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Our diets, much like our food choices, have an environmental and ethical impact on the world around us. The best diets can have a positive impact on our bodies, the environment and the people who make our food. They can even be zero waste too. The worst ones are riddled with processed foods and CO2 emissions that can wreck havoc on both the environment and our health. Thankfully, the good news is that even if we adopt a few changes into our daily diets, we’ll still be able to make a positive impact for ourselves and the world around us.
So, What Exactly Is A Sustainable Diet?
Unlike traditional diets, a sustainable diet does not have a clear set of guidelines and rules. And, while most diets focus strictly on improving your health or achieving weight loss, a sustainable diet focuses on choosing foods that have a lower environmental impact. With such a loose definition, that means that it can mean a lot of different things to different people. But, the goal is always clear, choosing foods that are managed in a way that ensures our long-term survival.
One of the clearest definitions of a sustainable diet that we have is from the EAT-Lancet Commission. This coalition of 37 scientists and 16 countries have developed global targets for sustainable food systems. This ‘planetary diet’ focuses on two key areas- healthy diets and sustainable food production. Based on their research a sustainable diet should consist of a variety of whole foods like fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and vegetables with a moderate to low consumption of seafood and poultry. Ideally, sustainable diets would consist of very little to no processed meats, sugars or refined or starchy grains. The recommended foods in this diet would be grown using sustainable farming methods that include crop rotation to avoid soil erosion, natural fertilizers to avoid water pollution and other methods to prevent the loss of biodiversity and water or land loss.
Is It Healthier?
The sustainable diet is similar to most health recommendations that suggest focusing on whole foods and staying away from refined or sugary foods. So, in theory, ‘yes’ a sustainable diet may be better for your health than a standard American diet. One big shift in the sustainable diet is the focus on being plant-based. While the focus isn’t necessarily strictly vegetarian or vegan, it is recommended by organizations like the United Nations that plant-based diets can help fight climate change. In fact, it’s recommended that we need to decrease our red meat (and sugar intake) by 50% in order to better manage our world’s resources and mitigate waste and the impact to our food supply due to climate change.
What’s The Environmental Impact?
Since the sustainable diet focuses on ideals like plant-based eating, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, research suggests that plant-based diets reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% when compared to meat-based foods. Plant-based agriculture also consumes fewer resources like water and land when compared to meat-based agriculture. Livestock use 50% more water pound-for-pound when compared to plants and contributes to deforestation and soil erosion at a faster rate too.
The other impact of a sustainable diet is the human impact. More than 3 billion people around the globe suffer food insecurity. But, at the same time countries like America waste 108 billion pounds of food, or 40% of our food supply yearly. Statistics like that show just how poorly managed our food systems are and the shocking disparity between those who are food secure and those who are not. If we can better manage our food supply, distribution and waste we can have a better opportunity to tackle issues like food insecurity.
How Can I Eat Sustainably?
If you’re interested in consciously choosing foods that are better than the environment, know that it’s surprisingly simple to do. There are a few ways that you can adopt a more sustianable diet at home and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and food waste.
Reduce Your Meat Consumption: Eating plant-based can look like adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains into your diet while minimizing your consumption of sugary, processed and red-meat based foods. Swap a vegetarian meal for your regular weekday roast. Or, enjoy a bean burger recipe instead of a meat-based burger. By enjoying plant-based meals here and there you don’t have to feel pressured to change your diet entirely. But, you can still make a difference by adapting to a more sustainable diet.
57% of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture come from animal production.
Eat Locally: Where your food comes from matters when you’re trying to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. While it isn’t possible to avoid all foods that have come from half-way around the world, there are conscious steps you can take to shop locally. One way is to visit your local farmers’ markets and support your local farmers. They produce seasonal veggies and fruits that you can purchase through a CSA or farm stand. Some large grocery stores even have sections dedicated to local farmers and producers where you can shop these sections with ease knowing that these foods were grown just a few miles away.
Reduce Your Food Waste: We throw out a lot of food. In landfills this waste decomposes slowly while emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Look for ways to reduce your food waste at home and while eating out. Create a shopping list to avoid buying items that you don’t need at the grocery store. Save food scraps from fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs to compost in your garden or through your local supplier. And, see where you can give food away to those in need instead of allowing food to go bad and to waste.
Being sustainable is complex. Which can make it easy to pick and choose solutions that work best for you. There are many different factors that contribute to a sustainable diet. But, the end goal is to make better choices that positively impact the planet. And, to do that it starts with one choice that you can make to live more sustainably.
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