Going Green With Style: Catering and Food

What you eat is really important to your health as well as the environment, so going green on this aspect should be fairly simple, especially if you want to eat healthy! Many caterers are now offering organic foods in their menus, and I think its wonderful. When hiring a caterer, check and see if they offer organic foods. You can also do a search online for organic caterers in your area. Wolfgang Puck Catering has a wonderful program they call WELL. Here is what they have to say on their website: "What we’ve come to realize is that we can live, love and eat WELL™ without causing unnecessary harm to other living things and to our ecosystem." They are so correct!! I am so excited that caterers out there are realizing that people want to eat healthier and help their environment. TheOrganicPages.com has some great resources for caterers and restaurants that serve organic foods. The Knot also has a great article on how to create an earth friendly menu. Here are some other ways you can start eating healthy and eco-friendly at home AND at your wedding:

Free range meats. So many meats these days are pumped with hormones, that in turn, get absorbed into our body's. We certainly don't need any extra hormones so why not eat free range? Free range meats are also cruelty free, meaning they have nice grassy pastures to graze in as opposed to being cooped up in feed lots. When eating or buying fish, make sure its wild caught rather than farm raised. Farm raised fish is much the same as eating feed lot meats.

Go organic on vegetables and fruits. Non organic fruits and vegetables are laden with chemicals and pesticides. There seems to be an abundance of chemicals on some products more than others such as apples and bell peppers. There is a healthy way to wash fruits and vegetables that are not organic, and that's with Bio-Kleen Produce Wash or Dr. Bronner's unscented castile soap.

Buy local. The whole point of organic to begin with was to support local trade. Farmer's markets are a great place to support local farmers and buy organic. Plus, farmer's markets are a fun place to visit, and remind me somewhat of French outdoor markets. Check online for local farmer's market times and places.

All in all eating organic is not only good for you and the environment, it tastes better than chemical and hormone laden food anyway! Some great places to shop for organic foods are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. Lazy Acre's in Santa Barbara is a great natural marketplace, and supports local farmers by carrying their produce. Check online for a natural marketplace near you and good luck with supporting mother earth and eating healthy!