Do I really have to be vegan to eat sustainably?

             Many of us try to incorporate environmentally conscience decisions into our lifestyles—bringing canvas bags to the grocery store, drinking out of reusable water bottles, or maybe you drive a hybrid.  Whatever it is, you’re contributing by helping the planet and reducing your carbon footprint. 

            What you may or may not know is that you can also decrease your carbon footprint through your meal choices.  The most well known strategy is to go vegetarian or vegan. However, some of us (me included!) may find it difficult to give up meat, cheese, and eggs altogether. The good news is that you don’t have to give up some of your favorite foods to eat green.

So what do you do if you want to live more sustainably, eat healthy, and eat meat!  In the following post I hope to give some tips about eating more sustainably, without giving up some of your favorite foods.

Sustainable Diets

            The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN states that “Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources.”  That’s quite the criteria list!  Does a sustainable diet even exist?  One study looked at 6 different diets to see which diets were the most sustainable, and the healthiest.  The Mediterranean diet was shown to be a diet that balanced overall health and sustainability the best.

Why is meat always the bad guy?

            Producing meats, especially beef, are very energy consuming.  From the land utilized to raise the cattle, to the methane they produce through processing and transportation, many greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted. This doesn’t even include the production of the food that cattle ingest as well, which is also harvested, processed, and transported.   Dairy products, being a product of a similar industry, also produce a lot of GHG emissions.

Wait, so I don’t have to be a vegan or vegetarian to eat green?

            Of course being a vegan or a vegetarian eliminates many of the food products that emit the most GHG into the air.  According to that study I mentioned earlier, these two diets had the highest sustainability scores.  However, neither one had the highest health score.   This is most likely because the restrictions of the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle usually exclude or limit intake of vital nutrients like iron, Vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. What does this all mean?  There are diets and lifestyles that are healthy, sustainable, and include meat.

So what can you do?

1.     Cut back on meats, dairy, processed foods, and sweets.  Everything in moderation!  You don’t have to eliminate these foods all together, but being aware of your consumption of these foods not only will decrease your overall carbon footprint, but also contribute to healthier eating habits.

2.     Shop local produce.  Buying food that is seasonal to your area cuts back on carbon produced from food processing and transportation. The perfect way to eat local and seasonal is to subscribe to a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, in which you can purchase boxes of food from local farmers.  Here is a link to some CSA programs around Kent.

3.     Save your leftovers.  Food waste emits methane into the air. According to a WRAP survey if everyone started eating food that they typically throw away, it is the carbon equivalent of taking 1 in 5 cars off the road.

In conclusion, you don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to eat sustainably. Just trying some small changes can help make a big difference!

TB

References:

1. Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/background/sustainable-dietary-guidelines/en/Sustainable Diets Study. Published 2018. Accessed November 13, 2018.

2. Juliann Schaeffer. The Low-Carbon Diet: A Protection Plan for the Planet. Today’s Dietitian. https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/082508p42.shtml Published September 2008. Accessed November 13, 2018.