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Eating Green
Kimsey Cooper, Jaclyn Strand, Wendy Markham, Donita Berry, Emily Van-Walleghen,Ashley Miner
When it comes to nutrition, the question, “Are you eating green?” is asking somuch more than are you eating your vegetables or are you recycling. According tothe American Dietetic Associations’ (ADA) position paper, “a sustainable foodsystem must be capable of being maintained over the long term, and meet theneeds of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meettheir need.” (1) Remarkably the ADA position paper lays out a clear model of aSustainable Food System in the shape of our familiar food pyramid. Just as the foodpyramid is a tool for understanding nutrient demands of a healthy body, the FoodSystem Model is a tool for understanding the demands of maintaining healthyresources in order to sustain a healthy Food System. It lays a foundation of inputsand influences on the food system and stresses the impact that the qualities of outcomes have on the sustainability of each sector of the food system. The ADAposition paper defines quality outcomes as practices involving consumption,production, transformation, distribution, and access that maintains the food systemand manages the resources used to conserve and not depleted or degraded thefood system or earth’s resources. Furthermore, the ADA position paper challengesus with evidenced based practices involving each sector of the model that supportssustainability and further instruct nutrition specialists to explore and support localopportunities for food system sustainability. Traditional roles for dietetic professionals focused primarily on science-basedknowledge of nutrient content of foods in the treatment of disease and promotion of wellness through prescribed diets. Awareness of food sources and environmentalimpact of food production and on food nutrients was not incorporated in this view.Civic Dietetics connects traditional practice with governmental policy, communityawareness and involvement, economics, and food system assessment to addressnutritional concerns. (1) ADA ‘s position on food system awareness and sustainablepractices places responsibility on food and nutrition professionals. Food andnutrition professionals are key to the food system foundation. Sustainable dietpromotion that contributes to human health and environmental sustainability iswithin the power of food and nutrition professionals. Opportunity for energy andwater conservation in food preparation and food sources are within the scope of thedietetic professional. Worldwide public awareness and demand for sustainable foodpractices will continue to spotlight the need for change. (2)Dietitians can also participate in “going green” by minimizing and managingwaste in the workplace. Given that every American generates 4.6 pounds of solidwaste per day and 40% of that waste is generated in the workplace (3), a simpleway to reduce waste for dieticians employed in offices and clinics or with privatepractices is to implement a workplace recycling program. Locally, the KnoxvilleRecycling Coalition offers a Business Recycling Service that provides bins and pick-up at no charge and currently serves more than 200 businesses in the Knoxville
 
area (4). For dietitians employed in food service at school and hospitals, anotherwaste reduction strategy is to donate perishable food items rather than throw themaway. In the Knoxville area, Knoxville Second Harvest has a “food rescue” programthat picks up perishable food items daily from restaurants, schools, groceries, andcafeterias and donates them to local hunger relief agencies (5). Finally, dietitianscan contribute to reducing hazardous waste by supporting the use of alternativecleaning products that do not contribute to pollution. The University of Tennesseeuses only “green” cleaning products and provides an extensive list of “green”cleaning alternatives (6).Along with the components mentioned earlier, a few more areas are involvedin the “eating green” process. Industrial food production is one of the major factorsinvolved in eating green. Because of increasing industrialization, our soils are beingdepleted of its nutrients, as a result of our soils losing nutrients our foods are notcontaining as many vitamins and minerals, and we are losing valuable fresh waterdue to extensive irrigation (1). Along with soil and water losses, the amount of agricultural space being used to farm has diminished more than 12% since thetwentieth century and continues to decline at a rapid rate. Organic farming hasbeen shown to not only act against these factors by crop rotation and limitedpesticides, but it actually helps to add value back to our food products by enrichingsoil and saving topsoil losses (7).Another component of eating green is being conscious about energyconsumption and the types of protein we are consuming. On average, the cost of producing grain-fed beef costs roughly sixteen times the amount of energy as plant-based proteins. Chicken is considerably lower in energy costs as well but not as lowas plant proteins. One must also take into consideration the amount of energy ittakes to transport fruits and vegetables across the country compared totransporting locally grown produce and grass-fed beef (8).One of the last facets of “eating green” includes incorporating community foodsystems into the mix. Community food systems act to concentrate on locally based,sustainable food economies. These economies focus their efforts in food production,processing, distribution, and consumption. They enhance economic, environmental,and social health of the communities they are supporting (9).After reading about all of the aspects included in “eating green,” we realize thatthis term includes more than just recycling and eating our fruits and vegetables.Eating green ranges from ecological sustainability, diet conservation, water andenergy consumption to air quality, waste management, agricultural guidance,protein choices, and community food systems. We as nutrition professionals cantake action b conserving natural resources and contributing to the support of sustainable food systems. We can also participate in continuing education programsand carrying our knowledge over to our workplaces. As a rule of thumb, it is alsoalways a good idea to get familiar with and participate in your local legislative plansand actions.
 
Works Cited1.American Dietetic Association. Healthy Land, Healthy People: Building aBetter Understanding of Sustainable Food Systems for Food and NutritionProfessionals.
 American Dietetic Association Sustainable Food SystemsPrimer.
2007: 15-20; 1-75.2.Wilkins, JL. Civic Dietetics: opportunities for integrating civic agricultureconcepts into dietetic practice.
 Agric. Hum Values
(2009); 26:57-663.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Wastes-Hazardous Waste-Treatment,Storage, and Disposal (TSD). (2008). Available athttp://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/.4.Acorn Host. Knoxville Recycling Coalition. (2009). Available athttp://www.knoxvillerecycles.org/commercial-services/.5.Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. Knoxville Harvest. (2006-2008). Available athttp://www.secondharvestknox.com/programs/knoxville_harvest.html.6.Porter, Bob. Green Cleaning.
University of Tennessee.
(2009). Available athttp://www.pp.utk.edu/greencleaning/.7.United States Department of Agriculture. National Organic Program.
 Agricultural Marketing Service.
2008: 1; 1.8.FoodRoutes Conservancy. Buy Locally Grown, It’s Thousands of Miles Fresher: There are many good reasons to buy locally.
FoodRoutes Network.
2003-2009: 1; 1.
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