How does your diet impact the environment? | Experts’ Opinions

When it comes to food diets, people choose various methods to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Counting calories, fasting, or following a nutritious diet are among the most popular options. But, have you ever considered that what you put on your plate not only affects your own body but the entire planet’s environment too? Researchers have discovered that what a person eats in a day has a tremendous impact on the environment, an even bigger impact compared to the type of vehicle a person drives. How does this work exactly? Check out some opinions below.

DevelopmentAid: How exactly does diet impact upon the environment?

“Over the last few years, more and more evidence has been made public regarding the negative impacts that the growing rate of meat consumption has on our planet. These warnings focus primarily on the impact generated predominantly by cows and other ruminants such as sheep. They produce and expel methane as part of their digestive process. When I started reading this surprising news I initially thought: “Well, what is the problem with a couple of cows more or less, given that the planet is full of all sorts of wild ruminants that in the end have been generating the same impact all through history.” I found the contextualization to this question when preparing a presentation. I came across a fact that was conclusive for my understanding. The total number of buffalos that are estimated to live across Africa is around 500,000. I think that this number is illustrative of the potential total number of other wild ruminants that live across the world. On the other hand, we can confront this number with the number of cows being bred nowadays on the planet. This number is estimated at around 1,000 million (!) and is projected to double by 2050! I think that the comparison between these two figures clearly illustrates the disproportion between the animal life that the planet has historically borne in a natural balance and the increasing number of livestock, and its associated environmental impact, that is being raised in order to satisfy our western lifestyle-diet across the world.”

“Food and the environment are related to one another. People choose from various diets: diets that support food and nutrition security, a healthy lifestyle for the present and the future, and diets with little to no negative environmental effects. Food production results in the release of GHGs, which are released during land cultivation and then through processing, packaging, and transportation. A person’s dietary decisions significantly affect their lifetime ability to reduce their carbon and environment footprint. After extensive processing, food from sources high in the food chain typically requires more energy and emits more GHGs. The footprints take into account all the stages of the food industry, such as transportation, and processing, including the use of fertilizers and pesticides. I think our diets and the food system are the main causes of environmental pollution and climate change.”

“We all know about the impacts of the meat industry on our planet. Transportation, housing, and cattle have the largest carbon footprints, and that’s without considering the amount of water consumption involved in these processes. Some reports suggest that the global livestock sector produces around a half of all man-made carbon emissions. Numbers are always controversial, and the food industry was not very proud of these figures, so ‘Meat the Truth’ and ‘Cowspiracy’ emerged on the scene of meat consumption back in 2007 and 2014. The issue can be tackled by asking why these numbers are important, what story the numbers will tell when we work towards change. It’s not a question of whether the world should work on these numbers, nor whether they (note here the language choice of ‘they’ instead of ‘we’) will achieve the reduction of carbon footprint. Instead, the question should refocus on the story to be told, and how we play an active role in its construction. The objective now becomes clearer, what we should achieve in ten years is: “Man-made emissions produced by the way we eat have been reduced by a half in the last ten years”. Framing the numbers within a clear context, and an objective aligned with our choices makes us work. It’s a productive constraint that places us on the best path to achieve results while ensuring more and better information is available for the wider public and this promotes a wider market option for other types of food consumption.”

“Sustainable living starts with making conscious food choices, as the number one cause for environmental destruction including but not limited to forests, deserts, and oceans is agriculture per the study conducted by Harvard TH Chan school of public health. If we want to protect the environment for future generations, we need to improve our diet because microbial composition can be significantly influenced by one’s dietary choices. Westernization of diet undergoes changes in gastrointestinal microbes that can potentially affect the occurrence of diseases by altering immunity development patterns (Altajar and Moss, 2020). Growth to disposal – each stage of food production involves specific processes such as cultivation or transportation. With every step, greenhouse gas emissions are created which in turn trap sun’s rays causing climate change. The usage of pesticides and fertilizers in food production industry accounts for almost 30% of global greenhouse gas emission which causes havoc on ecosystems due to pollution. Almost one-third of it comes from livestock activities while the remaining part is mainly composed of food waste. A study found that the usage of animals as a source for nourishment along with their feed account for approximately 57% of all emissions produced during food production. Environmental influences can decide our food choices and the variations in diet can be attributed to the influence of local cultures along with economic and geographic factors. Depending on the availability of specific produce each season diets can differ. However, the environment can benefit if you adopt sustainable eating habits. In terms of the environment what are the worst types of food? It might surprise or shock you but many of the delicacies which we consider as favorites often fall under category of worst food. Amongst all these types of foods sugar, coffee, and chocolates hold a prominent spot, followed by rice. In addition, a variety of cereals, including genetically modified corn, some fruits and vegetables (like banana, mangoes and peaches; vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, soybeans or cabbage), seafood, especially salmon and bluefin tuna, mineral water (and its bottles), and palm oil are the worst for the environment.”

DevelopmentAid: What are some diet suggestions for people to consider for a healthier environment?

“This problem is both a socially and politically sensitive issue, particularly in countries like Spain where rural areas are progressively losing population because of the fact that the traditional agricultural and livestock livelihoods have lost their profitability over the last decades. The rural population claims that they cannot be blamed for impacting the climate while trying to make a living. Yet, the environmental impacts generated by the industrial livestock sector contribute excessively to the climate and ecosystems across the world. This fact should be acknowledged by the world population and the reduction of the consumption of meat should be mandatory for all of us. In order to progress collectively in achieving this goal, governments should set up awareness campaigns regarding this necessity. At the same time, the opposition parties should contribute to the mitigation of the problem by supporting these policies. The population should progressively evolve towards a more vegetable-based diet, assuming that it is for the sake of the planet´s and our future.”

“According to researchers, poor diets seriously damage both people and the environment. A plant-based diet has been shown in research from all over the world to have a favorable effect on health, the environment, and lower greenhouse gas intensity. On the contrary – a high intake of animal products in the diet is associated with high greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, buying locally grown food can reduce the energy use and pollution associated with transporting, storing, and cooling food. Good nutrition and sustainable eating are compatible. In addition, the majority of food waste is disposed of in landfills, which release GHGs (methane) and harm ecosystems. For sustainable food systems and environmental protection, reducing food waste is crucial. The adoption of a circular economy framework holds potential to reduce food waste and enable a shift towards zero hunger, respectively SDG 12 and SDG 2. The implementation of a circular economy framework represents a pivotal strategy in the context of climate change mitigation and the pursuit of worldwide economic opportunities. By adopting healthier, more sustainable diets and sustainable food systems, people can improve their health and contribute to environmental protection.”

“I was once eating lamb shawarma in Dakar. It was my first time in Africa and my surroundings were full of children and animals: lambs, chickens and pigs walking freely down the street. It was a Sunday evening and while I was eating my dinner, I could hear a lamb bleating. I felt a click in my head that drove me to exclude meat from my plate form then until today. This click, back in 2016, was not only about that lamb and other lambs that could end up on my plate, but it was also about the importance of realizing that what we care about and what we eat are strongly connected. Sounds and smells are differently connected to our brains, and this gave me another experience of information. Instead of worrying about the carbon footprint and all other environmental and social impacts and the amount of data printed on the plastic film of our meal package, we can do it differently, we can imagine and search for non-packaged food, locally produced and seasonally grown. That is for sure an investment of time and money, searching for a good food-coop, paying a little more and being more conscious about the costs of the value chain, but that is what we care about. And do not forget: numbers, especially those supported by large lobbies, don’t offer the understanding and the connection that I had with that lamb bleating on a simple street.”

“Being conscious of the environmental cost and nutrition value of our food choices is imperative for healthy living, as the large scale and pervasive use of industrial processes is responsible for causing most environmental problems that stem from our dietary habits. By transitioning from agro-industrial farming to agro-ecological agriculture made up of smaller diversified farms, we can hope for a solution. Besides that, the current food production system relies on following a linear approach. The combination of extracting finite resources alongside generating excessive amounts of waste, which pollutes the environment, causes damage to natural ecosystems. The environmental impact of the agri-food industry is vast, nearly one-fourth of all global GHG emissions stem from this sector despite contributing to pollution of soil and water resources. This system cannot be described as efficient because every second the equivalent to six garbage trucks full of good food is thrown out. However, transitioning towards a circular economy in regards to producing and distributing our foods would be mutually beneficial across all levels of the supply chain. Plant-based diets have significant positive effects on the environment and human health, according to a 2022 report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. According to one study, the vegan diet reduces greenhouse gas emissions the most, followed by vegetarian, pescatarian, and flexitarian diets. According to another study, of all the diets, a vegan diet has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. A meat-free diet can cut a person’s water footprint by around 55%, according to another study. Decreasing our environmental footprint can be achieved by ensuring to choose fruits and vegetables that have grown in a favorable environment in its corresponding seasons. Additionally, the Indian diet system presents a viable and affordable alternative to safeguard the environment. Today, it is necessary to implement the concepts of healthy and regenerative food systems.”

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