As you look through our carefully crafted menu, you will see the abundance of plant based options, almost exclusively made of local, high quality, organic ingredients which are sourced from our small farmers here in Barbados. At ECO Lifestyle + Lodge, we have also chosen to highlight seafood choices, all from our local waters – paying careful attention to maintain solely sustainable options.
The environmental effects of importing/exporting foods, the dangers of overfishing, and the ecological consequences of mass produced livestock have all played key factors in our decision to showcase not only a sustainable menu, but an overall healthier approach to eating, that is not simply just better for you & the environment- but it will also be one of the tastiest culinary experiences you will journey on!
You will start to see the trends around you with more and more individuals and businesses adopting a plant based life. However, it would be a pity to classify this as your typical “trend,” as this diet has been around since the beginning of time, and has been shown in numerous scientific studies to be of great benefit for those who have disease, and highly likely as a preventative measure for both acute and chronic disease. One recent study published in Clinical Cardiology by Najjar RS et al, noted that a plant based diet has been shown to be an “effective therapeutic strategy in the clinical setting to mitigate cardiovascular risk factors and reduce patient drug burden”.
Fret not, we are not looking to convert all our guests, but to educate and encourage you to eat your fruits, legumes, & veggies! Try a meat free day… or maybe two 🙂 ! If you do eat animal proteins, then we hope that you can portion control your intake and make informed choices on where to purchase your meat from. Think local, think organic, think grass fed whenever possible, and let go of thinking ‘the more the better’. Check to see if there are farms adopting greener options to sustain their livestock that you could purchase from.
Living a healthier lifestyle may seem costly at first, but we could all cut corners in other aspects in our lives. Adopt more legumes into your diet, which is an easy & cost effective way to get your protein, as well as minerals, vitamins, and fiber. Try growing a mini garden by your windowsill or outdoors. The decisions we make now are the building blocks for the future of our health as individuals and as a society.
There is no denying the benefits of a diet rich in natural, organic sources. We hope that at ECO Lifestyle + Lodge, we can only help you to begin adopting more plant based choices into your daily life… and to see the beauty and taste while doing so!