Sustainable Bites Podcast

Introduction

1. Welcome everyone to the Sustainable Bites Podcast! I am your host, Kelsey: a food and nutrition student at Framingham State University who is passionate about sustainable and conscious consumption. In today’s episode, we will dive deeper into what food sustainability is and some tips to put into practice!

Defining sustainability

1. Let’s start by defining nutrition sustainability, which has gained popularity over the last few years. Nutrition sustainability acknowledges that the food we choose to eat have direct impact on the planet and society. The goal is to find a balance between nourishing ourselves and reducing the harmful effects our food choices have on the planet.

2. You may ask yourself; how do our food choices impact our environment? You can start by thinking about how our food gets to our local grocery stores. How our food is produced, transported, and even food waste has consequences that affect our environment. The further our food must travel to get to our stores, negatively affect our environment. An example would be meat and dairy production, both generate greenhouse gas emissions and require large amounts of land and water. When large amounts of land are necessary for agriculture, it can lead to deforestation and habitat destruction, which is not favorable for ecosystems.

Practical tips for nutrition sustainability

1. So, what steps can you take to make more sustainable food choices?

   1. Choosing foods that are plant-based focused generally have a lower environmental footprint. Another benefit to choosing these foods is their health benefits; whole foods such as fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, which is beneficial to our bodies.

   2. Another way would be supporting sustainable agriculture, which is a perfect excuse to shop at local farmer’s markets! Not only are you supporting your local farmer, but in-season produce offers more robust flavors and often contains higher vitamins and minerals.

   3. Minimizing food waste is another great way to be more sustainable. This can be done by planning meals, using leftovers, and composting food scraps to reduce waste.

   4. Composting food scraps reduces the amount of organic matter in landfills, resulting in nutrient-rich soil. Check with your local farms to see if they accept compost, another way to support local farmers.

Conclusion and sign-off

1. These tips only scratch the surface of what we can do to improve our nutrition sustainability. I hope this episode has inspired you to become more conscious of your food choices and how they affect our planet. In the next episode, we will dive deeper into more tips on how to become more sustainable. Thank you for taking the time to listen and until next time, I’m Kelsey and this is the Sustainable Bites Podcast!