6 Ways Nutrisystem Can Help You Live More Sustainably

You know that eating healthy and losing excess weight are good for your well-being. But did you also know that your healthy diet happens to be the eco-friendly choice?

That’s right—Nutrisystem weight loss plans can help to conserve our natural resources and protect our planet. Nutrisystem is committed to reducing the environmental impact of our products, so you can feel good about choosing us for your weight loss journey.

From properly portioned meals to home delivery, our program is a great start to an eco-friendly lifestyle. Reduce your food waste and decrease your carbon footprint with our sustainable meal delivery service. There’s only one earth and it’s up to us to take care of it. We’re all in this together!

Here are six ways Nutrisystem can help you go green and live more sustainably:

1. Home Delivery

Shopping online for at-home delivery of your food rather than driving to the grocery store can help reduce pollution and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The EPA estimates that weekly trips to the grocery store generate 17 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in the environment. Efficient delivery routes can cut emissions dramatically, the agency reports.

Stocking up on meals and snacks from Nutrisystem will save you many trips to the store while simultaneously decreasing your carbon footprint. We make perfectly portioned versions of all your favorite foods, including pasta, burgers and even pizza.

You can also skip that late-night snack run, as we offer plenty of snack options to satisfy your midnight cravings. From our sweet cookies and cupcakes to our popcorn and cheese puffs, you’re sure to find a new favorite treat!

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2. Seasonal Shopping

Supermarket produce shelves are loaded with a staggering variety of choices all year long. However, many items are transported thousands of miles before they get to the store, says the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture.

When you pick fruits and vegetables that are in season in your region, they don’t have to travel as far before you eat them, saving resources and protecting the environment. Even better, produce harvested closer to home tends to be fresher, tastier and more nutritious than items that were picked weeks before they to get to you.

You’ll be eating at least four servings of non-starchy vegetables each day on Nutrisystem. You can also add in fresh fruit as your fiber-rich SmartCarbs! Don’t know what’s in season where you are? Check out this article for some shopping tips! SeasonalFoodGuide.org also has state-by-state listings so you can find out what to buy in your region at any time of the year.

3. Easy Meal Planning

Thinking ahead about what you want to eat each week is a smart weight loss strategy. Meal planning helps you avoid impulsive decisions to eat unhealthy food when you’re famished and you don’t have good choices available to you.

It’s also an eco-friendly way to eat: Just like a home delivery, planning and stocking up on the supplies you need reduces the number of trips you make to the grocery store each week.

With your Nutrisystem program, we send you a simple and easy-to-follow meal plan to refer too. This meal plan will lay out what a typical day looks like and provides a detailed view of what you will need to pick up for the week.

You can stock up on pantry and freezer staples that you know you will always go back to, such as frozen or canned produce, nuts, beans and more. Print out our Grocery Guide and highlight your top picks to streamline your shopping trip. Make sure to also download the Nutrisystem app to help make meal planning a breeze.

4. Eat Greener

With your Nutrisystem weight loss plan, you’re enjoying lots of vegetables and fruits, beans and legumes, nuts and whole grains. You should be adding in at least four servings of non-starchy vegetables each day.

These ingredients are naturally high in nutrients but low in calories and saturated fats. They are also packed with fiber, making them a satisfying choice when you’re feeling hungry. Add unlimited quantities of non-starchy vegetables to your Nutrisystem meals, eat them as snacks and enjoy unlimited fresh salads and steamed veggies as side dishes.

In addition to being nutritious and delicious, plant-based foods like vegetables are also the most eco-friendly ingredients on your plate. By making plants like non-starchy veggies the bulk of your dish, your meal will be a more sustainable choice: They require less water, land and energy to produce and transport than meat and dairy products.

For tons of tempting plant-based recipes filled with fresh fruits and veggies, check out the Recipe section right here on The Leaf Weight Loss Blog!

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5. Portion Control

Between 30 to 40 percent of the United States food supply goes to waste, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration. That’s more than 40 million tons of food that ends up in the trash each year, along with all of the resources that went into producing and delivering it.

Planning your meals with just the right portions for you can help you cut down on your food waste and be more eco-friendly. Managing your own portion sizes is also one of the smartest strategies for cutting down on your own waist; that’s a win-win for you and the environment!

Nutrisystem sends you perfectly portioned versions of your favorite meals and snacks. We also teach you how to build your own healthy Flex meals using proper portion sizes.

6. Look for Local

On Nutrisystem, you will add in some groceries like fresh veggies, fruits, eggs and beans. You can reduce your “food miles” even further and help preserve farmland and other open spaces in your area by purchasing these grocery additions from local growers.

Buying directly from farmers is an eco-friendly choice, helping them to keep their land in productive use and protecting it from development. “Shopping at the farmers market, maintaining a home garden, or participating in a CSA are wonderful ways to support a local food system,” says the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture.

Whether you shop at a farmer’s market or a roadside stand at an individual farm, you also can ask questions and get recipe ideas about the items you’re buying from the growers who know their products best.

Of course, the fresh-picked food from farms will be at its peak of flavor and nutrition. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains a listing of farmer’s markets you can search by zip code on their website.

A Healthy Planet = A Healthy You! Check out this infographic to learn more about “going green” with Nutrisystem: 

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