Easy Eco-Friendly Tips for a Healthy Life

Finding ways to live a healthy life doesn’t have to be complicated. There are easy, eco-friendly tips you can follow that will help improve your health and the environment. Changing just a few small things in your daily routine can make a big difference.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Rethink Your Utilities

Take a quick look around you. How many electrical devices are plugged into outlets? How many of those devices are you using right now? If you have items plugged in that you are not using, then you are witnessing the “vampire effect,” which is the power that your device is consuming even when you’re not using, such as the clock on your microwave, the settings on your TV, or your computer in standby mode. Unplugging devices that aren’t in use can significantly lower the energy demands of your house and reduce the emissions that come from converting fossil fuels to energy.

And reducing your screen time is good for your health. Unplugging from your devices can lead to better sleep, less eye strain, and lower anxiety and depression.

Rethink Your Nutrition

Unless you are a vegan self-sustained on the food you grow, then everything you eat contributes to climate change. Mass production of meat and poultry increases greenhouse gas throughout the whole process.

Clearing land for grazing leads to rapid deforestation, leading to the release of carbon dioxide into the environment. Manure releases methane and nitrous oxide into the air. Plants processing beef and poultry typically rely on fossil fuels and increase carbon emissions. Vehicles used to transport the food to the store also increases carbon emissions. Large grocery stores disrupt the environment from clearing the land where they sit to the power used to keep them running.

While a plant-based diet is better for the environment, farmers clear large tracts of land for mass production, and pesticides and fertilizers release pollutants into the soil and water. Furthermore, processing, packaging, and transporting these products use energy.

Hippocrates stated, ‘Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” 

Reducing your meat consumption and eating locally-grown products is not only better for the environment, but it’s better for your health. 

Adding adaptogens to your diet can also improve your health. So what are adaptogens, and why are they so important? Simply put, adaptogens are substances that help the body to “adapt” to stress. Adaptogen blends are mixes of herbs that help to protect the body against physical and emotional stressors, both short-term and long-term.  

Rethink Your Lifestyle

The comedian Steven Wright once said, “Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.” While it may be impractical to walk everywhere you need to go, trading in your four wheels for two wheels once in a while helps lower carbon emissions and the need for fuel for your car. By planning and leaving your house earlier, many people can bike to work most days of the week.

Another way to improve your health while helping the planet is just by getting outdoors. All green plants provide oxygen, which we need to survive. And several studies show the mental health benefits of being in nature. If it’s a sunny day, just 15 minutes spent in the sun gives you plenty of vitamin D and will improve your bone health.

You can plant flowers and bushes that attract pollinators like bees and butterflies if you have enough outdoor space. The population of bees has significantly decreased in the last several years, yet they are essential to the survival of many plant species. Furthermore, people with allergies benefit from eating locally sourced honey.
We hope you’ve found this post helpful in learning about some eco-friendly health tips. Just take a few minutes each day to make some minor tweaks to how you live, and before you know it, you’ll be well on your way to a healthier, cleaner, and greener lifestyle. There are many more ways to be kind to the environment and improve your health, so please continue exploring and finding what works best for you. What is your favorite way to live a healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle?