5 Days to a Greener Diet

Day 1: Inventory Your Fridge and Cupboards

It's time to take a look at what you eat with green-colored glasses. Do you have packages of processed food with long ingredient lists that resemble chemistry experiments? How compassionately produced were those eggs, that meat or those chicken breasts in your fridge? Are any of your vegetables organic or locally grown?

Weed out highly processed foods. If they're unopened and the use-by date is still valid, donate them to a local food bank or look for donation boxes at your local supermarket. As you use up your fruits and vegetables, replace them with new ones that are organic or locally sourced. Replace some of the animal protein in your diet with hearty bean dishes and full-flavored whole wheat pastas.

Day 2: Go on a Sustainable Shopping Spree

Check out all of the delicious food shopping alternatives just waiting to be discovered: small organic markets, local farmers' markets, and big supermarket chains with new organic food aisles. 'Google' a local artisan baker or track down a local cheese maker. Print out our list of great sustainable pantry staples and rediscover real food for real people. Use our Get Local Info Module to find your local farmers' market, CSAs and more.

Day 3: Look for Sustainable Food Labels

Most of us already read labels for calories and fat content. Just use those same eagle eyes to look for the new labels -- now appearing on packages more and more -- that will guide your green eating. Organic? Fair Trade? Certified Naturally Grown? Here's a quick guide to those you most likely encounter every day.

Day 4: Plan Two Locally Sourced Meals Per Week

Did you know that a typical, conventionally grown carrot travels 1,838 miles to reach your dinner table? Reduce food miles and support your local economy by eating a couple of locally sourced meals a week. It's one of the greenest, healthiest and most delicious things you can do.

Day 5: Eat One Meatless Meal a Week