WAs always such a misused word as “sustainable”? “Healthy” comes close, and in fact the two are often combined, in trivial “good for you, good for the planet” phrases that often appear in foods that are anything but. The question of what we should eat to help combat climate change and environmental degradation has never been more important, or more confusing. In July, the government will publish its National Food Strategy, based on a one-year independent review, which should shed some light on the matter. In the meantime, there are some foods that, with caveats, you can scoff with with a clear conscience.
“Eating well begins at home, and one of the most important things we can do for the future of the planet is to minimize the kilometers of food, so our staple foods should be foods that can grow perfectly in this country,” advises Patrick Holden , CEO of Sustainable Food Trust. Another basic principle is to do your best to understand the story behind what you are eating, be it vegetable or animal: “If you know who produced your food, you are responsible to you and are more likely to worry.”
Grass-fed beef and lamb
These meats are the most controversial, complex, and caveat-rich inclusion on this list, but Holden, an early proponent of regenerative agriculture (which involves raising livestock within a mixed farming system to restore organic matter and, with she, carbon) to the ground) makes a case for eating them. The soil is an invaluable carbon sink; However, the separation of crops and livestock has left half the country dependent on artificial fertilizers, the application of which “reduces organic matter and microbial diversity,” he says, resulting in carbon leaching. By rotating livestock with crops (as was done for centuries before the intensification of agriculture), farmers can “accumulate carbon in the soil and thus offset livestock emissions”, and make the most of grass, a plant that We can’t eat it, but it grows in abundance in the UK.
Consumed in moderation, red meat is highly nutritious and also increases the bioavailability of nutrients in plant foods. “There is a good reason why humans have coevolved alongside grass-eating animals,” says Carolyn Steel, author of Sitopia: How Food Can Save the World. “Grass is rich in nutrients, but we cannot digest it. That’s why we eat animals that can. “
Oatmeal
The argument in favor of eating oats is strong, although it is sometimes said that they are not the magic formula for sustainability. They are not, for example, a nutritional substitute for dairy and can be as harmful as any other monoculture if grown intensively. But if they are “grown without artificial chemicals, in a way that is friendly to the ecosystem,” their consumption should be encouraged, says Tim Lang, professor of food policy at the City, University of London. “They can be grown at high altitudes and are a good ‘rest crop’,” that is, a crop that can be sown between harvests to replenish the soil. By adapting well to the British climate, they can, and should, replace the imported American corn we usually eat for breakfast.
Locally grown vegetables (fresh, fermented, or pickled)
“Great Britain grows around 50% of all the vegetables it consumes and 16% of all the fruit. We should be growing twice that, ”says Lang. We talk a lot about agriculture, “but it is horticulture that we have to grow and invest in, and education about what seasonality means.” Strawberries grown in heated plastic tunnels in February are not the answer; a mix of fresh seasonal produce and preserved produce from previous seasons. Look for the shortest supply chain possible – the weight and water content of fruits and vegetables make transportation very inefficient. If you can’t grow your own, find your local farmers market, vegetable box scheme, or community garden; And if you must shop at supermarkets, try not to shop out of season. “The reason supermarkets import apples from New Zealand is because people want to eat them all year round,” says Steele. “If we ate seasonally, there would be room for more traditional local varieties.”
Mussels and other bivalves
Nutrient-dense bivalves, adept at sequestering carbon and purifying seawater, are right up there with algae when it comes to sustainability points. These mollusks (oysters, mussels, clams, and scallops) feed on microscopic organic matter, including agricultural runoff; so its cultivation transforms waste into carbon storage and delicious food. Wild mussel fisheries also “create microhabitats for fish and other small invertebrates,” says Katie Keay, senior manager of fisheries extension for the Marine Stewardship Council. Growing mussels is simply a matter of throwing ropes into the sea, says mussel fisherman Kenny Pottinger. “They stick to the strings. You don’t have to feed them. You come back in two and a half years and then you harvest them. Nature sustains itself. “
Pulses
Like red meat, legumes are a nutrient-dense food, says Josiah Meldrum of East Anglian grower Hodmedod. “So if we go to the type of farming system where we use livestock in a crop rotation, they can supplement the protein from the meat, where there is a limit to how much we can and should produce.” Then there is its ability to self-fertilize the soil, through root nodules that contain bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. “This means that even if they are not grown organically, legumes do not need any artificial fertilizers, which degrades the soil,” says Meldrum, while nodules also increase organic matter within the soil by feeding microbial life which, when dies, “ensures that the carbon is locked.” Although Hodmedod sells UK-grown dried legumes, many beans and lentils are imported into stores.
Seaweed
If any plant deserves the term “superfood”, it is algae, both for its environmental benefits and its powerful nutritional properties. Like any plant, algae absorb carbon dioxide, but they can also reduce ocean acidification, allowing microorganisms and marine life to flourish. It also “relies on nitrogen and phosphate to grow, so there is the potential to grow algae in areas where there is agricultural runoff … and convert those pollutants into nutrients,” says Professor Michele Stanley, associate director of science, business and innovation at the Scottish Marine Science Association.
deer
Venison is a great example of nutrient-rich meat produced from grass and forage plants and trees that humans cannot utilize. It is also abundant as, Since predators are no longer in the wild in the UK, deer populations are routinely euthanized so that they do not outgrow the supply of wild vegetation and encroach on farmland.
‘Waste food
If, as a planet, we were to stop wasting food altogether, we would eliminate 8% of our total emissions, so an easy way for the planet to eat would be to address that, Steel notes. That could be by preserving and making meat and fish bone broth, but it could also be as simple as eating as much fruit or vegetables as possible. “The skin, the seeds, the leaves, this is where the phytonutrients are,” he says, citing Nigella’s banana skin curry as an example. Supporting companies that repurpose waste – surplus bread in beer, surplus fruit in condiments, and chutneys – is another easy win.