Sustainable Eating

This article is based on a special report from the Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, August 2019.

There is a dietary pattern that can help you and the earth – by promoting sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture refers to ways of growing food and raising animals that conserve natural resources and have minimal impact on the environment.  Sustainable eating means choosing foods that are good for our bodies and the environment.  

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals state that we must change the way we produce food to increase productivity and sustainability while also improving human health. Raising cattle has the biggest impact on the planet of any single human activity. It produces 15% of the world’s greenhouse gases and uses 1/3 of the world’s fresh water.  Decreasing beef consumption is an important way toward a more environmentally friendly use of resources.  

Nicole T. Blackstone, PhD, an assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy, analyzed the three diets recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans – the Healthy US-style, Mediterranean and vegetarian dietary patterns.  Her results, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, showed that the US-style diet was tops in land use and CO2 emissions, because it includes the largest amount of red meat consumption.  The Mediterranean diet was highest in water pollution, mainly because of water use in Spain to produce olive oil.  (Data on the Mediterranean diet came from Spain).  A vegetarian eating pattern had the lowest impact on all sectors – CO2 emissions, water depletion, land use, pollution of fresh water, oceans and the air.  This does not mean that all conscientious eaters must become completely vegetarian, but that we should all make gradual changes in that direction.  

In January of 2019 a body of experts published a report entitled Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems.  They aimed to use the latest scientific evidence to develop a “planetary health diet” that is both health promoting and environmentally sustainable.  Their proposed pattern is largely plant based but optionally includes modest amounts of fish, meat and dairy foods.  Worldwide, adhering to this diet would mean doubling per-person intake of  fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts while cutting consumption of red meat and sugars at least in half.   According to Nicole T. Blackstone these recommendations would mean eating no more than the equivalent of 3 ounces of red meat per week, which is about the size of a deck of cards.  Currently the average American eats 5 to 6 times that much..  This would be a big shift. Such changes can be made gradually.

 Regardless of what we eat, cutting down on food waste is of great importance.  U.S. consumers throw away nearly one pound of food per day.  All that food in landfills produce greenhouse gases.  Planning meals ahead, storing food properly, and using frozen fruits and vegetables are ways to save food and money.  Find someone who composts and give your food waste to him/her. For many of my readers in West Marin, these changes will not be difficult.  Please write me a note on this blog if you have questions.  Subscribe to the Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter if you want a great source of reliable information monthly – 800-274-7581

Sadja Greenwood MD, MPH