Eating more sustainably doesn’t mean setting up a tent in your backyard and living on kale leaves. Every little bit counts and you can start today.

What does it mean to eat more sustainably?

Eating more sustainably means eating minimally processed foods that are healthy for you and the environment. Think about how your food is grown and where it comes from. It could be having a huge impact on you and the environment.

Sustainability and the environment

The environment is under threat from climate change and food production plays a massive role in producing carbon emissions. Farming animals – especially cows – leads to deforestation and a disruption of environmental systems. Farming can also lead to land degradation due to the use of pesticides and water use, affecting biodiversity and sustainability. Eating locally produced and organic meat and vegetables can ensure that you are not contributing to this damaging system! 

There are also components of processed foods that have very negative effects on wildlife and the environment. Have you heard about orangutans losing their homes and the deforestation of the Amazon forest for palm oil production? It is a major issue, many everyday products use palm oil but only some use it sustainably – look for the RSPO label when buying products in the supermarket to make sure what you’re buying is ethically made!  ​​

You can also check out Shop Ethical’s guide to find ethically produced products in Australia.

Sustainability and Your health 

There are many benefits to being aware of the sustainability of what you eat! A plant-based diet is made up of predominantly whole, minimally processed plant foods such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. There are more strict plant-based diets such as vegetarianism and veganism that don’t eat any meat or plant-based products. And then there is a ‘flexitarian’ diet, that allows followers to reap the benefits of a plant-based diet without having to completely shun meat and animal products. Also, eating more vegetables can be healthy for your gut as plants have lots of fibre. 

However, as always, a balanced and nutritional diet is important. If you are deciding to change what you eat it is a good idea to make sure you are also eating enough protein, iron, and calcium as those are common in meat and animal products. A sustainable diet can be flexible – it’s not about setting strict rules – just being aware of food’s impact on the planet. 

Sustainability and Human rights 

We have it pretty great in Australia, but a lot of food we take for granted is sourced from countries where people are made to work under unfair and unsafe conditions. Sustainability is also about what is good for people! A lot of the food we eat is unethically sourced. 

Fairtrade is a global organisation that looks at supply chains and workplaces to make sure that not only is the produce ethically grown and manufactured but the workers are paid fairly and work in safe environments. To look at a list of their certified products you can go to their site. To make sure that the food you buy from the supermarket is sourced from farms and factories that treat workers with respect, look out for the Fairtrade logo.

Sustainability and Food security 

There are billions of people to feed around the world but only limited resources to do it. All food requires resources. We’re talking water, fuel, chemicals and labour. The fewer resources required, the better for everyone! 

Have a look at the water footprint of different foods. It is an important consideration to make when choosing what you consume. For instance, 800 litres of water to produce one litre of cow’s milk, four times as much as it takes to make one litre of soy milk. You can see water footprint’s product list to see how much water it takes to grow the products you consume every day!

You can find out more about sustainable and ethical farming practices at the  Sustainable Table website.

What else can you do?

You don’t need to give up your favourite foods to make a difference; try to make small changes by:

• Eating seasonal and local foods. Google where your favourite foods come from and try to find the best source. You could even try growing your own veggies and herbs in pots.
• Cutting back on processed foods. You could even try going meat-free for one day each week – like a meat-free Monday. 
• Use your shopping dollars to vote. Shops stock products that sell, so support products that are sustainable, as much as you can.

Reduce waste, at home and when eating out. Shop as you need so that less food goes to waste. That might involve planning out your meals before a weekly shop, or eating at restaurants that serve locally acquired produce (if you are financially able to do so).