Great Green Idea: Green Eating: Watching the Waistline

Watching the Waistline

Watching the waistline is one of the issues many people have as they get older, but it seems that an ever expanding (no pun intended) number of our children (and adults) are suffering from a big gut and a big butt much earlier in life.

Photo: Flickr.com: adria.richards

Kids nowadays seem to be eating less home cooking, but eating more fast food. They are also leading a much more sedentary lifestyle and spend less energy than previous generations.

It doesn't help that a lot of the packaged food that we end up cooking at home is loaded with sugar and fat, and in some cases kids AND adults are getting 3 times their daily requirement in one day. The modern lifestyle we all lead means that the energy needed to expend the extra intake of calories is not being met.

We all have a moral duty to keeping our kids healthy, and the only way to do this is to get them expending more energy in their playtime and eating more healthy, home cooking options.

And that is where it all starts, in the home; perhaps many adults need reeducating about home cooking, and the equation "less energy expended = big gut and big butt" rammed home in schools and health centers.

It is not so easy in a town or city environment to follow a green lifestyle, however with a little effort, it is achievable. You could start by composting down all the waste from that lovely organic food that the new home cooking regime is going to produce. If you have a garden area at the back of the house you occupy, turn it over from grass or concrete to vegetable and fruit growing. You will be surprised at how much you can actually grow in a small area, and a composting bin can be picked up for a few dollars at any garden or hardware center (don't forget to walk there, and not use the car).

If you are serious about watching yours and the children's waistline (as you should be) there are many ways to achieve a slimmed down waist. For starters, more walking and less use of the car to go to the shops; however if you are growing some of your own food supply, and composting into the bargain, you will need to visit the shops less.

But aside from exercise to match the calorie intake, the best method of reducing the waistline is to eat more healthy food and more organic food, and less pre packed, pre processed food (if you actually KNEW what goes into many pre packed and processed food, you would probably rather eat the results from your composting bin).

Changing ones' eating habits is never easy, especially if they have been the norm of a lifetime, or habits which are easy to slip into, especially when something is LOADED with fat and sugar, (don't forget, the body LOVES sugar and fat) these are the essential fuels and the body can store them as easy as you saying "jeez, I've grown another stomach and my butt is touching the floor".

The added benefits of greening your eating habits, and watching the waistline are many, not least the fact you can see your toes without having to stand in front of a full length dress mirror.

Remember, greening ones eating habits doesn't just stop at the food you eat, and how it is sourced, it is also has a lot to do with the packaging. Many, if not all, the suppliers of organic produce will use little over the essential packaging needed, and most, if not all will be biodegradable, which means it can be shredded and placed in the composting bin, and complete the full circle of earth to tree to packet to home to composting bin to earth. You get the green idea.