Over the past 20 years America has been steadily marching toward a diet that is more drenched in fossil fuel than any key nutrient. Experts estimate that it now takes roughly 7 to 10 calories of fossil fuel energy to bring one calorie of food energy to the American plate. Not only have our eating habits turned us into an increasingly overweight society, but the alarming truth is that our food choices are having as much of an impact on the planet as the cars we drive.

Go Green Get Lean is the perfect eating plan for our time. Revealing easy-to-follow steps anyone can take to eat for a healthy body and planet—and drop up to 9 pounds in the first 2 weeks—Kate Geagan helps readers see the questionable value of “convenience” foods, and explains why going green doesn't require a drastic vegan overhaul. Because there are many nutritional benefits to be drawn from some non-plant-based food choices, she points readers to the best selections, including occasional splurges they can enjoy in good conscience.

In learning to make truly LEAN choices, Kate offers the following straightforward formula: Before eating food, ask yourself: Local or global? What was the Energy used to bring it to my plate? (Include processing, packaging, transportation, and temperature of food.) Animal or plant? (Plant foods are greener.) Is this Necessary? (Is this food critical to my health and weight goals?) This trailblazing work—the first to offer a specific weight-loss plan along with the promise of a lowered carbon footprint—makes it possible for readers to help the environment and their waistlines at the same time.