For over 50 years, Earth Day has been celebrated nationwide on April 22nd to engage people about our earth and climate. And with good reason. Just about everything we do as humans impacts our physical world, especially the food we buy and choose to eat (or not.) In fact, food accounts for more than 1/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG.)
1. Consider the Planetary Health Diet
Fortunately, eating for good health, and for that of the planet, are one and the same. The Planetary Health Diet (PHD) is comprised of high-quality plant foods—vegetables, nuts, fruits, legumes—and low amounts of animal foods, refined grains, added sugars, and unhealthy fats. It has similar nutrition goals to the Mediterranean Diet that holds strong scientific evidence for its benefit in weight management and both prevention and recurrence of heart disease. The PHD was developed by a global commission of expert scientists to address how to feed 10 billion people who will inhabit earth by 2050, that is healthy for both people and the planet. Find out the environmental impact of what you eat with this foodprint calculator.
Basically, to eat for your health and the earth’s sake, fill your breakfast, lunch, or dinner plate or bowl half full of fruits and vegetables, and include no more than one serving of dairy, and one serving of animal food daily. This may seem daunting for some, but time is truly of the essence here. If we continue to buy and eat food without regard, we’re contributing to our own, as well as the earth’s, demise. That said breathe deep, as even small dietary changes matter, especially when eating beef (hamburger, steak, roast.) Cattle expel significant amounts of heat-trapping methane that’s 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. (Cows have a stomach with four compartments of which one is the rumen where undigested food is stored, that ferments and produces methane. Cows later regurgitate the food and finish the digestive process. Their belching emits the methane.) Moreover, the fertilizer used to grow cattle feed releases nitrous oxide, GHG that’s 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. It also takes enormous quantities of fossil fuels and water to process and transport that feed. Swapping out beef, even for pork, or a hamburger to a turkey burger or chicken, or better yet, a plant-based burger can make a big difference on your health and the climate crisis. Enjoy beef on occasion and from animals that have been raised locally/regionally.
Check out a sample 7-day meal plan to get you started, or to reinforce what you’re already doing. (After clicking on the link, scroll down to open meal plan menus.)
2. Ask yourself, “How much food do I/we waste?”
It’s an important question to consider as about 40% of all food produced goes uneaten. Although waste occurs throughout the food chain from production to retail, the greatest amount of food waste occurs with consumers. Consider all the natural resources, energy, fuel, and water that was used to produce tons upon tons of food that is never consumed. Along with consumer financial loss, wasted food is the largest component of landfills. Food waste dumped into landfills decomposes in the absence of oxygen, resulting in the production of methane that contributes to more global warming. In addition, wasted food is throwing away nutrition and calories desperately needed by millions of people who are food insecure—over 41 million people in the U.S. alone
Most ironically, the foods that are the best for our health—vegetables and fruits—are the ones that we consume the least and the ones that comprise the greatest food waste! What does this tell you? Try to commit to eating vegetables and fruits first before digging deeper in the kitchen for processed food that have long shelf life because of their additives and preservatives. Keep leftovers front and center in the refrigerator and try to eat them within a few days. Read further for food shopping and storage tips to help minimize food waste. It’s inevitable to have some food waste, even with good efforts, so if you don’t already, consider home composting.
When eating out, recognize that restaurants are notorious for oversized portion sizes. Consider sharing a meal, ordering an appetizer, or taking what’s left home for another time
3. Think twice about food PACKAGING!!!
Pay attention to how many food products you’re putting in your shopping cart that have plastic packaging. I often struggle with this in the dead of winter over fresh salad greens sold in a plastic box that is unrecyclable. Most processed foods—that displace more nutritious foods in our diet—are packaged in plastic. Plastics are made from fossil fuels and contrary to popular belief, not all plastic is recyclable. As it is, only 9% of all plastic is recycled. If recyclable plastic gets mixed with contaminated with non-recyclable plastic in single stream systems, the whole bale goes into the landfill. It’s estimated by the year 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. Simply put, it’s impossible to recycle our way out of the plastic pollution problem. Try to choose paper over plastic packaging.
Each year, the average American family takes home 1,500 plastic shopping bags, while only 1-3% of all plastic bags are recycled. Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes, but takes 1000 years to degrade in a landfill. Many people are already using reusable shopping bags, including bags used for produce and bulk foods.
How many single use plastic bottles does your family dispose of in one day?...perhaps a plastic bottle of orange juice to go with the morning’s takeout breakfast sandwich; a soda with lunch, a bottle of water in a meeting, a sports drink at baseball practice, etc. etc. etc. Just as it takes time and effort to eat well, so does reducing your plastic footprint. Is it necessary to buy drinks in plastic bottles that glut the environment? Instead, use refillable mugs and bottles and/or paper cups, which are mainly biodegradable.
Many to-go and fast-food wrappers contain PFAs, also known as ‘forever chemicals’—human made compounds that can’t break down in the environment. Even in very small amounts, PFAs are toxic to humans, remaining in the bloodstream for years. Scientific studies have linked PFAs to immune dysfunction, increased risk of cancer and asthma, damage to the thyroid, liver and pancreas, interference with natural hormones, and growth, learning and behavior effects in infants and children. Remove to-go food from packaging as soon as possible and don’t heat food in its original packaging.
Finally, restaurants use millions of plastic straws daily that often end up on our streets and in our oceans. When ordering beverages, you can ask waitstaff to leave plastic straws and stirrers out of your drinks.
Bottom Line: These concerns and tips may feel sobering and overwhelming to some. But even a few changes in the foods you buy and choose to eat can be healthier for both you and the planet. Keep in mind that you only have one body and one earth. We’re all in this together—it’s critical that we act now and take personal responsibility for ourselves and the earth’s viability. Soak up the sun, air, and water!
FMI:
Foodprints for the Future – fight climate change with diet change
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch – tracks sustainably produced seafood
To your good health!
KC