Setting small ‘green’ goals in the way we eat
Hundreds of articles are published in newspapers and magazines, traditional and digital, every December about the food and culinary trends that are expected in the year that lies ahead. The “predictions” for 2024 are already raging. Will Peruvian cuisine, ceviche and tiradito still be in vogue? Which famous chefs will add more stars to their records? Which restaurant will be voted best in the world?
Beyond these predictions and trends, which are all well and good, what we should be talking about in 2024, and in the years to come, is how we can make our diets “greener.” Many people express a desire to adopt eating habits that are more friendly to the planet, but when it comes down to actual steps, the results are paltry.
We all agree that what we eat is defined by a number of different factors. The cost of food products, for example, is essential in determining what ends up on our plates. Rising prices right now are forcing households to limit the quantity of olive oil they use, to reduce the quantities of fruits and vegetables they eat and to eat more bread and pasta. It is becoming harder, in short, to stick to the esteemed Mediterranean diet.
However, even in this climate of financial instability, we can still make quite a few choices that will send a message for change along the chain of food production and consumption. We can eat less meat, for starters. By reducing the amount of meat we consume, we help reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by intensive livestock farming. We can avoid heavily processed foods. We can forget fish and seafood that are under threat of extinction yet are still considered a delicacy; we can live without dining on razor clams and sea urchins. We can eat fruit and vegetables when they are in season and we can also buy local, instead of opting for lemons that had to travel all the way from Argentina. We can reject products that contain palm oil, knowing that its production is extremely destructive to tropical rainforests.
For 2024, we can set small “green” goals for 2024, goals that will benefit us and the planet as a whole.
