162 million Americans have a chronic disease that stems from poor diet and lifestyle choices and 1.5 billion people are now overweight.  Raising just one pound of beef requires 2000 gallons of water and produces 58 times more greenhouse gases than one pound of potatoes.  As surprising as it may seem, what you put on your fork is more impactful to your personal health and the health of the environment than the car you drive.

Imagine the impact we could have on human and planet health if we all chose to purchase only fresh, whole, sustainably-raised, mostly plant-based food.  And imagine if we cooked and ate all the meals made with that beautiful food at home with friends and loved-ones.

Today is Global “Eat-In” Day.  It’s a day to cook and eat real food with family and friends at home for just one day.  Initiated by Dr. Mark Hyman, today is a great opportunity to test how it feels to be mindful about what we eat and take just a little more care with our food choices.

Here’s my meal plan for the day with my family:

Breakfast: Scramble made with homemade tortillas and farmer’s market eggs.  Smoothie made with organic plain yogurt, banana, kale and blueberries.

Snacks: Raw mix of walnuts and almonds.  Fresh berries.

Lunch: Tacos made with homemade tortillas and beans, lettuce, green onions, guacamole and organic plain yogurt

Dinner: Wild salmon tossed with romaine, chopped apples, sunflower seeds and a tahini-based dressing

I hope you’ll join me.  Cheers to the future health of people and planet!

Thank you Civil Eats for the statistics I used at the beginning of this post.

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Image by Chris Fritz