Go through your bills and track your consumption. Challenge yourself for at least one month to create an overview of your food consumption, highlight what you could buy less of, or on the other hand, which nutritious foods you tend to forget to buy.

Support independent, local restaurants. They often source their ingredients locally and typically use products in season. Follow your favourite restaurants on social media to keep an eye on coupons or days when discounts are offered.

Ask the restaurant staff to pack the leftovers for you. Consider bringing a reusable box when you enjoy food in a restaurant if there are leftovers. Explore anti-food-waste apps where you can purchase surplus meals at discount prices from your local restaurants and stores.

TooGoodToGo app is available in Germany, France, UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, and Austria. Similarly, Karma operates in Sweden, UK, and France.

Explore anti-food-waste events led by food-waste activists and movements. There is a new concept of organising dinner events where meals are cooked from surplus food provided by local suppliers.

Budget-friendly sustainable leisure activities. Dressing up Sustainably even when Tight on a Budget. The Considerate Consumer Schomburgstrasse 50 Hamburg Germany. hello considerate-consumer. Support Us! We respect your privacy. Consume Sustainably in 6 Easy Steps. Budget-friendly sustainable food consumption.

Composting Food. Eating out. Edible Insects. Food Certification. Food Packaging. Organic Food. Where to shop for Groceries. Budget-friendly sustainable fashion consumption. Disposing-of Fashion. Fashion Certification. Shopping Fashion.

Sustainable Fashion Brands. Sustainable Fashion Terminology. Figs grow in most Mediterranean countries, reducing their food miles, but you could even plant a few varieties in the back garden. Greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, transport costs and low amounts of nutrition for all the effort involved, combine to make farmed meat and dairy products a bad choice for everyone.

The bad news is getting that information included on food labels is still some way off, but the good news is that articles like this can help. Search, save and sort your favourite recipes and view them offline. Join the BBC Good Food Wine Club.

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Look to buy from smaller, more dynamic farms when you can. We could easily spend a whole article diving into the eco pros and cons of seafood and we have! For starters, it is less likely to be overfished in the wild, and it takes fewer resources to farm.

Fish that are lower on the food chain will also naturally replenish faster than their predators. They don't accumulate as much mercury over their short lifespan, either. However, the seafood industry is rife with human rights abuses read a marine scientist's take on the issue here , so it's important to know where your seafood is coming from, no matter what you're buying.

Seaweed is a crop that requires next to nothing to get started and is quick to grow. Plus, the marine plant can help capture carbon and filter out water pollutants as it spreads.

It may even prove useful in reducing the methane emissions of those gassy ruminants. A growing wave of seafood farms are now popping up along the coast of the U. Check out a list of food companies selling it here.

Like seaweed, mushrooms are a low-input crop that can grow in inhospitable areas without much fuss. They're even surprisingly easy to grow at home. Some varieties also have a meaty texture and taste, making them a nice vegetarian substitute.

As a category, nuts fall somewhere in the middle of the sustainability spectrum. While some varieties like peanuts technically a nitrogen-fixing legume have a pretty low footprint, Rose notes that other options like almonds are very water-intensive and tend to be grown in already water-starved areas like California.

The following items tend to have a higher environmental impact. If you're looking to eat more sustainably, try to consume them in moderation. Remember, even one swap a day can make a big difference in your overall food-print.

diet, beef is the single biggest contributor to global warming emissions," Bergen notes—by a long shot. Rose explains that in his review of the foods that Americans eat that have the highest environmental impact, the top 10 were all beef products. If you're going to make one change to your diet, swapping a cut of beef for another protein even another animal, like chicken or pork is likely the one that will have the largest impact.

While lamb isn't as popular as beef in the U. The final ruminant animal on the list, goats and their byproducts are associated with significant greenhouse gas emissions too. Dairy is also climate-intensive since it comes from cattle. There are plenty of alt milks to choose from these days, and while they all require different amounts of land and water to grow, Bergen says they are almost always more sustainable than dairy milk.

Also byproducts of cows and ruminant animals, cheese, butter, and yogurt are not the most sustainable options.

Trust me; it pains me to write this as much as it pains you to read it! Swap for : Cashew "cheese," tahini, plant-based yogurts.

The " Red List " of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch flags fish associated with environmental or human rights concerns. Swap for : The smaller fish listed above salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring. While not nearly as resource-intensive as red meat, Rose notes that many beverages have a higher footprint than you might expect.

This is in part because they come with lots of packaging and tend to be pretty heavy to ship. It also takes a lot of raw material to make our favorite drinks. It takes a lot of oranges to do that. And then most of what's left over gets thrown away.

Same with wine or beer," he explains. Swap for : Filtered water from the tap. While blueberries and raspberries do make for a sweet treat in winter, Rose notes that they will not be the most sustainable option. More often than not, these fragile fruits were shipped to you from somewhere else on an airplane—and have the carbon emissions to prove it.

Swap for : Seasonal fruits or preserved jams. Palm oil plantations are a major driver of deforestation around the world, particularly in Southeast Asia. The cheap oil can be hard to avoid beyond just food, it's in tons of personal care products , so look for RSPO-certified deforestation-free palm when you can.

Like palm oil, table sugar sucrose is a cheap crop that's now being grown in areas of high biodiversity. It's also pretty water-intensive to cultivate 5. Swap it for other natural sweeteners that don't have the same land-use concerns. Beyond making these sustainable swaps, here are a few more ways experts recommend reducing the overall impact of your diet:.

Take a cue from this eating philosophy and think of meat as less of a centerpiece and more of a side dish for those veggies, grains, and plant proteins. diet each year; equivalent to the emissions of 33 million cars.

Compost any food scraps you do have so that they funnel back into the earth instead of decaying in a landfill another source of planet-warming methane. Join a composting program in your community or start a bin at home using this guide.

And here's yet another reason to avoid cooking with meat: Animal scraps don't belong in your bin!

Another easy way to cut down on food and packaging waste is by meal prepping. If you have access to a minifridge to store a few meals, it's Missing According to professor Heather Carpenter, who teaches environmental science and food sustainability, eating sustainably can be expensive and

Low-cost sustainable food items - Edamame. Edamame is a healthy food with a fairly low price. A ounce bag of frozen edamame generally costs less than $2. It's Another easy way to cut down on food and packaging waste is by meal prepping. If you have access to a minifridge to store a few meals, it's Missing According to professor Heather Carpenter, who teaches environmental science and food sustainability, eating sustainably can be expensive and

However, the seafood industry is rife with human rights abuses read a marine scientist's take on the issue here , so it's important to know where your seafood is coming from, no matter what you're buying. Seaweed is a crop that requires next to nothing to get started and is quick to grow.

Plus, the marine plant can help capture carbon and filter out water pollutants as it spreads. It may even prove useful in reducing the methane emissions of those gassy ruminants. A growing wave of seafood farms are now popping up along the coast of the U. Check out a list of food companies selling it here.

Like seaweed, mushrooms are a low-input crop that can grow in inhospitable areas without much fuss. They're even surprisingly easy to grow at home. Some varieties also have a meaty texture and taste, making them a nice vegetarian substitute.

As a category, nuts fall somewhere in the middle of the sustainability spectrum. While some varieties like peanuts technically a nitrogen-fixing legume have a pretty low footprint, Rose notes that other options like almonds are very water-intensive and tend to be grown in already water-starved areas like California.

The following items tend to have a higher environmental impact. If you're looking to eat more sustainably, try to consume them in moderation. Remember, even one swap a day can make a big difference in your overall food-print. diet, beef is the single biggest contributor to global warming emissions," Bergen notes—by a long shot.

Rose explains that in his review of the foods that Americans eat that have the highest environmental impact, the top 10 were all beef products. If you're going to make one change to your diet, swapping a cut of beef for another protein even another animal, like chicken or pork is likely the one that will have the largest impact.

While lamb isn't as popular as beef in the U. The final ruminant animal on the list, goats and their byproducts are associated with significant greenhouse gas emissions too.

Dairy is also climate-intensive since it comes from cattle. There are plenty of alt milks to choose from these days, and while they all require different amounts of land and water to grow, Bergen says they are almost always more sustainable than dairy milk.

Also byproducts of cows and ruminant animals, cheese, butter, and yogurt are not the most sustainable options. Trust me; it pains me to write this as much as it pains you to read it!

Swap for : Cashew "cheese," tahini, plant-based yogurts. The " Red List " of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch flags fish associated with environmental or human rights concerns. Swap for : The smaller fish listed above salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring.

While not nearly as resource-intensive as red meat, Rose notes that many beverages have a higher footprint than you might expect. This is in part because they come with lots of packaging and tend to be pretty heavy to ship. It also takes a lot of raw material to make our favorite drinks.

It takes a lot of oranges to do that. And then most of what's left over gets thrown away. Same with wine or beer," he explains. Swap for : Filtered water from the tap.

While blueberries and raspberries do make for a sweet treat in winter, Rose notes that they will not be the most sustainable option. More often than not, these fragile fruits were shipped to you from somewhere else on an airplane—and have the carbon emissions to prove it.

Swap for : Seasonal fruits or preserved jams. Palm oil plantations are a major driver of deforestation around the world, particularly in Southeast Asia. The cheap oil can be hard to avoid beyond just food, it's in tons of personal care products , so look for RSPO-certified deforestation-free palm when you can.

Like palm oil, table sugar sucrose is a cheap crop that's now being grown in areas of high biodiversity. It's also pretty water-intensive to cultivate 5. Swap it for other natural sweeteners that don't have the same land-use concerns. Beyond making these sustainable swaps, here are a few more ways experts recommend reducing the overall impact of your diet:.

Take a cue from this eating philosophy and think of meat as less of a centerpiece and more of a side dish for those veggies, grains, and plant proteins. diet each year; equivalent to the emissions of 33 million cars.

Compost any food scraps you do have so that they funnel back into the earth instead of decaying in a landfill another source of planet-warming methane. Join a composting program in your community or start a bin at home using this guide.

And here's yet another reason to avoid cooking with meat: Animal scraps don't belong in your bin! Reynolds says that avoiding food that comes in plastic packaging is another way to reduce the environmental impact of your diet, though she notes that isn't feasible for everyone.

But if you do have the time and resources to shop for loose produce , get your grains from the bulk bin , or make your own package-free nut milk , by all means. Reynolds and Bergen agree that the Good Food Purchasing Plan recently passed by New York City and Chicago!

is one policy that stands a real chance of changing the way we consume food in this country. Encourage your local government or school board to sign on to stocking their menus with healthy and sustainably grown food. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables preferably local and in-season , grains, legumes, responsible sourced fish, and nuts tends to be a good way to go for the planet.

It's no wonder that the Mediterranean diet is typically considered the most sustainable eating pattern. Get started by using meat as a flavoring rather than a main dish, reducing your waste, composting what's left, reducing the amount of food you buy in packaging, and advocating for changes in your local food system.

Food systems are super complex, but consider this guide an appetizer in your journey to find a sustainable diet that works for you, and advocate for a food system that supports your community and the world at large.

Skip to Content. Shop Health Coaching Classes Editor's Picks Beauty Food Healthy Weight Login Login. Login Login. This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features. Close Banner. Climate Change.

Author: Emma Loewe. By Emma Loewe. Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us.

Sustainable eating. We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links. What does it really mean to eat sustainably?

Why it's important. What to know about meat. A spotlight on regenerative agriculture: Regenerative agriculture—a way of farming and ranching that prioritizes soil health—has the potential to sequester million tons of carbon dioxide annually in the U.

It also leads to more nutritious food. Early research shows that vegetables grown regeneratively have higher levels of phytochemicals, while regeneratively raised beef and pork have three and nine times more heart-healthy omega-3 fats than conventional meat respectively.

Now it's time to explore where all of this leaves you: the hungry consumer with a grocery list. Legumes lentils, chickpeas, beans. Mackerel, clams, mussels, sardines, and anchovies. Swap for: Plant-based protein, chicken, pork, or regeneratively raised beef.

Swap for: Plant-based protein, chicken, pork, or regeneratively raised lamb. Explore anti-food-waste events led by food-waste activists and movements. There is a new concept of organising dinner events where meals are cooked from surplus food provided by local suppliers.

Budget-friendly sustainable leisure activities. Dressing up Sustainably even when Tight on a Budget. The Considerate Consumer Schomburgstrasse 50 Hamburg Germany. hello considerate-consumer. Support Us! We respect your privacy.

Consume Sustainably in 6 Easy Steps. Budget-friendly sustainable food consumption. Composting Food. Eating out. Edible Insects. Food Certification. Food Packaging. Organic Food. Where to shop for Groceries.

Budget-friendly sustainable fashion consumption. Disposing-of Fashion. Fashion Certification. Shopping Fashion. Sustainable Fashion Brands. Sustainable Fashion Terminology.

Textile Fibres. Fashion - Associations. Fashion - Media. How to Save Energy. Home Appliances. Carbon Footprint - How to reduce it? Christmas Tree. Covid Waste.

Leisure activities on a budget. Living sustainably on a budget. Shopping Bag. Sustainable Interior - Why? Where to Start? Shopping for Sustainable Interior.

Budget-friendly worklife. Green Banking. Green Banks. Sustainable Financial Investments. Increasing Your Budget Sustainably.

Green Mobility. The Green Car. Animal-Considerate Food. Animal-Considerate Beauty. Animal-Considerate Fashion. Animal-Considerate Entertainment. Companion animals. Animal Charity.

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