Sustainable diets are "dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable; and are culturally acceptable". These diets are nutritious, eco-friendly, economically sustainable, and accessible to people of various socioeconomic backgrounds. Sustainable diets attempt to address nutrient deficiencies (e.g., undernourishment) and excesses (e.g., obesity), while accounting for ecological phenomena such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and land degradation. These diets are comparable to the climatarian diet, with the added domains of economic sustainability and accessiblity.
In order to create a sustainable diet, emphasis is placed on reducing the environmental cost incurred by food systems, including everything from production practices and distribution to the mitigation of food waste. At an individual level, most sustainable diets promote reduced consumption of meat and dairy products due to the particularly adverse environmental impact of these industries. Data on the intersection between food and sustainability has been prioritized by a variety of international bodies such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
History
Sustainable diets were developed to address the dual issues of malnutrition and degradation of environmental resources. The term "sustainable diet" was first coined in the 1986 Dietary Guidelines for Sustainability article by Gussow and Clancy. They describe sustainable diets as "food choices that support life and health within natural system limits into the foreseeable future." The term and its usage was further refined in 2010 by FAO and Bioversity International. The FAO further delineated the constructs of practicing a sustainable diet to be the achievement of optimal growth and development, support for physical, mental, and functional wellbeing, prevention of malnutrition, and promotion of biodiversity and planetary health.
In 2014, the FAO/WHO Second International Conference on Nutrition placed sustainable diets and transformation of food systems as focuses of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016-2025. In 2019, the FAO and WHO collaborated once again to develop a set of guidelines for sustainable diets and their implementation worldwide.
Components of a sustainable diet
The FAO and WHO have outlined the components of a sustainable, healthy diet. The outline divides these components into sections regarding health, environmental, and sociocultural aspects. Each component is also in line with current United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
As a whole, sustainable diets emphasize:
Starting early in life with breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding
A great variety of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and drinks
Including whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables
Including moderate amounts of eggs, dairy, poultry, fish, and especially limiting red meat Consuming primarily drinking water Providing adequate energy and nutrients, rather than not reaching or exceeding needs Staying consistent with WHO guidelines to reduce risk of diet-related NCDs Consuming minimal amounts of pathogens, toxins, and other disease agents through food Maintaining greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and chemical pollution targets Preserving biodiversity of crop, livestock, forest-derived foods, genetic resources, and more by avoiding over farming, over hunting, and over fishing Minimizing the use of antibiotics and hormones in food Minimizing the use of plastics and plastic derivatives in food packaging Reducing food loss and waste Respecting local culture, culinary practices, and consumption patterns Being accessible and desirable Avoiding adverse gender-related impacts, especially related to time allocation for buying or preparing food
Health
Building a sustainable diet can be analyzed throughout the human lifecycle. According to the United Nations this starts with infant breast feeding. With age, the diet becomes increasingly expanded. For children and adults, it includes a wide variety of minimally processed foods that are balanced across food groups. The sustainable diet is primarily plant-based, relying heavily on whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. This is also supplemented by moderate amounts of eggs, dairy, poultry, fish, and minimal red meat. Proportions are meant to be moderate, with all dietary needs satisfied but not heavily exceeded. Finally, a healthy sustainable diet includes safe and clean drinking water.