There is certainly not a short supply of reasons to improve your diet. We are all encouraged to rethink the way we eat in order to fend off diabetes, high cholesterol, and other problems associated with poor diet. However, in case you were looking for just one more – here it is – your diet has a big impact on the environment.

Although it is not the most appetizing thought, the food we consume is often very highly processed and has created a great deal of waste on its journey to our plates. In fact, most of the food consumed in the UK is the result of a highly industrial and mechanized system of production. Essentially – making food is something of a factory affair.

You can help minimize the impact that your eating habits have on the environment by considering these simple solutions for environmentally friendly eating. As an added bonus, you will likely find yourself eating a much healthier diet.

Eat lower on the food chain. There is a concept that is referred to as "Feeding our Food", this means that the higher we go on the food chain (a cow is much higher than an apple) the less efficient the food becomes. In fact, it takes a great many natural resources and releases tons of emissions in order to create meat for human consumption.

Since the production of plant protein is significantly easier on the environment, you should consider the amount of meat that you consume. Of course, you do not have to become a vegetarian; by simply replacing one meat-meal a week with a vegetarian alternative, you will be making a big difference.

In addition, in addition to helping the environment you will also enjoy many health benefits of reducing the fat in your diet and will see an improvement in your grocery bill!

Buy Local. If you were to take the time to look, it is likely that your food is much better travelled than you are. It can be staggering to consider the places that our food comes from. From an environmental point of view, you should realize that transporting food from distant locations consumes a great deal of fuel and creates significant greenhouse gas emissions.

Instead of buying whatever is on the shelf, you can improve the environmental impact of your food by shopping for items that are grown and made closer to home. Attend local markets whenever possible and reach for foods that are in season. You can also feel proud to be supporting your local economy and you will be surprised how much better a piece of fruit tastes when it has not ripened on a ship.

Consider How You Cook. The manner by which we cook our food also plays a big role in how we affect the environment. After all, cooking consumes fuel.

Take a survey of your kitchen and think about the cooking methods that you use most frequently. There is no need to discard your favourite cooking method, but you can plan to reduce the energy used. For example, if you are fond of cooking in the oven then you have an opportunity to roast several days’ worth of meals in the same hot oven and use up to three times less energy. In addition, planning will also provide you with more free time.

Of course, the types of appliances that you use play a big role as well. An easy to make your kitchen more environmentally friendly is to upgrade your appliances to more energy efficient models. Not only will this help the environment, it will also reduce your energy costs and improve the quality of your cooking.