Spartan Up! Podcast: What Is the Packaged Food Challenge?

How much trash do you create? Professor Joshua Spodek told Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena that he had been eating packaged food with every meal of his life. One day he decided to take responsibility for his own mess. With every meal — taking into account everything we buy from stores and everything we order — we throw something away, and every item of waste you have ever “gotten rid of” still exists in some form, somewhere.

Spodek calls De Sena out on his own consumption — and Joe responds, as only he can. Spodek, a leadership professor at New York University, has embarked on a journey to lighten his impact on the planet by creating as minimal garbage as possible. At the supermarket, he now buys whole fruits and vegetables because everything else has packaging. The added benefit: a much healthier diet.

Take responsibility for how you are participating and contributing. Are you a steward of the land and of your community? Can you implement simple tactics to improve your impact? We all need to take ownership of our actions, and initiative around them. What will you do today?!

In this edition of the Spartan Up! podcast, Spodek and De Sena dive deep — no pun intended — into the dependency of packaged food and the impact it has on your body.

“I want to be where the mess is, where the biggest change is possible,” Spodek says. Make it happen, Spartans!

RELATED: These Foods and Healthy Habits Will Boost Your Immunity Naturally

Listen to the podcast in its entirety below. 

The 10 Key Takeaways and Lessons

#1: Be where you can affect the most change.

#2: Be a steward of the land.

#3: Be around a community that challenges you.

#4: Be resourceful and efficient to fulfill your needs.

#5: Be mindful of how much trash you create.

#6: Learn to reduce your impact on the Earth.

#7: Purchase things without packaging.

#8: Adapt your taste buds to what’s healthy and local.

#9: Be motivated by internal factors.

#10: Be an initiator.

Connect With the Spartan Up! Podcast for More Great Discussions.

Spartan Up! YouTube Channel

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