Taste or Health? (Part 4)
Written by Tanny PC
How Can We Develop a Sustainable Planet, Together?
Although ‘food’ is a very personal necessity, ‘food choices’ have global impacts. The other day while sipping on my cup of coffee, I was reading about the ‘climate crisis’ and how ‘fast food’ contribute to the increased production of ‘greenhouse gas emissions.’ As consumer demand increases, fast-food markets are struggling to meet the requirements. However, as consumers, isn’t it our responsibility to maintain sustainable food choices for a healthy ecosystem?
Is a ‘healthy fast-food meal’ a myth?
Let me cheer you up a little by saying, “NO!”
On our busy schedules and long travels, fast food can really hit the spot by providing us with affordable, tasty, and convenient food to satiate our hunger. However, our fast-food choices should not be limited to restaurant or store-bought, calorie-dense, sugar-laden addictive food. In fact, our menu should be wholesome, healthy, and nutritious – such as whole fruits or a bowl of salad, plant-based sandwiches, fruit bowls, or smoothies – which can be prepared fast and consumed in any situation. An entire fast-food meal should not be more than 500 calories, and we should be physically active to burn those extra calories.
To achieve this healthy habit, next time on visiting a fast-food restaurant or supermarket, opt for foods that are lower in trans fats and higher in protein and fiber. You can also decide upon meals from the ‘Kid’s Menu’ as they have small portion sizes, are lower-calorie foods (250–300 kcals), and have plenty of choices on veggies and fruits. You can definitely keep a track of the extra calories you intake as most fast-food chains post nutritional info on their website as well as at their franchise location. Occasionally, it is okay to indulge in a delectable pastry to manage your food cravings – but it should not turn into a habit. So, choose wisely and be aware of what you are ingesting! The key is ‘moderation’ - both in how we choose our meals and how frequently we visit fast-food restaurants. So, what’s on your fast-food menu today – a tofu and beans wrap or a cheesy chicken hamburger?
“Healthy eating is a way of life, so it’s important to establish routines that are simple, realistically, and ultimately livable.” (Horace - Roman lyric poet)
Have you put your ‘inner creative chef’ to the test?
Everyone has got some culinary skills – so do you! Have you explored the ‘magic of cooking’ your own meals yet? Well, you just need to be innovative with the recipes you choose and cast a magic spell with that spatula you hold. And, in the end, you can create a ‘healthy and tasty magic’ menu on your plate.
So, you might have observed that you are the ‘master’ in your home kitchen when it comes to ‘meal preparation’ and ‘deciding on recipes and ingredients’ to suit your (and your family’s) health and lifestyle. Healthy-hearty homestyle cooking involves meals with less oil, gluten, sugar, and salt content, and it is cost-effective and delicious. Cooking at home can help solve many bodily issues such as digestion, immunity, inflammation, heart health, obesity, and more. So, many benefits – all you need is to plan things in advance.
“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.” - Hippocrates
The first and foremost step for at-home meal preparation involves buying diverse and nutritious leafy, plant-based groceries during the weekends. This is the cornerstone of a healthy gut microbiome and an active immune system. Avoid purchasing animal-based and processed foods as they have adverse effects on health and the environment. The next step is batch-cooking multiple and varied meals, and freezing them in portions for 3 or 4 days (for a particular week) so that you do not have to worry after a long day at work. You won’t be bored of eating the same meal too often if you keep rotating different pre-prepped meals during the week. This slow yet steady, measured awareness and confidence in what you consume may turn out to be a ‘healthy fast food.’ After all, we cannot jeopardize the health and overall development of us and our kids.
Liz Weinandy (MPH, RDN, LD), a registered dietician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, commented that “Adults can go to the grocery store more and prep food to take on the go so we don't have to get in a situation where we need to rely on fast food so much. It takes time and some organization. I see many people who are successful at this, though, when they take a couple of hours on the weekend, and again midweek, to prep food and then plan ahead just a little to take some things with them.” (CNN Health)
Can ‘sustainability’ be on our menu to preserve our ‘Terra Verde?’
Of course, yes! All we need is to deliver awareness of the consequences of our food choices and take necessary actions to help improve them. Have you wondered why there dwell thousands of edible plants on our planet waiting to occupy a place on our plate, every day? But still, instead of adopting ‘Food Forestry and Permaculture’ techniques, we are deliberately leaning toward ‘animal husbandry.’ Do you know we are straining our planet by reaping its benefits and exploiting its natural resources with our unsustainable food choices?
From farm to plate
Well, we ‘Eat’ every day – ‘Food’ is a basic necessity for our survival. But, what are we feeding our planet to achieve our food? How long will our adaptive food choices help our planet to survive and sustain?
On pondering upon these questions – ‘What is our staple diet?’, ‘Is my food grown (on farms) or born (in a food industry)?’, ‘What are the effects of my food choices on our planet?’, ‘Will my food support a healthy lifestyle in the long run?’, ‘Is the food on my plate grown in sustainable, environmental conditions?’, ‘How much profit did the farmer and distributor earn from this food?’ (and many more) – I got to know a few less popular, yet evident and beneficial practices for our environmental sustainability. Let’s start with the starters.
Fast-food industries are unsustainable – believe it or not – right from the farm (animals and their products) to plate (steak, hamburgers, cheese), they come with their own complications and danger. Fast-food industries consume approximately 15–20% of Earth’s total energy production, which, combined with the production of restaurant materials and transportation, creates a large carbon footprint.
When our cavemen ancestors started to eat meat, it was out of sheer necessity as the plants started to deplete because of the climate changes on Earth, and meat bridged that gap. However, over the ages, meat-eaters often started to complain about various diseases such as cardiovascular issues, higher cholesterol levels, DNA damage, certain cancers, diabetes, and premature death.
The culture and farming of fish and meat, and eating animals and their products have devastating effects both on our health and the environment. Fast-food industries are struggling to provide (or rather ‘create’) sustainable food choices and eco-friendly packaging options for their products as consumer demand rises. Intensive livestock farming (or industrial livestock production) designed to maximize production while minimizing costs leads to restricted animal behavior and welfare. Large amounts of antibiotics are fed to livestock to prevent diseases spread antibiotic resistance. Overfishing causes the destruction of oceans. Chemical exposure to processed meat creates nutrient deficiency. Climate changes are predominant as meat production and consumption release greenhouse gases. Ultimately, deforestation, landfill, excessive water and food usage, and disruption of biodiversity and forest ecosystems are inevitable.
Our future is plant-based diets
Earth has provided us with a lot of options to sustain our life on this planet. The more we stay close to nature for our diet and lifestyle, the better we live healthily, think smart, and look and feel good. And how to maintain sustainability in our food choices? The answer requires insights from experts in the fields such as nutrition, agriculture, and climate research.
“We need to produce food groups that are good for health in ways that are restorative to the planet, rather than extractive,” says Corinna Hawkes, Director of the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London. She adds, “The particular foods on the plate will vary from one place to another, but those meals need to add up to something more sustainable than society’s current fare.” (Nature)
Maybe, once in your lifetime, you must have followed a ‘strict diet’ based on your body types and food choices – low-fat diet, keto diet, paleo diet, vegetarian diet, and so on. Have you heard about the ‘Planetary Health Diet?’ The theory of eating a generalized healthy and nutritious diet that is sustainable and eco-friendly is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. Of course, it is a challenge to include nutrition in all sorts of food choices available for our growing population, keeping in mind all sorts of valid scientific targets are for us to achieve a healthy gut.
In 2019, Johan Rockström, Corinna Hawkes, and other members of an international group of scientists proposed a global meal plan, the EAT-Lancet diet, which could theoretically feed 2050’s estimated population of 10 billion people. This plan necessitated a drastic reduction in meat consumption and a much higher intake of fruits and vegetables. Rockström says, “We found that a healthy diet combined with sustainable agricultural practices would have positive impacts on biodiversity, land, water, nutrients, and climate.” (The Lancet) Their idea of a ‘Planetary Health Plate’ consists of fruits and vegetables occupying half the plate, and the other half is a combination of plant proteins, whole grains, and a small amount of animal protein (less red meat).
Although our food culture and traditions have variations all around the globe, we all can agree on one common thing – Sustainability! Plants provide us with all-rounded nutrition (complex carbs, good fats, high fiber, essential minerals, vitamins, and proteins) for our body; so do we still need to kill animals (or use their products) to satisfy our demands? Well, if you cannot completely omit animals from your diet or lifestyle, you can definitely limit their usage and check whether they are ethically and sustainably sourced or farmed. We all can follow the path of ‘moderation’ and ‘awareness’ by focusing on sustainable resources, which should be our final and mandatory health resort. The most significant improvements for nature can be tied to a change in diet, which would come from a reduction in phosphorus and nitrogen pollution in waterways and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” (Albert Einstein - German physicist)
So, if you ask me, “Taste or Health?” I would gladly say, “Both.” Trust me, the amalgamation of nutrition and satiation is possible. A healthy, nutritious meal can be tasty too - just add the spices, condiments, and vegetables right, and let the flavors do the talking!
“Use spices for flavor in food rather than adding a bunch of oils, fats, or sauces.” (Marisol Nichols - American actress)
To counteract, replenish, and save our only ‘Home planet – Earth’ for the present and future generations, agricultural researchers are developing many new practical theories to improve the productivity and capacity of the soil, increase the sustainability of field crops, enhance biodiversity, and deliver the best in your fridge. All you have to do is choose your food wisely – Health is Wealth after all. A few, relatively new additional techniques to this field are ‘Food Forestry’ and ‘Permaculture,’ which have revolutionized the modes of agriculture and healthy eating. Please click and read our next posts on these topics for valuable insights. Until then, happy eating!
