Sustainable Diets: Eating For The Planet

One of the biggest drivers of climate change is our food system - over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture alone! It's clear that what we choose to eat has a HUGE impact on the environment. But what do we need to change in order to stay healthy, eat delicious food, and prevent the planet from warming even further. Tune in to find out more on sustainable, planetary diets. 

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Credit to MonoSheep for the theme music.

Transcript

Welcome to Nutrition Bites. The no nonsense podcast where you get the truth about food so you can eat what you want and be healthy. I’m your host Maggie and welcome to Episode 14 of this series! Today we’re diving into a complex area of food that extends far beyond personal health - it’s about the health, and survival, of the planet. What we choose to put on our plates is incredibly powerful, so let’s w  ield that power for good. On the menu today, eating for the planet. 

A few weeks back the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published their 2021 report, and the message was...incredibly grim. What was found was far worse than what I imagined - and I’m a pessimist. Climate change is in full swing, and the pace is rapidly increasing. It’s a pretty uncomfortable pill to swallow, and to be honest, it can leave you feeling fairly hopeless. One of the biggest drivers of climate change is our food system. It’s something I’ve mentioned  in various episodes of the podcast, but it’s about time to dedicate a deeper dive into this space, and learn how we can start shifting our diets towards a more sustainable future. So let’s get to it. 

Growing up I was under the impression that one of the best ways I could help combat our warming planet was by reducing energy consumption. So, I channeled my raging tweenage angst into aggressively unplugging appliances and turning off lights at home. I even owned a bracelet with the phrase “Flick Off'' embroidered on it, which only further motivated my actions. And over the past few decades, the world seemed to get onboard. Many countries use renewable energy to power the grid and technologies that reduce at-home energy consumption are affordable and accessible. And while this provided temporary relief to my climate anxiety, I was soon introduced to another area of climate concern: the food system. 

Right now, you can see the effects of climate change in the grocery store by simply looking at your bill. The UN global food cost index reported that in May of 2021 global food prices were 40% higher than in May of 2020. Of course, many things affect food prices, but severe weather events from a warming planet are a driving factor. Major droughts in Brazil and Argentina are driving up prices for corn and coffee. More frequent and severe cyclones in Madagascar are making vanilla beans an insanely expensive, and rare, commodity. And this summer’s drought in the Canadian Prairies will raise beef prices for the next two years. Climate change affects food in other ways too, but our food system itself is also a major driving force behind rising temperatures. Around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, and if we continue to eat and produce food the same way we do today, in 30 years these emissions from just the food system will surpass targets needed to prevent extreme global warming. Forget about teslas and thrifting clothes - we need to change how we eat.

The 3 key areas of our food system we need to change are the following: what we are eating, how we are producing it, and how much food we waste. And while I am wildly passionate about reducing food waste - best before, shmest before, - this episode will be focused on changing what we eat. And there’s no better place to start than with the Ron Swanson favourite: meat. 

Animal meat has been a staple of the human diet forever, just ask any paleo enthusiast. It provides calories and is a great source of nutrients, like protein, iron and Vitamin B12, but it’s far from perfect. The high fat and cholesterol found in meat make diets high in this food incredibly unhealthy - increasing one’s risk for ALL chronic diseases, as well as cancer and early death. It is also the worst thing we eat from an environmental point of view. 

On a global scale, the livestock sector contributes more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector. And it’s not just cow’s burping methane. Greenhouse gases, aka GHGs, are also released from decomposing manure, and from the production of crops needed to feed animals. Cows are by far the most GHG intensive animal we eat, but sheep and goats are also large contributors. Pigs, and poultry are less GHG intensive, and the ranking of seafood is mixed depending on how they are sourced. Eggs and dairy also get a poor environmental score because we need animals to produce these products. Since the majority of dairy in the Western diet is sourced from cow’s milk, some dairy products actually contribute more GHGs than chicken or pork. Which is why eating a vegetarian diet is not completely climate-conscious.

And while GHG emissions from animal farming directly contribute to global warming, there are other effects of this industry that also harm the environment. Animal waste, especially from industrial farms, can pollute waterways for both humans and aquatic life. Raising animals also requires HUGE volumes of water - in fact it’s estimated that nearly ¼ of all the water humans use is related to meat and dairy production. Growing crops for animal feed also requires water, and contributes to a concept called “land use change” where natural habitats, like forests, are destroyed in order to grow more crops. Destroying these habitats causes a reduction in biodiversity - with birds and bugs and other creatures no longer having a home. So yeah...raising animals for our food makes one hell of an impact on the planet. 

Apart from meat and dairy there are other aspects of our diet that also impact the planet. Certain crops, like almonds, pistachios, and corn, are insanely water-intensive, and can contribute to droughts. Eating heavily processed foods, which rely on monocultures like corn and wheat, impact the planet in a more complex way. A monoculture is the cultivation of one crop in a field at a time and it’s a technique used in industrial farming. When you only grow one crop, for years at a time, it ends up depleting the soil of specific nutrients and messes with the balance of natural microorganisms. In order to replace those lost nutrients, tons of chemical fertilizers are used which end up polluting our waterways and killing helpful microbes, bugs and bees. And I really take offense when we hurt the bees. Monocultures also contribute to decreasing seed biodiversity, with a few seeds chosen to be grown out of hundreds or thousands of varieties. Having this biodiversity is super important for long term crop resilience. If COVID taught us anything it’s that it only takes one virus to really wreck havoc. 

So to sum up this messy and nightmarish scenario: how we are eating right now, in particular overconsuming meat and dairy, is leading us down a dangerous path. And while this may seem overwhelming and horrible, we can actually do something about it. Because what we choose to eat everyday drives supply, and that changes systems. Think of how in only a few short years we made department stores uncool, Blockbuster video obelete, and avocados a kitchen staple. We hold a lot of power, so let’s discuss how we can use it to stop our home from burning down. 

A climate-friendly diet follows 3 guiding principles: eat less, or better yet no, meat and dairy, choose whole foods over processed, and buy local and seasonal. Let’s start with principle #1.

The most impactful change we can make to our diets to drastically reduce climate change..is to go vegan. And yes, I can hear some of you groaning out there. I get it..veganism has a certain...reputation. One part “my diet is my personality trait”, one part “Holier than thou” vibes, and one part “complicated and boring foods”. But hear me out: oreos are vegan, so is peanut butter, and coffee, and a ton of other delicious things. And it’s overall an incredibly healthy way to eat. But I also know that switching from eating meat every day to an animal-free diet, or even giving up dairy if you’re a vegetarian, can be a terrifying shift. So let’s talk about  small impactful steps you can make today.

Whether you need to reduce meat or dairy, or both, the process is the same. The first step is to start buying less. One tactic I use is to only buy bougie, locally raised meats from a butcher. Because it is so expensive, I end up purchasing meat maybe twice a month. Another strategy is to opt for vegetarian or vegan meals when you eat out. Eating plant-based at a restaurant is a good litmus test of their quality. In line with buying less is eating smaller portions. If you and your partner normally each eat a steak for dinner, try only cooking 1 and splitting it in half. Beef up (not literally) the rest of your plate with more whole grains and veggies. When you’re comfortable with this, try eliminating meat or dairy from 1 meal entirely. And when that becomes easy, go 1 full day without it - like a Meatless Monday. Eventually you can slowly work your way to being mostly meatless, or dairy-free, or vegan. Think of it like a video game - each level you gain more skills and soon enough you have the power to beat Bowser. If you can get to a point where you eat vegan for 2 out of 3 meals - consider that an incredible success. In fact, this 2/3rds vegan diet is actually less GHG intensive than a complete vegetarian diet. So really, you don’t have to give up everything you love in order to make a big impact on climate change. 

Scientists have also identified some animal proteins that could be regularly eaten in a planet-friendly diet. For my Danish friends, bottom-of-the-food-chain fish like herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines are all climate friendly. For my fancy friends, bivalve mollusks, which include oysters and clams also make the list. And for my trend-setting friends, insects like crickets and mealworms are one of the most sustainable proteins of the future. Bon Appetit!

Now let’s talk about principle 2 of a climate friendly diet: choosing whole foods over processed. This guideline is all about improving efficiency in the food system. Buying pre-shredded carrots versus a whole carrot and shredding it at home, adds a lot more steps in the food chain, like transportation and manufacturing - each of which impacts the environment. And the more processed your food is, the more expansive and complicated that food chain gets. Cheetos has over 20 ingredients, each of which needs to be grown, processed, and transported to the Cheeto factory before being turned into the finger-staining snack. Even something as simple as choosing whole grain foods helps with efficiency. 1 bushel of wheat makes 60 loaves of whole grain bread, and only 42 loaves of white bread because the extra processing removes so much volume, and nutrition. A bonus in choosing whole foods is that it reduces wasteful packaging from processed foods - and we all know that humans are exceptional at creating trash. 

Finally, let’s talk about principle 3: buying locally and seasonally. Choosing local foods is less about decreasing the GHG impact from transportation, and more about supporting sustainable practices. Most westernized, high-income countries have stricter regulations when it comes to food production - including aspects like manure management and pesticide use. Supporting local non-animal farms also helps preserve farmland, which can help control flooding, provide a habitat for wildlife, and improve air quality. Eating local is also closely tied with seasonal eating. While many of us are used to eating whatever we want, whenever we want, we tend to forget it’s a pretty privileged position to be in. My grandparents are probably rolling in their graves at the amount of citrus I eat on a daily basis. Eating seasonally helps support local economies and reduce transportation pollution. Not only is this way of eating more delicious, have you tried a greenhouse tomato in the Canadian winter?, it also provides a fun chance to stretch your kitchen skills - whether that’s making berry jam, stewing bushels of Roma tomatoes Italian-style, or brewing homemade cider. Eating seasonally is how we’ve done it for centuries, and if we don’t bring it back now, Gen Z will...and they’re going to turn it into some kind of TikTok dance.

While the 3 core principles of a planet-friendly diet (eat less meat and dairy, choose whole foods, and eat seasonally and locally), are all important, it’s not so simple for everyone to follow. Many forget that close to 10% of the global population is undernourished, and it is inhuman to force a specific diet on them when they don’t have enough food to eat as is. High income countries vastly over consume meat and dairy, so we should shoulder the responsibility to reduce our intake while also accounting for the necessity of others to increase theirs. Secondly, whole, seasonal, local foods are not always accessible or affordable. Many urban pockets in North America have more fast-food chains than grocery stores, and many people can only afford processed foods to feed their family. Also, it’s easier to “go vegan” in countries like Spain, with constant fresh produce, compared to Greenland. Even living in an urban city, provides greater access to plant-friendly options versus rural towns. This is the responsibility of the government and other big players to support access to whole, nutritious foods for all. 

It can feel really overwhelming to face the fact that our planet is on fire AND that our diets are a massive contributor to the destruction of our home. But I hope you realize that your choices can make a HUGE difference. In fact, eating a predominantly vegan diet is the 3rd most impactful action individuals can take to combat climate change! So it’s even more important that we begin to shift our diet towards a more sustainable way of eating. Start with small steps to reduce your dairy and meat intake, especially beef. Limit buying processed foods. And choose whole, local, and seasonal produce. Although that sounds fairly simple on paper, I know it can still seem difficult to implement in practice. But we  got to start somewhere - our planet needs us to. 

That’s been the bite for today. Stay hungry.