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No. It's not some new Hollywood weight loss plan. Green dieting means eating foods that are good for you and the Earth.

It's not about sacrificing foods you love, or eating all raw veggies you grew in your own yard. It's about eating a healthy, diversified diet and getting to know your food. Everyone gets to choose their own menu and everyone gets there through their own culinary adventure. In our book, Healthy Child Healthy World, Gwyneth Paltrow talks about her journey to the green diet:

My mom has always been conscious of the environment and health issues. When I was growing up, we would go to farmers' markets and even had wheatgrass in the kitchen. She started a curbside recycling program in Santa Monica in the 1970's, and each week I drove with her to the recycling center. She says I used to roll down the window to yell, "You're polluting!" at truck drivers in their semis. I was three years old.

It wasn't until later that I understood the harm that can come from pesticides and other chemicals in foods. As soon as I did, I tried to eat organic, locally, and foods that weren't processed or full of preservatives. That was reinforced when I became a parent. When I would read about what pesticides do to insects and small animals, I thought, Why would I expose my child to that? It didn't make sense.

From the beginning, my kids have eaten organic. I make a lot of their foods myself. Some people say it sounds difficult - or crazy - but I never found it so. When I'd go to the health food store and see organic baby food in a jar that had been sitting on a shelf for six or nine months, I thought, How good can that be? So I didn't find it tough to make my own. It's much tougher for me to open a jar that's been sitting on a shelf for God knows how long and then feed it to my child.

Food was the beginning of my awareness of toxic substances we ingest. But I try not to get hysterical about it. I'm not doing this to turn my kids into freaks - I just want them to be as healthy as they possibly can. Of course there will be toxic chemicals and heavy metals that come into your and your kids' lives and nostrils and mouths. But I believe that eating well is the best start for living well.


Green Diet on a Dime

Eating with health and the planet in mind doesn't have to cost a fortune. Actually, many choices can save you money! Here are the top five tips for eating green on a dime.

1. Eat lower on the food chain. A diet based more on plant-based foods than meats and dairy can lead to extra years of healthy living. Not only is it healthier in terms of nutrients, but you'll also be consuming less of the potent toxins that build up in animal fats. For example, animal and fatty foods contain the highest levels of DDT and PCBs (both carcinogens banned over 30 years ago) because they are stored in fat and increase in concentration as they move up the food chain. This very same diet reduces environmental damage and pollution and reduces your grocery bill since meat and dairy are big-ticket items in your grocery cart. This doesn't mean you have to become vegetarian or vegan, just cut back a little.

2. Eat clean foods. Everyone knows you should always wash fresh produce, but I'm talking about a different kind of clean. Choose foods that have fewer chemical or heavy metal residues. The easiest way to do this is by buying organic foods, but they often cost more. Budget-friendly options are foods that naturally have less - either by virtue of how they're grown or because of their physical attributes (like bananas, which have a thick peel that protects the fruit from the pesticides sprayed on them).

According to research by the Environmental Working Group, the following fruits and vegetables have the lowest levels of pesticide residue: onion, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomato, and sweet potato. You can download their pocket guide that lists these and the dirty dozen from Foodnews.com.

When choosing meat and dairy, look for low or non-fat options so you reduce your exposure to chemicals that accumulate in animal fats. For fish, use a guide like the Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Selector to find species that are lowest in chemical and heavy metal contamination and that are fished in ways that are not harmful to our Oceans.

3. Eat local. As recent as our grandparents' generation, food was mostly grown, sold and eaten all in the same geographic region. Today, we can find foods from all over the globe in our local markets. In fact, the average food item travels over 1,500 miles to get to our plates - that's a lot of pollution and waste created to make a meal. Support your local economy and your health by getting to know your local farmers. You don't need to be BFF, but you should get an idea of where your food comes from. Ask for local produce, meat and dairy at your local market and see what they show you. Better yet, visit your local farmer's market. You'll be supporting your community, saving money, protecting the planet, and eating healthier. Visit EatWellGuide.org to discover your local food system.

4. Eat whole foods. Ever stop to read the ingredients label on packaged, processed foods? It's usually a mouthful of words most of us have a hard time pronouncing, so what exactly are you eating? You can learn which food additives are safe and which are not by visiting The Center for Science in the Public Interest's food safety guide, but it's even easier to simply choose whole foods. Whole foods are not processed, so they have all their natural nutritional gifts - and less processing means less pollution.

Look for foods made from whole grains (think whole wheat bread, oatmeal and brown rice) - and it should say "whole" on the label. Make more foods from scratch (really, things like mac-n-cheese are just as easy to make from whole ingredients as they are to make from the box). You'll end up saving money, eating healthier and reducing all the waste created from packaging and processing foods.

5. Buy in bulk. It's been common knowledge for many years that buying in bulk saves money, but did you ever think about how much waste you reduce by not using so much packaging? Also, similar to tips above, bulk foods are often less processed so you reduce your exposure to questionable food additives. Bulk cook staples like beans and other legumes and store them in your freezer in serving sizes that are appropriate for your family size. You'll be saving money and you'll reduce your exposure to Bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor found in the lining of some cans.


Extra Credit Tip: Stop Wasting Food. According to the US Health Department, approximately 25% of food in the US is thrown away - 96.4 billion pounds of food a year. That's about one pound of food, per citizen, per day that ends up lining the trash bins. And that's a study from 1995; many believe the number has perhaps doubled by now. Take only what you'll eat and use your leftovers (try LeftOverChef.com for recipe ideas).

*****

Gwyneth Paltrow's quote taken from Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

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