You may have read about sustainable houses and sustainable packaging, but what’s a sustainable diet? It is not just a buzzword but an amazing concept. It is more than just weight loss or eating healthy. Instead, it helps one focus on personal nutritional values and goals.

Thus, it is not just about what you are eating. It is also about the production system. It also helps one understand the carbon footprint of the usual eating habits on the environment. The blog discusses all bout sustainable diet and how to create a plan to follow one.

What do you mean by a sustainable diet?                

A sustainable diet plan is a diet that has a low environmental impact and dietary patterns that promote the well-being of individuals belonging to any economic landscape. It is accessible, affordable, safe, and culturally accepted. It primarily aims to aid in nutritional deficiency and obesity.

At the same time, it takes care of the environmental damage from climatic change, land degradation and the loss of biodiversity. It focuses on reducing the food wastage incurred by processing systems. It is about reducing meat and dairy food consumption and eliminating the adverse impact of these industries.

What Standards a sustainable diet should meet?

According to dietician Scott Keatley, “A sustainable diet supports good health. It also reduces the wastage of resources like water and land. Additionally, it cuts greenhouse emissions, respects food cultures and is affordable for everyone. It should meet the following criteria as per the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO):

• It should ensure a low environmental impact
• It must preserve nature and biodiversity
• It must be culturally acceptable and tailored to cultural heritage, values, and population preference
• It must be economical-friendly and affordable
• It must be healthy for everyone
• The production of such foods utilises natural renewable resources.

It could be challenging to ensure whether your diet matches these standards. Here, valid nutrition experts may help you decode that. Thus, if you are facing some health issues on a sustainable diet plan, contact experts. There must be something wrong with your diet. Check out an early appointment without worrying about the money.

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Why is switching to a sustainable diet important?

Your current food habits might affect you and the environment in multiple ways. For example- highly processed foods lead to serious health conditions like obesity and diabetes. Alternatively, low intakes of fibre, fruits, vegetables, and other important micronutrients increase the probability of cancer and lead to poor immunity and health concerns. Here, every aspect that comprises production affects the environment. For example – growing and harvesting fisheries and livestock.

It includes processing, packaging using non-environmental-friendly material, disposing of waste without environmental consideration, cooking and eating. Everything degrades the surroundings and nature in some way or another. Moreover, such processes have alarming statistics that may shock you. It further stresses the importance of embracing a sustainable diet. Here is what unhealthy food production, packaging, consumption, and wastage leads to:

• It contributes 15-30% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the UK
• It is the leading cause of deforestation, biodiversity, soil, and water pollution.
• It contributes to 70% of human water usage
• It leads to the wastage of 10 million tons of food in the UK annually
• Deplete fisheries and affects livestock production

How to build a sustainable diet plan to follow?

Creating a plant-based diet plan requires you to analyse your current eating habits. Check what you invest in the most from the eating perspective. Analyse your previous month’s grocery bills. It will help you understand what nutritional aspects you can include and eliminate the unhealthy ones. Here are some strategies to build a sustainable diet plan:

1)     Include pulses in your meals

Plant-based products should meet most of your diet standards. Nothing could be better than including pulses thrice in your meal per day. You can also pair it with nuts, seeds, and whole grains. You can spot creative ways to mix these aspects into your meals. For example- you can prepare a salad, soup, or tortillas. There are endless possibilities to incorporate such aspects.

2)     Reduce dairy food consumption

If it is habitual to start your day with a good glass of milk every day, check alternatives. Dairy products are generally animal-based. Thus, it affects the environment in some or other ways. It includes synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. It eventually harms the soil and its productive quality, leading to barren lands. You can replace such aspects with plant-based meals instead.

3)     Choose “zero-waste” organic restaurants

If you don’t know how to start defining the eating plan, check zero-waste restaurants. It is the best way to begin the environmental-friendly journey. It will help you know the recipes you can try at home and reduce wastage. You may find multiple good ones if you live in London or the surrounding areas.

4)     Include sustainable fish in your diet

Sustainable fish sources are those that can exist for a long time without affecting the environment. You can resort to the Marine Conservatory Society, which lists “a good fish guide”. It will help you choose the right fish given your budget, sustainable diet goals and health. However, it could be a little costly. Check whether you can spot somewhere for cheap. It is especially problematic for individuals struggling with regular income or unemployment. 

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• Embrace recycling and reuse system in the kitchen

Adopting a sustainable diet plan requires one to dispose of the waste correctly. It is thus advisable to keep separate bins for the veggies and plastic-related stuff. You can use the former as a compost for the plants. Moreover, don’t throw away the leftovers. Instead, explore the options to use them the next day. Purchase products with a long shelf life. It helps you reduce the unnecessary wastage.

Additionally, try to replace the existing containers with the reusable ones. It will help you reduce the reliance on plastic ones.

Bottom line

A sustainable diet is a food or diet structure that contributes to health and the environment positively. It may mean reducing the reliance on dairy products and other animal-based produce like meat. Instead, focus on including plant-based foods like veggies, nuts, grains, and pulses in your diet. The blog lists the best ways to create a healthy diet plan accordingly. It fits individuals belonging to any diet and economic system.