InspireHealth meets the Queen of Green
February 17, 2012
InspireHealth’s Nutritionist, Lisa Marie, meets David Suzuki’s ‘Queen of Green’ – Lindsay Coulter.
Tell us about your latest sustainable seafood campaign?
There is a saying that goes, “There are plenty of fish in the sea.” Unfortunately, this is a lie. However, there is a solution to this problem. Choosing ocean-friendly seafood is a simple and effective way to help ensure that we have healthy oceans (and healthy humans) for generations to come.
Learn how to make the best choices at your local grocery stores and restaurants with tools like the SeaChoice Guide and Suzuki’s Top 10 Seafood Picks. Watch for easy recipes, tips and videos featuring ocean-friendly seafood and join in by becoming a SeaChoice ambassador in your own home. If you make one change this week, decide to eat SeaChoice green listed species only!
What do you feel is the connection between keeping our planet clean and keeping our bodies healthy?
Let’s look at organic food as an example. We often think of organic food as solely pesticide-free, but really it’s so much more. Organic farming is a balancing act. From waste to water to wildlife, farmers have to take each “W” into consideration. Buying organic is great for:
- Saving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
- Respecting ecological systems and promoting a healthy planet.
- Protecting the health of farm workers.
- Not applying sewage sludge to cropland.
- Eating tasty and nutritious food.
As David Suzuki says, “what we do to the planet, we do to ourselves.”
Tell us about the perils of eating food without considering the source?
Watching your “foodprint” is one way to save the planet from the comfort of your kitchen table. Choices about what you eat can make as big a difference for the environment as how you get around – and you make these decisions at least three times a day!
Neither the planet nor your body needs another fad diet. Learning about where your food comes from and the type of impact it’s having on the planet will help you eat more sustainably.
What are the best ways for health-conscious consumers to start making better choices when shopping for their food?
Choosing sustainable and locally-sourced food is obvious, but there are many other planet friendly choices to be made in the grocery store aisle.
- Did you know that you can cook an even healthier meal by reducing your exposure to chemicals like Bisphenol-A (BPA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)? Environment Canada and Health Canada has called BPA one of the 200 chemicals of greatest risk. If you’re avoiding hard plastics and bottled water, you’re already on the road to reducing your exposure. But this hormone disrupting chemical also leaches from the epoxy resin which lines many canned goods. Buy fewer canned foods. Choose alternative packaging like glass jars because they won’t leach anything and they’re reusable! Instead of canned fruits and veggies, buy fresh, frozen or dried. Dried beans or chickpeas, for example, taste much better this way (once soaked and cooked of course), and you can control the salt and sugar content.
- Almost every kitchen has at least one piece of non-stick or Teflon coated cookware. PFOA is a chemical used in Teflon and other products including some kinds of dental floss, microwave popcorn bags, frying pans and even pizza boxes. As products with PFOA age and wear, the toxic compound is released. It is a suspected carcinogen and hormone disruptor that we know stays in the body and environment for a long, long time. Try safer alternatives like cooking with stainless steel, glass or cast iron. Want to recycle your old non-stick cookware? Contact the manufacturer of your product. See what they offer in terms of rebates or returns. You can also contact your local city recycling depot to see if they take scrap metal or can refer you to a metal recycler.
Are you interested in lightening your footprint and adopting a green lifestyle? Check out Lindsay’s do-it-yourself tips, eco-friendly cleaning and cosmetics recipes, and how-to videos that will help you protect nature – from building a bee house to reducing food waste.