Disclaimer: The actions discussed in this article may not be accessible or possible for everyone, and are not meant to be prescriptive or strict rules for eating. It is up to the reader to choose how to interpret and use this guide in a way that works best for them.
Did you know that food is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions? Not only that, but intensive agriculture is threatening biodiversity, freshwater availability and important natural lands. But collectively, we can shift our food habits to improve the health of the planet. Here are 3 small ways you can help:
1. Use the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health diet as a guide for meals!
The EAT-Lancet Planetary Health diet is a guide made by 37 leading researchers in the fields of agriculture, human health, and environmental sustainability. Researchers came up with planetary boundaries to describe sustainable eating patterns. These boundaries include limits on carbon emissions, cropland use, water use, biodiversity loss and fertilizer emissions. This guide outlines healthy and sustainable ways to structure meals.
Key features of a sustainable and healthy meal according to the guide is:
Half of the meal is fruits, vegetables and nuts (by volume).
Add legumes like lentils, beans, or tofu to your meals.
Add unsaturated fats like local seeds and nuts.
Here are a few examples of culturally diverse and sustainable meals from EAT-Lancet:
Tasty and Affordable Recipe Ideas:
2. Say NO to food waste
Expired food is one of the leading causes of emissions from our food system. We can help reduce food waste by being intentional about what food we buy:
Plan meals for the week and try to buy groceries you know you’ll use.
Freeze any food that you know could be going bad! I usually do this the day before I leave on a trip.
Re-purposing leftovers and other parts of the food in other meals:
Try to use all parts of the food you buy! I like to use veggie scraps to make vegetable stock or to add to smoothies.
Fun Fact! Even the stems of produce like broccoli are edible, and full of nutrients and flavour!
Compost! As a last resort, try to compost rather than throwing out food
3. Ditch the plastic
Lastly, plastic is a big problem for our earth. It pollutes our oceans and takes a very long time to degrade. We can reduce plastic in our food by:
Buying in bulk rather than buying individually packaged food items
Choose brands at the grocery store that are packaged with less plastic
Use reusable produce bags and grocery store bags
Buy from zero waste stores like NADA
Use tupperware instead of plastic wrap or ziploc bags to store leftover food!
Finally, keep in mind that the burden of fixing climate change doesn’t fall on you as an individual. In the end, always make sure you are eating in a way that makes you feel healthy and happy.
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