Sustainable Diets Are Necessary and Inevitable

The topic of sustainable diets is so daunting I have resisted even attempting the topic. But it is so important, I will try to give you a brief idea of what's going on. The global population is expeted to hit 9.1 billion in the near future, and western diets rich in meat and dairy products will become unsustainable.

A United Nations panel studied the problem and concluded that, just as fossil fuels will be gradually replaced by renewable, pollution-free energy sources like wind and solar power, meat and dairy products in the the world's diet will need to be replaced by vegetables, fruits and grains. Both shifts are absolutely necessary to reduce production of greenhouse gases and consumption of natural resources and to ensure planetary survival into the foreseeable future.

The reality is that changing your diet to a largely plant based one can much more rapidly help to curtail greenhouse gas emissions than pushing for the construction of renewable power facilities or other high tech solutions. It is also something you personally can readily do.

Overeating has also become a major issue not only because of its health risks but also because of the increased consumption of the world's resources not only from increased food consumed but also from the increased energy required to move overweight people around. The dark side of this is that manufacturers of processed foods have increased the amount of sugar, fat and salt in these foods to make them more palatable. The upshot has been that large numbers of people are now addicted in the true sense to these foods, unaware that they are being pushed into obesity by profit hungry manufacturers.

One of the biggest problems is the amount of food thrown away by individual consumers, supermarkets and manufacturers. The UK throws away up to 50% of their food. Much of this goes into landfills where the decomposed food creates gases that we're trying to get rid of. The US numbers on food waste vary depending on who you ask. It appears to be somewhere between 28-50%. You know how agencies can twist numbers to mean whatever they want, so it's hard to know for sure. So what can we do to help the world? Here are a few painless ways to help the world without changing your way of eating much.

Go organic if possible. Organic farming is better for the environment in many ways, not to mention better for the consumer (in many cases).

Try to buy food that is locally grown whenever possible. The closer you are to the source of your food, the better for the environment. This is why I like Farmer's Markets. The farmers will tell you exactly where the food came from.

Try to eat a vegetarian meal at least twice a week. The less animal protein we eat, the less animals we need to raise for food, thus helping the environment in many ways.

Plant a backyard garden. I have done this, and at least during the summer months I never have to buy tomatoes, squash, eggplant or herbs.

This is such a complex problem and I have not given you much in depth information on the subject, but I do hope you will be interested enough in this topic to Google it and learn more. The bottom line is that we must change our ways. What we're doing now is damaging our enironment and will not sustain us long term. We must dispel the myth that meat and dairy are essential for good health. It simply is not true. So try a vegetarian dinner this week and make a start toward a better environment through a sustainable diet.