SUSTAINABLE EATING

Eating sustainably is all about enjoying food that makes you feel good and that doesn't harm the natural environment. It's about adopting a diet that you could eat for ever, because its delicious, nutritious and can be produced sustainably.

Yet knowing what is produced 'sustainably' is getting increasingly complicated. It's easy to feel confused when there are no clear right or wrongs. The best place to start is by educating ourselves, so we can make the best decisions with the information we have.

What's the problem?

The climate crisis is one of the most urgent and serious problems facing humanity. Greenhouse gas emissions released from human activities are trapping the sun’s heat in our atmosphere, causing the planet to warm at an alarming rate. Whilst it might sound small, an average global temperature increase of just a few degrees will have catastrophic consequences for life on earth. Even in the UK, we are already experiencing more extreme weather conditions, from the severe flooding in 2019, to the unprecedented heatwave of 2022.

KEY FACTORS DRIVING AN UNSUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM

We are eating too much meat and dairy

Producing meat and dairy has a heavy toll on the environment. Whilst this is manageable in small quantities, as a society we now eat too much meat for the planet to sustain. Whilst we don't all need to become vegan or vegetarian, eating more plant-based foods is the most impactful action you can take.

We are at war with nature

Farmers have worked hard to ensure there is enough food to feed the rapidly growing population. They've done a phenomenal job against the challenges of war, extreme weather, financial crashes and more. Yet intensive farming practices that maximise efficiency are damaging the delicate natural ecosystem. We now need to rebalance our relationship with nature and farm regeneratively.

We are wasting too much food

About a third of the food produced globally is never actually eaten. This is a waste of land, resources, time, money, pollution. About half of the waste comes from the farm and supply chain, and the other half in our homes. Since food is perishable by nature, reducing food waste to zero is likely an impossible task, but if we collectively cut food waste by half, we would see the positive impact needed for a sustainable food system.

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MY 6 GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Whilst there aren't any one-size fits all solutions to sustainable choices, following these 6 guiding principles will set you on an excellent path. The order is intentional. Number 1 is the most important place to start. If you're early on your sustainable food journey, get going with just eating more veg. Then you can progress through the 6 principles, giving yourself time to learn and adapt. Numbers 4, 5 and 6 are important, but don't beat yourself up if you struggle to be consistent. Remember that new habits take time to learn, so don't expect to be perfect. The main thing is to enjoy it and know that it's not all or nothing. Every little thing helps.

Plant-focussed

Plants are awesome. They are unbelievably good for us, have a low environmental impact compared to animal based products, are so varied, beautiful, and probably most importantly - absolutely delicious!

Eating more plant based foods is one of the biggest levers we have as individuals to improve sustainability.

Diverse

Diversity is essential for our personal health and for ecosystem health.

The more different plant-based foods we can include in our diet, the better. These can include fruit, veg, pulses, legumes, nuts, seeds and grains.

Regenerative

We are past the point of just doing no harm, we now need to regenerate the damage we have done.

(I hope!) we are on the brink of a new farming revolution - regenerative farming. We need to re-think how we work with nature and the land to grow amazing food, but not at an environmental cost.

Fresh

Too much of the 'food' we eat today, is barely actually food.

The processed food discussion is fast paced and complex, but honestly, the benefits of eating fresh food with minimal additives feels obvious.

Seasonal

The seasons are an amazing work of nature, yet we've somehow extracted ourselves from them.

Raspberries at Christmas and sprouts in May is not natural - yet with a huge amount of technology and energy we've come to expect access to any food, no matter the season.

Local

Sourcing food locally can be good for the environment and supports local businesses.

However, the emissions produced from transporting food is tiny compared to the gases emitted on the farm. Focusing on what you eat has a much bigger impact than where it’s from.