5 sustainable food swaps to make for your health and the planet

Grocery store produce travels an average of 1,500 miles to reach you. That uses up a lot of gas, and all that transit time can mean it might not be super fresh. When you buy your produce at your local farmers market instead, you support local farmers and get fresher, better tasting veggies.

Adding cow milk to your coffee nearly doubles its negative environmental impact. It takes a lot of water and energy to raise dairy cows. If you switch to oatmilk, you'll cut your impact in half. Oatmilk also has more fiber and less fat than dairy, and it takes much less water and pesticides to make than almond milk.

Compared to white bread, whole wheat bread contains more fiber and nutrients, so it's better for your digestion and overall health. Whole wheat flour needs less processing than white flour, so it also uses less energy, making it better for the planet.

Asparagus is healthy and delicious, but it needs 258 gallons of water to grow one pound, as compared to 34 gallons per pound for broccoli. The switch will lower your water footprint, and you'll benefit from broccoli's cancer-protective compounds.

People who eat less meat and more beans are less likely to suffer from heart disease due to the added fiber and potassium. If a family of four eats beans instead of meat once a week, it would have the effect of taking your car off the road for five weeks. And a can of beans is usually anywhere from a quarter to a tenth of the price of a pound of meat.