show, Healthy Appetite. Sustainability is the need of the hour – we all apply the importance in our businesses and manufacturing units; right down to the cars we drive today. Why not apply it to our day to day eating habits?

Very simply put, a Sustainable Diet is one where the products consumed have minimal environmental impacts and contribute to a healthy lifestyle for your present as well as future. This form of food consumption involves minimizing the resources required to grow food and in turn reducing the carbon footprint, which ultimately benefits the health of our Green Planet. The majority of consumers today prefer to shop at and order from groceries and food companies that are sustainable-conscious – this makes transitioning into the practice of sustainable eating much easier. Such institutions provide foods that are grown organically, using ingredients obtained from pure nature and sources – not processed with additives or supplements. How does eating locally support the environment, you ask? Here’s how:

1. Locally produced foods require lesser distance for transporting goods.
2. Food packaging and waste is far less than processed foods, as it is freshly available for purchase.
3. As locally produced foods do not provide food that is off-season, the resources used to produce them are minimal.

Some ways to transition into a sustainable eating lifestyle are:

• Eat seasonal produce

If you know that Mangoes are a summer fruit in India and they are available in November, then they have come from very far away. How much ever possible, opt for products that is available locally and during the current season where you live; you will know you are eating sustainably.

• Purchase locally produced artisan foods – Skip the processed!

Artisan Food Producers today are consciously supporting the sustainable way of producing and eating foods. With the use of locally available seeds, nuts, fruits and sugar alternatives, these companies offer ready to eat foods that can be consumed whole or added to a meal in order to maintain a healthier diet.

• Strike up conversations about food – There is a lot to learn from others!

When you are at a store to purchase your groceries, do not shy away from asking the owners/managers of the store questions about how and where a certain product was grown and produced. At a restaurant, a good idea would be to consult the waiter/waitress/chef about what ingredients make up your order and what could be opted for in order for it to be a sustainable meal. This will help you in learning about new resources, how to apply them and you may even find sustainably-minded food producer to visit more often!

• Rework your grocery list – Small steps go a long way!

In your everyday shopping list, try to make adjustments by removing processed items, and replace them with locally produced items. For example, skip the packaged milk options and find a local dairy to purchase milk, cheese and butter from. Nutrition is better obtained from fresh foods – make the chip and dip a casual affair. The healthier the ingredients in your meals, the healthier your lifestyle!

Here’s how Gouri’s Goodies can help you maintain a sustainable diet –

• Our products consist of high fibre and all-natural ingredients with zero preservatives. Ingredients like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, melon seeds, chia seeds, almonds, dates, apricots, unprocessed organic sugars and chocolate bring out a richness in the products. With an “honestly, delicious” policy, Gouri’s Goodies aims at providing nutritious, purely-ingredient-filled products with a delectable taste.
• With an emphasis on festivities, Gouri’s Goodies strives to modify the product line by incorporating flavours of the festival while still maintaining the nutritious quotient in the products. For example, for the period of Holi in India, we offered a limited stock of Thandai based granola and Happy Ladoos.
• We function through a small-batch production house for optimal use of natural ingredients and are zero waste. We are now completely made to order which helped us achieve the zero-waste goal. Quality over quantity gives you a healthier way of living, with a guilt-free conscience.
• Gouri’s Goodies ensures that the ingredients used – pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, melon seeds, chia seeds, almonds, dates, apricots, unprocessed organic sugars and chocolate and more are locally sourced. This empowers local producers and sellers and allows for a fresher product line. For example, Palm Jaggery which is part of our to-go bars and energy bites is sourced from local markets in the Konkan area of India.
• Simple ingredients in our products are put together for a fun snack; zero compromises on nutrition, while still maintaining a delicious flavour. Be it the happy laddoos, our granola or the quick bites, you know you have a power-packed snack on your hands!

In conclusion, as Jamie Oliver said – real food doesn’t have ingredients, real food is ingredients.

Energy Bar Online | Energy Bites | Energy Balls Online | Cereal Online | Best Snacks