Tips for a Sustainable Diet
This is one area that I feel isn’t really talked about too much (at least from what I have seen) in the sustainability community. Once I did some research into eating sustainably for myself, I discovered some surprising information so I wanted to share it today. Just like all the other blogs, please do your own research as well. This is just an introduction to this topic and there is so much more to learn for all of us!
Some things I found…
- Meat. This may not be super surprising to people because this is usually the food that people say isn’t sustainable. Through the production of meat, a lot of energy and water is used to get the cow, pig, chicken, etc. to our table. I personally don’t eat much meat at all. I will eat a tiny bit for protein but don’t prefer it. My family on the other hand loves meat and eats it almost for every meal. This is when it can be hard on the environment. If you enjoy meat everyday consider “meatless mondays” or some other day of the week and instead of eating meat everyday, you can cut down to six days a week. Just an idea!
- Some Fruits and Veggies. This one surprised me! According to my personal research, I found that fruits like bananas and peaches and veggies like avocados and lettuce are not always the best for the environment because they require so much water to grow correctly. It is still important to eat fruits and vegetables though. The sustainable fix for this will be difficult but just make sure you are eating all the fruits and vegetables that you buy. Unfortunately they may not be the most sustainable for the environment but if they are used, at least it is not wasted energy and water.
- Coffee. I personally really enjoy coffee so this one made me sad. But it makes me really sad too that to make room for coffee crops, they have resorted to deforestation. This is also another situation in which we can’t do much. What’s done is done. However, we can be educated to both stand up against large companies that are negatively sourcing their coffee and to buy from companies that are working towards making their coffee as sustainable as possible.
While there is so much more that could have been talked about when it comes to a sustainable diet, I think these three things are important for college students to think about. I hope you liked this blog post! Next week we will talk about ethical fashion choices.
I was very surprised that some fruits aren’t really eco-friendly but I guess it does make sense because most of the fruits/vegetables you mentioned are in warmer climates so a lot of water is essential. I also had no idea that they did deforestation just for coffee that really blows my mind.
I enjoyed reading your blog this week! Your tips are very helpful. Lately, I have been thinking about ways to decrease my carbon footprint. Staying away from meats at every meal is a great idea! Thank you!
I didn’t know vegetables like lettuce could be considered unsustainable due to the amount of water required to properly grow them.
I remember hearing about avocados not being the most eco-friendly, but the others were a surprise to me! Thank you for sharing this information.
I’m also heartbroken that coffee requires so much land and resources to grow! I love myself a good cup of coffee but I agree that it’s making a huge impact on our environment. I guess that’s something I’ll have to keep in mind from now on. Is drinking coffee or eating these types of food worth the impact they leave behind?
It is unfortunate as far as the production of coffee goes. As if it was not already bad enough, k-cups are also extremely bad for the environment, furthering the damage done in that market.
Some of these made me really sad too. I am a big protein eater along with my family. I tried to go vegaterian when I was younger and it really didn’t work for me. I also love coffee which I am not sure if I can give up but I could cut back.
This makes me feel very bad about eating my food now. I eat a lot so finding ways to be more sustainable is something that interests me. Thanks for the content.
Reading that coffee is on this list also made me sad! I am a huge coffee drinker and have at least a cup a day- I definitely have to think more about the things I consume and their effect on the environment!
coffee is the best always. Thanks for nice article