How to make your diet more sustainable

  1. Reduce your meat intake

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Moderating the amount of meat, you consume can drastically help in a more sustainable future for the planet and is also better for your body. This is both for red and white meat, with chicken being the most popular of all meats consumed daily. Now, don’t worry about protein consumption. There are alternatives to your standard protein-packed meat diets. Various plants, eggs and other forms of food can contain vast amounts of protein.

2. Throw less away

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If you can help it, throwing less food away is a more sustainable way to go about your weekly dietary routine. It also saves a lot of money; therefore, it is good for the environment and the purse. Studies have shown that the average UK household wastes up to 30% of its food. This is equivalent to being paid at the end of the month, taking out £100, and just throwing £30 on the ground and walking away. Now more than ever, students are others alike are facing hard times with rising costs of living, so saving any money is imperative

3. Cut out or reduce the amount of cheese you eat

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Cutting cheese from your diet or reducing the amount you use can help you live a more sustainable life; cheese is 3rd in carbon emissions after lamb and beef production. Now if cheese is something you cannot give up (I understand), then there are some brands and ways of sourcing it that help. Choosing less dense products, such as cottage cheese which use less milk, is one way, then also, if you can afford to, try to shop locally and use more organic products as they often contain fewer chemicals meaning the production method is more sustainable

4. Buy in bulk

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Buying in bulk can reduce food waste and drastically change the packaging impact on the planet. This is because when you buy in bulk, you will fill the bags you take from the store, reducing the method behind making the bags too. Less packing, which we need to do less frequently, means better sustainability. You could also use reusable bags. Buying in bulk means you can freeze products also, which means fewer trips back and forth to the shop, should you need to use any transport, which again, in turn, cuts down on carbon emissions.

LifestyleJoshua Taylor