What You Eat, Matters. Luckily, It’s Easy to Make Small Changes to Eat More Sustainably
Our planet (our only home) is under threat. One way to help is to look at what we eat. Luckily, food that is healthy for us, is also healthy for the planet. When you eat more sustainably, it’s better for you, for wildlife, and for the Earth.
It’s true that a vegetarian diet is better for the planet than eating a lot of meat. However, you don’t need to give up meat entirely (unless you want to, of course).
By looking at the meat and fish you do eat, and making small changes, you’ll find you’ll be eating more sustainably, more healthily – and you’ll help the planet too.
Does It Really Matter What I Eat?
What we eat has a huge impact.
- We want to eat meat so forests are destroyed to make space to rear cattle and to grow crops to feed them
- We want to eat seafood so our oceans become barren as they are trawled and overfished.
- Food production is not only the greatest driver of wildlife loss, it also contributes to climate change (about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food).
So yes, it matters what you eat!
Here are 5 ways to eat more sustainably.
#1 – Change Your Seafood
Roughly 94% of fish stocks are overfished or not sustainably fished. If you enjoy fish, here’s how to eat more sustainably.
- Choose smaller fish such as herring, anchovies, squid, sardines, and mackerel instead of big fish like tuna or salmon (farmed or wild).
- Choose bivalves (oyster, mussels, clams), rather than shrimp.
Why? Smaller fish tend to be caught in nets that aren’t dragged on the ocean floor, which makes them less destructive.
Smaller fish are near the bottom of the food chain, so there is reduced bioaccumulation of chemicals in their bodies, making them healthier.
(Remember however that these small fish are also food for large predators, so enjoy them occasionally, not all the time).
Bivalves such as oysters are extremely carbon-light, they don’t require feed, and they filter the water as they grow, so they’re a much more eco-friendly choice than shrimp or prawns.
#2 – Swap Meat for Beans or Legumes
Eat at least one plant-based main meal each week. It’s not much to ask!
Use beans (or lentils or tofu) instead to make a satisfying and flavor-packed meal. See the yummy recipe below.
Why? Cattle need large amounts of food that drive deforestation, as well as a lot of water. Poultry is a better choice if you want some meat.
If everyone in the United States skipped meat and cheese for just one day a week, it would be like taking 7.6 million cars off the road — or not driving 91 billion miles. (Wow!)
#3 – Eat More Different Foods to Eat More Sustainably
Did you know that an astonishing 75% of the world’s food supply comes from just 12 plants and only 5 animal species?
This lack of diversity in agriculture is bad for nature AND it’s a threat to food security.
Great choices are lentils, wild rice and kale – but there are also new and exciting ideas like fonio, pumpkin flowers and cactus.
These crops often have higher yields, and can withstand bad weather, better than our current crops.
That means we could reduce the land required for crops, and also be better prepared for climate change.
(More tips – and a yummy recipe – below).
#4 – Reduce Food Waste
Food waste is a massive problem worldwide.
Reducing waste in your household is simple: freeze anything you can’t eat while it’s fresh and, where possible, buy loose produce so you can select the exact amount that you need.
#5 – Eat Seasonal, Local Food
Eating food in season is one of the healthiest – and kindest – things you can do with your diet. Yes, buying local food is also important, but food grown locally out of season may have a higher carbon footprint.
Related – did you know that meat has a season too?
And of course, grow your own food! Even if it’s only some fresh herbs in a windowsill pot, you’ll be getting super-fresh, pesticide-free food.
Recipe – Fragrant Lentil Curry in Tomato and Coconut Gravy
(from Knorr Future 50 Foods)
Prep time: 10 min. Cooking time: 50 min
Feeds: 4 people. Difficulty: easy
INGREDIENTS:-
- 200 g / 1 cup brown lentils, raw
- 400 ml / 14 oz water
- 200 g / 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 600 ml / 20 oz water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ onion
- 1cm / 1/2 inch piece of ginger root
- Pinch of cayenne powder
- 400g / 14 oz chopped tomatoes
- 250ml / 9 oz coconut milk
- 1 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 120g / 1 cup frozen peas
- Chopped fresh coriander
METHOD:-
- Combine wild rice with 600ml / 20 oz water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until soft and most water has been absorbed.
- Combine lentils with 400ml / 14 oz water (or vegetable stock) and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until desired texture.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the garlic, onion and ginger (finely chopped) with the cayenne powder over a medium-high heat until golden brown.
- Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot, turmeric powder, curry powder and ground cumin. Stir and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the lentils and add them to the skillet.
- Add the frozen peas and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Serve with the wild rice and sprinkle some chopped fresh coriander on top.
- Enjoy!
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What do you think? Is it easy to make these types of small changes? And does the recipe sound tasty? Let me know in the comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to see what you can do to help slow climate change – click here (it’s free)
