Sustainability Part II: Food Consumption & Diets

When it comes to diets, we’re curious about their results and weight loss efficacy. The terms “diets” and “weight loss” are common topics in conversations within Pakistan. There is a salient urge to follow diets in order to lose weight and improve physical appearances for social gatherings, morale or even work purposes.

 This concept of diets is typically misconstrued though, because the outcome of a diet is not always weight loss. Diets are food consumption plans that have been created to fit specific goals. Some diets outline food intake to gain weight, or maintain current weight. Beyond our individual diet goals, the world also has its own diet goal called “sustainability.” Our diets profoundly impact sustainability in our ecosystems.

Sustainability promotes practices that fulfill the current needs of our society while simultaneously protecting the physical conditions for long-term survival. Along with a society’s food production, our food consumption or “diet” plays a crucial role in sustainability. Transitioning to “sustainable healthy diets” can be mutually beneficial for us and our ecosystems. 

According to an article by the Harvard School of Public Health, “sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources.” A prominent sustainable diet developed in 2019 is called the “planetary health diet.” Compared to other diets, this ultimately requires global consumption of red meat and sugar to decrease by 50% and consumption of fruits, nuts and vegetables to double. This diet entails high-quality plant-based foods and low amounts of animal-based foods, refined grains, added sugars, and unhealthy fats.  Our planet would benefit from us eating less red meat and adding more fruits, vegetables and nuts to our diet as animal-based foods are more resource-intensive than plant-based foods. A diet higher in plant foods is more sustainable than a diet higher in animal products. 

There are some fad diets that have been marketed as sustainable too. The trendy “Ketogenic,” “Vegan,” and “Atkins” diets have supposed individual health and global sustainable benefits since they incorporate more plant foods. Does this mean sustainability is completely achieved through these diets? Certainly not. Being vegan or following the keto diet are temporary, short-term fixes on this sustainability journey. When these diets are stopped, people regain the lost weight quickly. There is a lack of consistency and long-term lifestyle impact compared to the planetary health diet mentioned earlier. In addition to our food consumption, we must uphold proper food and waste management practices. Sustainable food production, consumption and proper waste management can promulgate sustainability globally for our world.