Six Arguments for a Greener Diet

You've seen the movie Food, Inc. Now rate your diet.

Six Arguments for a Greener Diet
Scores are affected by such considerations as:
  • Health: saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, calcium, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, correlations of foods with cancer, heart disease, etc.
  • Environment: air and water pollution from manure, cattle belching, production and overuse of fertilizer, and pesticides; depletion of groundwater; unnecessary use of land to produce feed grains and soil erosion; over-grazing.
  • Animal welfare: castration, hot-iron branding, debeaking, detailing, cramped cages and feedlots, cattle feed high in grain, and inhumane shipping and slaughterhouse practices.
Score Your Diet
A quick check-list to show how your diet scores on nutrition, the environment, and animal welfare.
Totals     
Beef (4 servings/wk)
Do you eat grass fed beef?
Pork (3 servings/wk)
Do you eat extra-lean beef or pork?
Chicken, turkey (4 servings/wk)
Do you eat free-range poultry?
Egg yolks (5 yolks/wk)
Do you eat free-range eggs?
Milk, yogurt (7 cups/wk)
Do you eat or drink fat-free dairy?
Cheese (4 oz./wk)
Do you eat low-fat cheese?
Fish (1 serving/wk)
Fruit (7 servings/wk)
Vegetables, beans, nuts (omit potatoes, iceberg lettuce) (15 servings/wk)
Whole Grains (7 slices bread/wk)
Candy, pastries, ice cream
Do you eat mostly organic food?
Totals     
Scoring Scale:      60+: Excellent    |    15-59: Good    |    Below 15: Uh-oh, you need help!
 
Eating Green
CSPI