Diet Tips That Are Sustainable and Healthy

 

Food production, alongside fast fashion, is one of the most environmentally damaging processes in the world.

Fortunately, there are many small amendments you can make to your diet to make it instantly more sustainable. Here are some healthy changes you can make to your diet that will have a huge effect on your environmental impact.

Reduce Your Meat Consumption

Turning to a vegetarian, or even a flexitarian diet, can significantly reduce your personal impact on the environment.  Meat is also high in fat and often includes dangerous additives, such as growth hormones. As such, a reduction or complete obliteration of meat from your diet can make a major difference, both to your health and the environment.

Learn about the Origins of Your Food

Many consumers are completely unaware of where their food comes from and the processes that go into making it, which means that they accidentally make unsustainable choices. Research your food and find out where your favourite producers source and package their products. This approach will help you to choose the most sustainable food products on the market and reduce your consumption of environmentally unfriendly foods.

Try Eating Insects

A novel new approach to sustainable food is to farm insects, such as crickets, which can be a tasty snack. Thanks to Biobug and their range of cricket flours and protein powders, you can also incorporate this sustainable trend into your baking and workout routine. Insects are easy to farm in bulk and so small that they reduce the need for large trucks to transport them. As such, they’re a great alternative to traditional meat snacks and baking products.

Buy Local Ingredients

The further your food has to travel to reach your plate, the more fossil fuels are burned, so try to buy locally sourced food as much as possible. Visit local farmer’s markets and use small independent grocery stores, rather than supermarkets, so that you can reduce your food miles and still enjoy fresh, tasty meals.

Organise Your Kitchen

It might sound like an unusual way to reduce your environmental impact, but by creating an organised kitchen, you’ll be able to plan your meals and reduce your food waste. Wasted food is not only expensive but also environmentally unsustainable, as this food took precious resources to grow, package and distribute.

Organising your kitchen and making sure that you’re aware of everything in your fridge, freezer and cupboards will reduce your chances of finding out of date, inedible food that you forgot about.

Eat Less Processed Food

Heavily processed food products, such as flavoured corn snacks, ready meals and instant products, go through many different processes before they are sold to customers.

Each of these processes is often undertaken in a different factory, meaning that the ingredients are transported to various different locations before they become the finished product that consumers eat. As such, eating less processed food products will help you to be more sustainable, as well as making your diet healthier.

Avoid Food Packaging

Most food packages are made from mixed materials, which makes them difficult to recycle. Even if they are recyclable, the process still uses a lot of energy.

A great alternative is to shop at zero waste stores, where you bring your own containers. Some supermarkets, such as Waitrose, are even trialling this service, so if you do need to pop to a supermarket quickly, try to take your own containers to reduce waste.

Sustainability is no longer a choice: it’s essential for any responsible adult. These tips should help you to reduce the impact that your diet has on the environment.