Yes, you can eat sustainably – in 7 simple steps!

 

 

 

Yes, you can eat sustainably – in 7 simple steps!

 

Can you afford to ignore the need to change to sustainable eating – not if you want to be healthy.

It is no secret that modern food production is not only harmful to the environment and animals but personal health. Globally, the impact of industrial food production means pesticides, additives, preservatives and other chemicals find their way into your food. These have been linked to birth defects, damage to the nervous system and even cancer. 

Mono-cropping – growing only one crop in an area – reduces the genetic diversity of a plant and makes them more susceptible to diseases. This means entire crops are at risk of being wiped out by pests. Factory farming means animals are kept in unsanitary conditions, often crammed together with no free movement. Sickness is rife and easily spread. These poor animals are then used for mass food production – their welfare exchanged for profit. Next time you eat meat from a supermarket, imagine the cruel conditions the animal lived in before it reached your plate. Before the fork reaches your mouth, decide how tasty that morsel is.              

If you haven’t already, now is the time to take the steps to protect your family. Not only that, you’ll be supporting the environment, animal welfare and smaller, local businesses that need our help. If that doesn’t make you think, consider that fact that a lot of your factory farm produced food grows close to millions of gallons of untreated animal waste – no surprise then that there are links to diseases!

As a consumer, you have more power to take back control of what you eat than you think. Without consumers, those making money from planet pillaging cannot continue – we have more power to challenge this issue than we think. It is we who need to trigger a shift to more sustainable and environmentally-friendly consumerism. By choosing not to support an industrial food system, you are choosing to eat sustainably.

 

What is sustainable food?

 

Sustainable food production involves many factors. Predominantly it involved replacing each food item or environmental factor as they are used. For instance, in small areas of felling trees, new ones are planted for each one cut down; certain brands replace any fish that are caught to prevent depleting numbers or use farms where fish are mass produced from birth to prevent over-fishing in the oceans.

Sustainable food is far healthier for our bodies as it means eating natural foods that are meant for human consumption. They don’t impact on animals or the environment. They are humane and ensure farmers and workers are paid fair wages, whilst protecting the economy of a country.

Eating sustainably means farmers and workers in other countries are more likely to be given a fair wage.

Eating sustainable food isn’t easy. Most food labels won’t advertise the fact they are truly sustainable so try to eat locally produced food as much as you can.  Follow the tips below to help you on your way to a healthier, more sustainable diet.

 

Whilst it will take some discipline, it is easier than you think!

 

 

1.    Be fair trade savvy



Check products for the fair trade label.



Buying fair trade products means you are supporting the welfare of farmers in other countries and you’re ensuring fairer wages and working conditions for the people working on farms.  Look for the ‘fair trade’ label and the logo.

2.    Eat Locally

 Eating locally not only supports local businesses, it reduces the amount of plastic, helping the environment. When it comes to fruit and vegetable, there is no need for the amount of plastic that gets thrown out. Plastic can take between 450 and 1000 years to decompose, so imagine the difference you are making by buying locally. It can mean less stress on your purse strings and also saves on petrol.

3. Grow your own...

Growing your own food ensures a much healthier and balanced diet.

Growing your own ingredients and food really isn’t difficult. Start with something easy, like herbs and spices or lettuce which can easily be grown inside. Once you become a green-fingered aficionado, you’ll soon be growing your own vegetable garden throughout the year! If you’re reading this and thinking, ‘that’s all very well but what if you don’t have a garden?’ you can use a container garden for simple vegetables like radishes. There is something self-satisfying about the sense of achievement when you get your first harvest.
 
   4.    Cook your own… 

 

Have fun perfecting your culinary skills and tantalisingly tickle your taste buds by creating your own version of dishes. Until I lived in Africa, embarrassingly, I was a terrible cook. Being surrounded by organic produce, forced me to cook using natural, local ingredients. It gives you a great opportunity to invite friends round to show off your culinary prowess and share tips. Using local ingredients, you can improve your health and add flavour to your cooking. Recipes are so easily found on the web these days that you can’t go wrong!

   5.    Give up convenience foods.

 

As well as cooking for yourself more, there are also certain convenience foods that you can create yourself, saving the need for super market-bought food. Seasonings, sauces, cereal or chocolate – the list is endless. Again, reach for your trusty laptop or iPad and the answers are at your fingertips.


   6.    Eat seasonally

Eating seasonably means you can eat conveniently without shopping around.

Eating seasonally means that you are not supporting the mass production of foods that don’t normally grow at certain times of year. Buying products like strawberries all year round could mean that the mass production has involved mono-cropping or unnatural processes to produce the fruit. Remember all the additives and preservatives and what they can do to your body? Root vegetables are best in winter; salads and fruit throughout the warmer months. If you can’t do without certain foods, freeze or can them to eat later in the year.

   7.    Be willing to sacrifice convenience

No one said changing to sustainable eating would be easy and it takes time to be effective. The benefits far outweigh the short-term burden whilst you make the health transition. Remember, it will be beneficial to you, your family, animals, the environment and the people who work to bring you food. It doesn’t get better than that!

 

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