Popular Foods That Are Harming The Planet

The true extent of how our diets affect the planet is only now becoming common knowledge as the global environmental crisis has become a topic of extreme importance. While agriculture alone is responsible for roughly 30% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizers and pesticides used to farm produce are massively responsible for creating chaos on ecosystems and creating notable pollution. However, as the world becomes more aware of the global crisis, organic solutions are becoming more popular, such as sustainable soy production, sustainable animal feed, and other eco-friendly agriculture adjustments.

While harmful means of farming produce remains a factor, it has become essential for consumers to make green purchases to protect the planet. So if you are hoping to start living a green lifestyle by switching up your diet, you should avoid these popular foods that contribute to our environment’s degradation.

Sugar

Sugar is unarguably one of the worst crops out there as the impacts have caused severe environmental damage. Unfortunately, sugar plantations replace naturally rich animal and plant life environments and destroy biodiversity. What’s more, the excessive use of water and pesticides used in sugar plantations causes erosion, stripping the ground of its organic carbon and ultimately contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Chocolate

The Theobroma cacao tree is the plant that brought us the decadence of chocolate. While the plant is exceptionally complicated to grow, it requires enormous amounts of water as well. The chocolate plant’s cultivation would not be as harmful to the planet if consumers’ demand were not as high as it is. However, currently, these plantations are mostly responsible for the global environmental crisis.

Coffee

Coffee is terrible for the planet for the same reason sugar and chocolate are; the process of cultivating the produce is damaging enough that large scale production is fast degrading life on earth. If that’s not enough reason to get you to switch to a sustainable alternative, a study conducted in 2014 concluded that coffee production was at its all-time high in terms of its environmental harm. There’s no doubt that the problem has only increased as coffee lovers worldwide continue to raise demands for the production of coffee beans.

Industrial Meat

Industrial meat production reigns supreme in terms of the worst carbon footprint. While this form of meat production is awful for the planet, meat and beef production promotes deforestation and the increase of harmful greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane. However, lamb and beef, in particular, are the most destructive. Knowing where the meat in your freezer comes from and how it was produced is key to eating clean and protecting the planet. It is best to opt for organic, free-range meat as these meats also advocate against animal abuse in the industrial meat production industry.

When switching up your diet to help save the planet and boost your health, it is always best to opt for organic produce. Supporting the production of sustainable foods will eventually demolish the harmful methods of food production.