I live with Type 1 Diabetes and have to manage blood glucose by balancing insulin administration with food and physical activity. I have the privilege of having good health insurance and therefor able to afford state-of-the-art diabetes management supplies including an insulin pump, and a continuous blood glucose monitor (CGM). The pump provides a basal rate of insulin, and when I eat, I enter the amount of carbohydrate grams into the pump which calculates a bolus of insulin, in order that my blood sugar doesn’t spike. Through the CGM, I can see in real time if my blood sugars are in balance. The CGM also allows me to make decisions about insulin administration based on what my blood sugars are running. I can also look at patterns throughout the week to see if I need to take more or less insulin, or work in physical activity (i.e., take a walk after lunch). Although this technology keeps me healthy, there is a cost to it all. Every three days or so, I must change my insulin reservoir which consists of a disposable plastic tube and cartridge. Sometimes if I eat a lot of sweets and carbohydrates, I have to change the supplies more frequently. I also change my CGM every 10 days which I use the large single use plastic insertion unit. Overall, I use a tremendous amount of not only insulin, but single use plastics, which eventually wind up in landfills and are energy intense resources to produce. So, the point of this all is that decisions that I make about food, not only impact my health, but also the environment. If I eat a doughnut, for instance, I would require around 7–8 units of insulin. This isn’t ideal for my health, as it might contribute to weight gain, and it also consumes a significant amount of single-use plastic. Often, decisions about health and the environment are inter-related, even for a person without diabetes. Consider the following:
- Drinking tap water versus soda. Tap water does not have any calories, doesn’t take as many resources to produce, and there isn’t any packaging that would need to be recycled.
- Eating left-overs versus eating out. When you eat left overs, you are preventing food waste. In fact, 40% of all food is wasted, ends up in landfills, and contributes to greenhouse gases. Left overs are often healthier than food eaten out especially if you prepare food with less sodium or carbohydrates.
- Eat a piece of fruit, rather than a snack that comes in a box, bag, or wrapper. The fruit is healthier and probably uses less resources to grow and produces less waste since there usually isn’t any packaging.
What other examples can you think of?
OSU Extension has resources to help you live more sustainably. So be green and be healthy!
Prepared by Dan Remley, PhD, MSPH, Associate Professor, Field Specialist, Ohio State University Extension
Reviewed by Heather Reister, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Butler County