By Matthew Ballenden"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." – Albert Einstein
What we choose to eat has a massive impact on addressing many of the crises the world faces today. Water and land shortages, food shortages, climate change and world poverty can all be linked to unsustainable production and consumption.
As the consumer you are still king, by virtue of having the choice about which products to support and which to ignore. This choice means ordinary shoppers have the ability to change the world, one grocery list at a time.
The way we view our diet, and the choices we make about what we eat, is rapidly becoming one of the most astounding tools we have in our personal arsenal to make massive changes and avert environmental disaster. This is a time when one has to be blind not to see we are in trouble.
It’s now about far more now than simply displaying compassion for animals in your food choices, or about being fashionable, or different.
It’s about good nutrition, certainly. Eating fresh, healthy food from local suppliers while reducing one’s dependence on meat and increasing one’s helping of fruit and vegetables will definitely do one good, but the exciting truth that many are awakening to is the realisation that healthy eating is a powerful way to reduce one’s carbon footprint and tackle the environmental crisis.
Every human being, standing side to side, would fit on a piece of land the size of Manhattan Island! It’s not our number that is the problem, it’s our diet!
Five tips on how you can change your world this year:
1. Eat less meat: The striking reality is that simply by reducing your dependence on meat as a staple food, and by only eating sustainable meat products, you’ll be contributing to saving billions of litres of water, reducing pollution and maintaining plant and animal diversity on earth.
Consider these facts that look solely on the impact of a reduced meat diet on saving water:
Firstly, over one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water.
Skipping just one ladies steak (250g) at a restaurant would equate to giving your recommended 2 litres of water a day to a thirsty person for a period of 17 years! This is because it takes approximately 100 000 litres of water to make one kilogram of beef! In comparison, it takes only 500 litres of water to make one kilo of potatoes, and 1000 litres for a kilo of rice, so opting for the baked potato with creamed spinach and mushrooms, or the roasted vegetable risotto would be doing the planet and your fellow man a massive favour.
If you feel that changing your diet, that it will be too difficult, start with one day a week. Try holding a “meatless Monday” and only consume plant products, vegetables, grains, and legumes. Also, drink water or non-dairy beverages, such as almond, rice or soy milk. Your taste buds will thank you for the variety and body will feel the nutritional benefits.
2. Shop consciously:Every time you go to a grocery store, restaurant, or eat a meal at home, choose wisely and your action can bring immediate, positive consequences to healing yourself and our planet. Read labels and ask questions. Choose products from responsible producers who are producing using environmentally safe methods and have your health at the forefront. You can make a difference. Another way of creating change is to contribute to relieving the burden of those who are vulnerable by purchasing an extra bag or two of groceries to give to a charity organisation, or even dropping some dog food in the SPCA trolley on your way out. Every little bit of help is highly valued and appreciated.
3. Make a meal plan: Meal plans are a great way of creating variety in the choice of food and recipes that you use at home. These healthy eating plans do all of the work for you by supplying you with shopping lists, recipes and most importantly a balanced diet for the week. See Fresh Earth’s online Meal Plans with recipes, ingredients and shopping lists, and all the difficult to source, seriously good-for-you stuff is always available at our store. Part of the change that needs to take place is to slow down our eating habits (all the convenience food) and the best way to do this is to have a plan, meal plans offer just that.
Fresh Earth Meal Plans4. Raise health aware kids: Tasty lunch boxes that are free of fatty, nutritionally-poor, convenience foods like chips and chocolates are a great way to ensure healthy kids and to educate your kids about the right food choices. Creating tasty, happy lunch boxes is so easy. Involve your child in the process and give them options to choose from. See our lunch box ideas, that are easy to prepare and so good to eat. Teaching your children from the beginning what real food is and where it comes from will reconnect them to the earth, as we all one.
Fresh Earth Lunch Box Ideas5. Recycle: In these times there is no excuse not to recycle. There are loads of companies that can manage the collection of your recycling. Support retailers that are environmentally conscious and use environmentally friendly packaging. Recycling also means reusing your unwanted food, or food that has gone off i.e. worm farms and compost bins.
