That being said, while systems-level change is critical, individuals can be powerful agents in the mitigation of ecological damage. The four steps in this article can help you live more healthily while also having a positive impact on the health of the planet.
Sustainable eating?
Sustainable eating considers all stages of the food system/cycle, from production to waste.
Strong and consistent evidence shows that a high percentage of plant-based foods in our diet is both healthier for our bodies and more environmentally sustainable. Despite all this evidence, however, changing our diets can be difficult.
There are several factors that make eating sustainably more difficult, including the cost of ingredients, issues in food availability and accessibility, lack of knowledge as to how to prepare plant-based foods and a lack of time.
It is also worth remembering that sustainable plant-based meals can be considerably cheaper than takeout and expensive animal products and, with a little practice, can be much quicker to prepare. While preparing meals takes time, there are ways to streamline the process and make it more enjoyable. These four tips can help.
Organic material is picked up to be loaded onto a truck at a waste facility in San Jose, Calif., in October 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Simple steps
So how can you fit eating sustainably into your life? To help guide you, we’ve drawn on our expertise as researchers in food systems, behavioural nutrition, sustainable eating and food literacy to help you on the path to eating more sustainably.
Plan your shopping and meals:
Preparing meals and shopping lists takes time but is always a better option than expensive and often unhealthy takeout. Plan your meals for the week and do your food shopping with a clear idea in mind of what you need to help you avoid buying what you don’t need.
Swap meat with plant-based proteins by testing out new recipes. Below we list some of our favourite websites and recipes:
Sweet potato enchiladas that can become an enchilada soup the next day (pages 43 and 45)
Lentil Bolognese (page 60)
Note that by “plant-based proteins” we are referring to whole vegetables or minimally process foods like tofu. While meat substitutes such as Impossible or Beyond Meat can be enjoyed in moderation, they are far from a healthy option.
We often put a lot of pressure on ourselves. However, changing our habits takes time. Practice mindfulness and enjoy the flavours and smells of the new foods you try.
While some of these resources and recipes are vegan, we, the authors, are not advocating that everyone adopt a fully vegan diet (none of us are vegan). Instead, we hope these resources will help you develop a habit of incorporating more plant-based meals, such as implementing meatless Mondays, and adopt a more flexitarian or vegetarian lifestyle.
In addition to systemic changes in our food systems, small, consistent individual changes — like those we’ve outlined above — can have big systemic impacts. That said, one size doesn’t fit all. Knowing where to start in trying to eat more sustainably can be challenging and anxiety-inducing. However, at its core sustainable eating is all about reducing our meat consumption and the food waste in our homes.
While we all can take positive steps, no one is perfect. Consider what changes fit your lifestyle and commit to contributing wherever and whenever you can. We hope some of the recommendations and resources that we have provided here will help you enjoy eating more sustainably.
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