The aim of Sustain + Nourish is to bring more awareness to sustainable nutrition…but what does that mean exactly?
As a registered dietitian with a Master’s degree in environmental studies specializing in sustainable food systems, the notion of sustainable nutrition is how I’ve chosen to meld my two worlds. But the term is relatively new, both in general and the world of dietetics, so let’s dive into what sustainable nutrition means and how we can put it into practice.
It’s no secret at this point that serious action must be taken to combat the worst impacts of climate change. And unfortunately, the more you know about the issue the more overwhelmed and despondent you may feel. This is thanks to the fact that the problem is extremely complex and action from global governments and billion-dollar industry is required to make any real headway.
However, being more conscientious with your food choices is one of the easiest and most effective actions you can take personally. This is because food sits at the intersection of culture, politics, economics, health, and climate — illustrating how every choice we make has cascading effects, either positive or negative.
Here’s where the concept of sustainable nutrition can play a supporting role as a way to transform food choices intended to improve personal health into action that positively impacts the global environment and population.
The Current State of Affairs
I likely don’t need to explain how climate change will (and already is) greatly impact humans’ experience on Earth. Rise in global temperatures threaten air quality, weather trends, livable landmass, ocean health, freshwater stores, and the food we have access to.
The global food system is a major contributor to this problem, accounting for nearly one third of all global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Other hidden externalities associated with the food system include excessive freshwater use, deforestation and natural land conversion, nitrogen emissions, poverty, disease, and hunger. This equates to the system negatively contributing to both equity and ethical concerns on top of environmental and health qualms.
If you remember back to our food waste post, over 800 million people worldwide are hungry and over 3 billion people can’t afford to purchase food that supports optimal health. These facts are even more gut-wrenching when we acknowledge that 30 to 40 percent of the national and global food supply is wasted. If this waste was rescued, it could feed those who go hungry two times over.
On the other side of the coin, two thirds of adults suffer from several chronic illnesses across the globe and almost two billion people planet-wide are obese or overweight. The reasons behind this are complex and health has no set shape or size. However, we can reasonably deduce that lack of access to health education and healthy food is at least partly to blame.
We also need to think about the wellbeing of future generations in this equation. With the global population set to reach approximately 9.8 billion people by 2050, scientists project that we will need the resources of three planets to feed them if we continue with our current food production practices.
All in all, we can reasonably deduce that the global food system is only benefitting a select (privileged) few as it currently stands — and in a way that can’t be sustained for much longer.
What Is Sustainable Nutrition?
Sustainable nutrition can play an important role in remediating some these global issues…but what is it exactly?
While there are several definitions available, sustainable nutrition is effectively eating in a way that provides necessary nutrients and energy to uphold health without negatively impacting the ability of future generations to access the same. The concept is firmly rooted in the principle that everyone has the right to affordable and health-promoting food.
Sustainable nutrition goes far beyond mitigating the environmental impacts of our food choices, but prioritizes cultural, social, and economic impacts as a systems-based solution.
Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute defines sustainable nutrition as a four-pronged concept encompassing health/nutrition, environmental, social/cultural, and economic impacts. I love this way of looking at it, so let’s dive into each of these elements:
Health and Nutrition
Sustainable nutrition doesn’t further the concept of ‘healthism,’ or the preoccupation of personal health that often prioritizes weight loss and fad dieting. Rather, it elevates the concept of health for all, at all sizes. This means equal access to adequate calories and essential nutrients for the global population to avoid acute and chronic illness as much as possible. Balanced eating focused on nutrient-dense, safe, and minimally processed food low in mystery ingredients, excessive amounts of sodium, and added sugar is one way this can be achieved. The Planetary Health Diet is a great example of how this can look.
Environment
A sustainable, nourishing diet strongly considers its environmental impact on a global and local scale. It invests in agriculture that prioritizes soil health, animal welfare, and thriving natural ecosystems that minimally contribute to global GHGs, deforestation, waste, and resource use.
Wasting as little food as possible, supporting brands that champion sustainability, and minimizing your food packaging consumption are just some actions that you can to support this goal.
Significantly reducing your meat consumption is another great way to make an impact in this regard. Livestock production accounts for at least 14.5 percent of all global GHGs and large-scale concentrated animal agriculture often contributes to local air and water pollution which negatively impacts nearby ecosystems and communities.
Social and Cultural
Respecting and embracing traditional and cultural food practices is another core concept of sustainable nutrition. This means fully appreciating cultural food practices. It does not overlook tradition but rather works within it to find creative additions or alternatives to move towards improved health and environmental outcomes.
Economic
Finally, sustainable nutrition is centered in access to affordable food for all people. It endorses ethical, fairly compensated work, not underpaid, forced, or child labor. Creative solutions to this problem may include more effective government aid or food rescue, though it’s very complex.
8 Ways to Start Embracing Sustainable Nutrition
While this basic definition of sustainable nutrition is just the beginning and certainly an ideal, there are tons of small actions we can take to move closer to it — we’re talking dozens and dozens of ways (stay tuned!).
Here are just a few to get started:
- Waste Less Food
Refer to the Sustain + Nourish blog post all about food waste for more details, but engaging in less waste is a core tenant to sustainable nutrition.
- Upcycle at Home
One element of wasting less food is upcycling. Thankfully, there are so many ways to repurpose leftovers and scraps at home. Just some ideas include making veggie broth from cooking scraps, turning juice pulp into whole grain muffins, or adding meal-prepped brown rice to a plethora of dishes throughout the week.
- Reduce Meat Consumption
Knowing what we now do about the impact of meat production, reducing how much we consume is a cornerstone concept of eating in a more sustainable way. Again, I’m not purporting total cessation here, but reducing how often we eat meat can really reduce our personal carbon footprint. Choosing regeneratively-raised or grass-fed options can make a big difference here, too, as these practices prioritize animal welfare and can improve soil health — though they can be on the pricier side.
- Eat Local and Seasonal
Seasonal and local eating can cut down on the emissions associated with getting food into grocery stores from across the country (or world). Plus, supporting local farmers and producers can boost your local economy, furthering the vision of sustainable nutrition.
- Food Shop Smartly
Consider how often you’re indulging in luxury or imported food items as there are many more emissions associated with these than nationally or locally-produced items. Again, we want to focus on and support producers of more sustainably-produced, affordable, and nourishing foods to reduce our impact.
- Engage with Local Food Initiatives
Engaging with local initiatives like food pantries, soup kitchens, and food rescues either through donation or volunteering is a great way to embrace sustainable nutrition as these organizations aim to increase access to affordable, nourishing food.
- Opt for Less Packaging
Check out this S+N blogpost all about the impact of food packaging for the full story, but the more we can divest in packaging-heavy food products, the better off we’ll be environmentally.
- Grow Your Own Food
And, of course, we’d be remiss to not mention growing your own food. Whether you grow some herbs and lettuce in your city apartment window (or under a grow light) or have a full-fledged backyard garden, growing some of your own food is a great way to embrace sustainable eating.
While the conversation on sustainable nutrition is only getting started here on Sustain + Nourish, this first look into the concept can help you to consider and improve the impact of your food choices. Through taking small (but meaningful) action, we can all work towards tackling the climate crisis together.
[…] I believe that a nutritious diet is a sustainable diet (read more about what this means in my sustainable nutrition post). Because what’s the point of experiencing optimal health if 10 percent of the global […]