Living a sustainable lifestyle is one of the best individual choices that we can make when it comes to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and a significant part of this includes eating a sustainable diet. 

What is a sustainable diet? It’s a diet made from sustainable agriculture, which ensures that we can produce enough food for ourselves without significantly raising greenhouse gases and causing further damage to our environment, and ensures that future generations can do the same [3]. 

Current agriculture practices, particularly those regarding livestock, are responsible for approximately 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions [1]. The reason that meat and dairy products should be consumed in moderation is that it not only requires a significant amount of water and grain to feed the animals, but the animals also produce methane; a gas that has an impact on climate change 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide [2]. Distribution of the food to supermarkets creates another avoidable impact in the form of transportation pollution. We as consumers cannot directly change what is happening in the agriculture sector, but we can choose what we buy and where the demand is. 

According to a paper written by Dr. Claire Pettinger, a Lecturer of Public Health Dietetics at the University of Plymouth, eating a sustainable and healthy diet looks like: 

● Diversity – eat a wide variety of foods 

● Balance – achieved between energy intake and energy needs 

● Minimally processed foods (including plenty of whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables) 

● Meat, if eaten, in moderate quantities 

● Dairy products (or alternatives) also in moderation 

● Unsalted seeds and nuts 

● Small quantities of fish and aquatic products (sourced from certified fisheries)

● Limit consumption of foods high in fat, sugars, and salt 

● Choose oils and fats wisely (opt for rapeseed and olive) 

● Tap water in preference to other beverages [3] 

Eating sustainably is about reducing the amount of waste and pollution that is created by your diet. Even though it may not be easy to make some changes, certain changes can be quite simple depending on your current lifestyle. For example, if you usually eat meat every day, opt for one or two meatless days or meals. Or if you have the ability to go to a farmer’s market in the summer months to shop for produce, take advantage of that. You might decide to buy a water filter to drink tap water instead of bottled water. Again, eating a wide variety of foods is a plus; you can choose to shop locally and in season, lowering the pollution that comes from transportation and growing the produce. An added bonus is that when you buy locally, you support your community and get fresher produce.

The last thing you can do to eat a sustainable diet is to avoid unnecessary packaging in supermarkets and bring your own reusable bags. Buying in bulk also alleviates some of the supermarket packaging. It is important to remember that the impact you have is an accumulation of all of the different choices you make, and making the best choices out of the ones you are given. So maybe you can't buy produce locally, but you can switch some of your weekly meals to vegetarian options by substituting in alternative protein sources like legumes, tofu, beans, or seitan [3].

Written by Chloe Greve

References:

1. EPA. (2020, December 4). Sources of greenhouse gas emissions. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#:~:text=and%20 Forestry%20sector.-,Emissions%20and%20Trends,by%2010.1%20percent%20since%2 01990. 

2. Grossi, G., Goglio, P., Vitali, A., & Williams, A. G. (2018, November 12). Livestock and climate change: impact of livestock on climate and mitigation strategies. OUP Academic. https://academic.oup.com/af/article/9/1/69/5173494?login=true.

3. Pettinger, C. (2018, August 10). Sustainable eating: Opportunities for nutrition professionals. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nbu.12335?casa_token=uSjBwKPENsoAAAAA%3A-heugujJpnIhloMg-INXng48R_DLeA_vJ3FutSSgApt3K4QhnZUssFbkw-NoeQLTjPrLCU3-IF_vK6zH