How Do I Eat Green?

Enjoy Your Food

The more informed you become, the easier it is to forget that food is a source of pleasure as well as nourishment. "It's a natural tendency when you're trying to eat right to get too cerebral -- and sometimes a little too strict," says Jesse Ziff Cool, author of Simply Organic and a restaurateur in Menlo Park, California, who has been dedicated to sustainable agriculture and cuisine for more than 33 years. "I've seen it happen often enough, and the people who get a bit fascistic aren't exactly happy." Her advice is to give yourself credit for the eco-conscious choices you do make. A good point, since it's not really feasible for most of us to go all green, all the time, right now. "If you want that In-N-Out burger, you should go ahead and eat it every once in a while," adds Ziff.

Hopefully, this piece has prompted you to recognize that all your choices -- of restaurants, of groceries, heck, even of the bags you carry them home in -- can make an impact.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, April 2008.