Five Sustainable Foods for the Earth

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 With the growing awareness of the "climate crisis," many people's eyes are heading for food for the environment. It is because choosing carefully the type of food that comes to our table at every meal alone can overcome the global crisis that has been threatened by climate change.


Recently, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a new large-scale analysis of the environmental and health effects of 15 foods. The study considered the effects of reducing the risk of disease in food and the resources required to produce the food. Sustainable food for the environment was screened by the assessment data, including different effects on water consumption, pollution, deforestation and soil erosion as well as nutrition.

Based on the study, five "sustainable foods" were selected, which are beneficial to the environment as well as health.


First, vegetables were ranked No. 1 sustainable food by the research team. Studies have confirmed that vegetables have the least impact on the Earth.

Earlier, the "Veganism Impact Report," which analyzed EU statistics, also announced the results of a study that if the world's carnivorous population turns to 100% vegan as of 2018, carbon dioxide emissions from food will be reduced by 70%, which will reduce emissions by a total of 9.6 billion tons. The conversion of the world's population to vegan creates a billion hectares of land being used for livestock, which can be used as plant proteins or as agricultural land for growing fruits and vegetables.


Coming in second place is fruit. Fruits, like vegetables, do not require a lot of water to grow compared to meat, and are beneficial toils.

The intake of vegetables and fruits is both beneficial to the environment and positively affects human health. In 2014, a research team at the University of London in the U.K. announced the results of a survey of 65,000 adults aged 35 or older from 2001 to 2013. According to the report, eating more than 560 grams of vegetables and fruits every day reduced the rate of early death caused by the disease by 42 percent.


The third place went up with a wail. Whole grains such as whole wheat, corn, barley, quinoa, and brown rice are not only healthy foods for modern people but also sustainable foods for the environment. According to the researchers, grain is less labor and energy in cultivation and harvesting than meat, but it costs more than vegetables and fruits.

According to a study published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology in 2014, the carbon emissions of grains and soybeans were only 0.16, 0.11. On the other hand, beef has a carbon footprint of 6.61.


Olive oil rose to fourth place. Olive oil, which is considered a major food ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, has significantly less carbon emissions or water consumption than nuts, dairy products and meat. At the same time, it is a food ingredient that helps reduce the serious health problems of modern people.

According to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), a research team led by Professor Michel Lucano of Edinburgh University in Scotland confirmed that extra virgin olive oil has a positive effect on brain health in old age, helping prevent dementia. In a study conducted in Spain, when extra virgin olive oil was added to the diet, 62 percent less cancer was diagnosed than the group that reduced fat.


In the fifth place, 'eggs,' the only animal food, were ranked. Eggs generate less greenhouse gases than beef and chicken, which are the main contributors to climate change. It is even a food that has a higher sustainability index than fish.

According to the figures for carbon footprint by food released by the Environmental Working Group in the U.S., the carbon footprint of eggs (kg, carbon dioxide) was 4.8. Carbon footprints of mutton were found to be 39.2 for lamb, 27 for beef, 13.5 for cheese, 12.1 for pork, 11.9 for farmed salmon, 6.9 for chicken and 6.1 for canned tuna.



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