Do you think you can switch to a sustainable diet?

[Gopi Passiflora]

Many people are concerned about sustainability with regards to the environment and its resources. Some experts say that a diet focused on sustainability consists mainly of plant-based foods and avoids animal-based ones (although I believe experts say there are some animals which can be used as a sustainable food source - insects for example).

Do you personally think you can switch to a sustainable diet?

I don't know if I personally can. I'd have to wean myself from some of my favorite foods in order to have a healthy, sustainable diet.

[Rowan Amore]

9 minutes ago, Gopi Passiflora said:

Many people are concerned about sustainability with regards to the environment and its resources. Some experts say that a diet focused on sustainability consists mainly of plant-based foods and avoids animal-based ones (although I believe experts say there are some animals which can be used as a sustainable food source - insects for example).

Do you personally think you can switch to a sustainable diet?

I don't know if I personally can. I'd have to wean myself from some of my favorite foods in order to have a healthy, sustainable diet.

If it doesn't include cheese then no.

[Gopi Passiflora]

Just now, RowanMinx said:

If it doesn't include cheese then no.

I dunno. Maybe it would be possible to make cheeses from insect protein?

[Rowan Amore]

1 minute ago, Gopi Passiflora said:

I dunno. Maybe it would be possible to make cheeses from insect protein?

Ummm...

[Rowan Amore]

[Eddy Vortex]

25 minutes ago, Gopi Passiflora said:

Many people are concerned about sustainability with regards to the environment and its resources. Some experts say that a diet focused on sustainability consists mainly of plant-based foods and avoids animal-based ones (although I believe experts say there are some animals which can be used as a sustainable food source - insects for example).

Do you personally think you can switch to a sustainable diet?

I don't know if I personally can. I'd have to wean myself from some of my favorite foods in order to have a healthy, sustainable diet.

I was a vegetarian for two years, so it's quite possible for me to go longer.  But the meat cravings has gotten too much to bear.

[Eddy Vortex]

14 minutes ago, RowanMinx said:

Because cheese is life. Ain't no way I'm giving dairy up.

I tried going vegan once. It was the most miserable two weeks of my life.

[Bree Giffen]

Ok. I read about sustainable diets. You have to eat foods that are local and organic. Eat more vegetables than meat. Eat minimally processed foods and have a varied and balanced diet. It pretty much sounds just like eating healthy. So my answer is no. 

[Rowan Amore]

It's hard to eat local produce in winter and organic is almost always higher in price.  Although it seems like a good thing, it's not always feasible.  I live in Ohio and pretty much anything "fresh and local" is greenhouse grown and if you've ever eaten a greenhouse tomato, you know it's not nearly as good.

I'll also leave the bug eating to my cats.

[Orwar]

   I've considered a vegan diet. Unfortunately society still accept them as 'people', and the law would call it murder and cannibalism!

   Jokes aside though, I'm quite conscious about what I consume, and whilst I'm by no means any kind of saint, my budget is built to accommodate more expensive products from my local area rather than the cheaper, mass-produced imports from nations that have too lax laws regarding both animal welfare and environmental impact. Aside from a few oranges (it's not Christmas without eating oranges until your lips bleed and your fingertips have gone white) and spices, as well as the occasional specialty products (cheeses and alcoholic beverages primarily), the vast majority of the things I buy must be branded as a Swedish products, and animal products should always be marked as organic (due to how the law stresses animal welfare for organic products more strongly than non-organic ones); produce on the other hand I actively avoid organic products since the net impact appears to be higher (shorter shelf-live = more discarded, lower productivity, the use of heavy metals instead of chemical pesticides that are proven to be safe for humans, etc - unless this has changed since last I looked into it. Might be time to have another lookie!). 

   I also avoid processed foods - I rather enjoy cooking anyway. Don't think I've actually bought a frozen meal for about three years. The exception being some charcuterie products (sausages and meatballs for everyday use, pölsa, blood pudding, pea soup, etc.), but then I'll pick the local brand whenever possible (although unfortunately the local charcuterie don't make meatballs!). 

   Grains and potatoes, of course, there's absolutely no point in buying imported (if you're so miserly that you'd want to save a few crowns a year and don't mind that it's an extra step of travelling by truck or boat for thousands of kilometres, you're simply put an idiot). Rice we don't produce here, but I don't much care for it and can't remind myself of actually ever buying rice myself. I also take into consideration where my money end up, and would rather support my neighbors (living rather a rural life, it's people I actually meet on occasion) who put up with the stringent laws that are in place to produce their products, than some German corporation I'll never see a face from. 

   Would our politicians stop bickering about the whole genus shenanigans, idealistic redistribution of wealth and living in a land of windmills carp, I wouldn't hesitate a second to support whoever would take a stance of capital punishment for whoever is such a dolt that they'd eat meat imported from Australia or Brazil, or who consume avocados. I also think we should introduce protective hunting of velocipedists on the pavements, as this would both increase traffic safety and rid society of superfluous idiocy and, by some extension, reduce our net consumption as a society. Win-win!

[Jordyn McGregor]

No no no and no. 100% carnivore and have no intentions of changing!

[LittleMe Jewell]

1 hour ago, Gopi Passiflora said:

Many people are concerned about sustainability with regards to the environment and its resources. Some experts say that a diet focused on sustainability consists mainly of plant-based foods and avoids animal-based ones (although I believe experts say there are some animals which can be used as a sustainable food source - insects for example).

Do you personally think you can switch to a sustainable diet?

I don't know if I personally can. I'd have to wean myself from some of my favorite foods in order to have a healthy, sustainable diet.

 

Since I have absolutely no desire to, I see no reason to even contemplate whether or not I could manage it.

 

[Silent Mistwalker]

2 hours ago, Gopi Passiflora said:

Many people are concerned about sustainability with regards to the environment and its resources. Some experts say that a diet focused on sustainability consists mainly of plant-based foods and avoids animal-based ones (although I believe experts say there are some animals which can be used as a sustainable food source - insects for example).

Do you personally think you can switch to a sustainable diet?

I don't know if I personally can. I'd have to wean myself from some of my favorite foods in order to have a healthy, sustainable diet.

A sustainable diet would kill me. ☹️

[Silent Mistwalker]

58 minutes ago, Bree Giffen said:

Ok. I read about sustainable diets. You have to eat foods that are local and organic. Eat more vegetables than meat. Eat minimally processed foods and have a varied and balanced diet. It pretty much sounds just like eating healthy. So my answer is no. 

Well if that's all it is, I've been doing that my whole life. I can't get too varied with it though. That would be asking for trouble.

[Silent Mistwalker]

37 minutes ago, RowanMinx said:

It's hard to eat local produce in winter and organic is almost always higher in price.  Although it seems like a good thing, it's not always feasible.  I live in Ohio and pretty much anything "fresh and local" is greenhouse grown and if you've ever eaten a greenhouse tomato, you know it's not nearly as good.

I'll also leave the bug eating to my cats.

Someone who was once a "friend" grew maters hydroponically. I never understood how she kept selling the most tasteless maters I've ever had in my mouth. Even the "store bought" hydros had more flavor. lol

[Jules Catlyn]

2 hours ago, RowanMinx said:

I am allergic to cheese! 😪 What i love is almost anything potato and i wouldnt be able to go to a diet without meat,

[Paul Hexem]

4 hours ago, Gopi Passiflora said:

Many people are concerned about sustainability with regards to the environment and its resources. Some experts say that a diet focused on sustainability consists mainly of plant-based foods and avoids animal-based ones (although I believe experts say there are some animals which can be used as a sustainable food source - insects for example).

Do you personally think you can switch to a sustainable diet?

Why should I?

[Marianne Little]

The only sustainable diet for me would be animal and fish protein, dairy products, root vegetables, potatoes and corn.

It is only possible to use 3% of the land for grain crops, and 1% of this for wheat. The rest goes to feeding farm animals. The land that can be used for vegetables, is much lower than 1%. I am talking about farming that the farmer with family can live of this, not people who have some vegetables in their garden in the summer. Greenhouses need enormous amounts of energy, water and fertilizers.

It is a much bigger amount of land that is suitable for grazing animals - cattle and sheep mostly. 

We in my country eat only 23% of plant based food produced here, due to long and cold winters. We import almost 80% of plant based food. 

Removing meat, egg and dairy products and replacing them with more imported food like beans, nuts and canola, will mean even more transport and the transport is based upon petroleum fuel. Let us say we buy beans and lentils from India. India export large amounts, but is importing beans and lentils to feed their own population. They can not produce enough. 

Nuts from California or around the Mediterranean sea? Nut production demand a lot of fresh water, something these areas already are using too much of.

Politicians from the "Green" party has bought the vegetable food with hook, line and sinker. The only sustainable diet is local food.

I do not have high thoughts for those who buy avocado, beans, nuts, Goji berries and other imported food and think they are saving the planet. I like some avocado and other imported stuff, but I know where it is coming from. Some seem to think products in the store is appearing by magic, not by cargo ships, trains and planes. Ask yourself what your country is producing, not what diet that's in. Some rich man's wife preach, before she is taking a private jet to go on a cruise on their friend's yacht.

I also do not replace things like phones, fridge, washing machine and furniture before it is broken. And then, I look for second hand items that others sell or give away because they do not like the sofa color.... I think that is important too. Buy less, eat the food you bought before it is going bad, be frugal.

[Rat Luv]

4 hours ago, Orwar said:

Would our politicians stop bickering about the whole genus shenanigans, idealistic redistribution of wealth and living in a land of windmills carp, I wouldn't hesitate a second to support whoever would take a stance of capital punishment for whoever is such a dolt that they'd eat meat imported from Australia or Brazil, or who consume avocados. 

[Rat Luv]

5 hours ago, Gopi Passiflora said:

I dunno. Maybe it would be possible to make cheeses from insect protein?

Why not have both together? 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_martzu

Edited February 10, 2021 by Rat Luv

[Chic Aeon]

I was a vegetarian for many years, have been eating organic for a couple of decades, cook from scratch and eat lots of veggies.  I also haven't been to a doctor in about thirty years so that says something for that kind of lifestyle.  I have also grown vegetables most years of my adult life -- and no I don't live in farm country; I live in a small town on a regular small lot. 

 

One interesting experiment that I did for a year back in maybe 2006 was to ONLY eat products that were grown in my state (Oregon) or a neighboring (touching) state. Thank goodness for California.   But I did do it for a year and it was no hardship.  I had to give up coffee and bananas and chocolate but there were certainly plenty of tasty things to eat. Since most  of my foods were already made from scratch there was little hardship there.  

 

There are plenty of old books written about sustainability and food supply.   Diet for a Small Planet is probably the most famous one.  When you consider how many people in the world are starving I think sustainability  is a good thing to work towards. 

[Rat Luv]

I tried vegetarianism at school for ethical reasons, but became underweight, was tired and hungry all the time, had headaches and other side effects. I'm not saying don't do it, I think it's suitable for some but not for others. Someone else I knew who tried it actually put on weight, as they were eating more carbs, like pasta and bread, than usual...(ETA I've also known vegetarians who get by fine, just talking about my personal experience)

I mostly avoid processed foods as they're full of saturates and sugar, and would rather cook at home. But I do enjoy an occasional pizza or bag of Monster Munch 

I think things will change over time, they'll probably have to, but it takes a lot of effort and time, and most people are more concerned with keeping their jobs and getting through the pandemic. It's easy to talk about growing your own veg, and it would be nice...but you can't do much if you live in a block of flats, or have to work long hours. Also, some organic food is much more expensive than what you can get in the supermarkets.

Edited February 10, 2021 by Rat Luv

[Ceka Cianci]

I wouldn't have to give up meat because we grow our own.. we pretty much make our own corn meal and grow most of our things, plus have more eggs than we know what to do with..

We have our own water supply which is gravity fed to the house..My husband and father actually had to install something in the line because we had too much pressure.. I honestly can't think of much we would really need from outside sources.

My father set things up to where if we ever had to be self sustaining we could be..

He even got these really old generators that can run on a little bit of diesel and plant oils, like sunflower oil.. They are pretty neat.. you actually have to use a crank on them like the old planes.. hehehe

 But they work really good and the fuel last for a long time in them..

 

ETA:I found a video of the kind of generators We got.. I know he got some 1 cylinder ones but also some 2 cylinder ones as well.. I have no idea which ones are which.. I just know when he had them come in some were bigger than the others..

He had to have them shipped down from Canada.. They drove them all the way from up there and came down through New York, then down to us..

They were really hard to find.. I remember him saying they were like from 1949 or something around there..

Anyways, this is what they look like..

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Ceka Cianci

[Lindal Kidd]

I prefer a system of global birth control. Let's get the population down to a "sustainable" level rather than put everyone on starvation rats.

[Rolig Loon]

Sustainable?  No, but my normal diet has never been very high on meat, so I guess I am semi-sustainable.  I eat chicken, turkey, or fish about three or four days a week, but my meals are mostly centered on vegetables, nuts, fruit, and whole grains. I've never liked eggs, so they're out except in baking. On the other hand, I'd find life boring without cheese.  And coffee, which is definitely not local (or probably sustainable either).