By: Food as Medicine; Dr. RS YouTube Channel’

In today’s climate, what we decide to put on our plates has a major impact both on our health and on the world around us. For example, did you know livestock production makes up 40% of the world’s agriculture and uses one-third of the world’s fresh water supply? Also, meat production makes up 15% of all carbon emissions.

Making the choice to eat sustainably is usually also just about making decisions that will lead to a healthier overall diet. In general, it is important to eat less processed food, meat (particularly red meat) and certain fish which are in danger of being overfished. One of the biggest things for sustainable eating is increasing the number of plant-based foods you have on your plate. Plus, half of your plate should be plant-based in a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables help to lower blood pressure, help prevent some types of cancers, regulate blood sugar and curb appetite to avoid overeating.

One final thing to pay attention to is to avoid overeating. Paying attention to how much we eat and not taking on too much food will help reduce waste every time we sit down to eat a meal. Overeating is a major issue when it comes to managing your weight, obesity can lead to many issues like diabetes or heart disease.

Seven Tips for Sustainable Eating

• Eat more vegetables – take inspiration from other cultures to add variety and flavor

• Add color to your plate – variety is the spice of life!

• Waste less food. Plan and write down what you need before going to the store and don’t shop hungry!

• Eat less meat

• Buy Organic foods when possible and pay attention to the ingredients listed and try to buy foods that are not highly processed with additives.

• Eat less fat, sugar and sodium – check the labels

• Buy local and in season