More and more of us are interested in modifying our diet to better support our planet, but many of us are lost with how to support our aims without compromising our nutrition.  
 
This is an area for which I have a particular interest. In February 2019 I published an article entitled Nutrition Recommendations in the Age of Climate Change within my professional association (bant.org.uk) newsletter.  With more and more clients coming to see me to ask for help in this area I thought that it would be best to undertake some further training and to check whether my knowledge was still up to date to be able to support my clients best. Last week I attended the Sustainable Food Choices Nurturing Human Health and the Planet course run by @christinebailey for @ION which also featured the supremely knowledgeable @realfoodcampaign.
 
Combining this knowledge from both my own research and last week’s course here are my top tips !
 

• Follow a reductarian diet. The Western diet encourages the consumption of animal-based protein multiple times a day. However, this isn’t necessary for health and is clearly detrimental to the planet. Consider eating 3 portions of animal protein per week (including oily fish, eggs, and dairy) which would cover most micronutrient needs (vitamin B12, omega 3, iodine and iron). Remember a portion of animal protein is about the size of a pack of playing cards.
• When meat is consumed, try to avoid intensively farmed meat. Grass-fed ruminants from a local farm would be the ideal environmentally.
• Replacing animal foods with processed vegan foods is not the solution.  These are often produced with chemicals, transported from afar and are packaged in plastic. Ultra-processed foods and drinks whether they be animal or plant-based are to be avoided at all costs.
• Many cultures versus monocultures. Eat a variety of plant products, not just the main staples of maize, potatoes, rice and soybeans. The improved variety will result in a greater microbiome diversity which research has shown may improve health (Singh et al., 2017) and diverse agriculture is also better for the environment (Mariotte et al., 2018).
• Not all plant-based foods are better for the environment. Almonds, for example, that have become so ubiquitous in our everyday life, are extremely water intensive. Consider more locally grown nuts and seeds such as hazelnuts and walnuts.
• Go organic at least some of the time. Pesticides, growth agents and antibiotic use in agriculture is a relatively new concept, introduced post the second world war. Organic versus modern agriculture is a whole topic for itself but avoiding a cocktail of chemicals with every mouthful and allowing the natural biodiversity of the soil evolve, are key arguments (Gonzalez et al., 2019).
• Eat less and less often – it is in the interests of food manufacturers to encourage customers to eat more (Steenhuis & Poelman, 2017) and more often (Sadeghirad et al., 2016) and they actively plan for it as part of their marketing. Increasing amounts of research relating to intermittent fasting actually highlights that going back to the old-fashioned 3 meals a day (or even 2) is actually much better for health (Manoogian & Panda, 2017).
• Go local – food transport is linked to greater global greenhouse emissions. Support local producers by purchasing local and save carbon miles at the same time.
• Eat seasonally. Forcing fruits and vegetables to grow out of season and quickly, requires many more resources than eating seasonally.
• Avoid plastic packaging and if you can’t avoid it then recycle. Avoidance is always better as actual recycling percentages of plastic remain low and once plastic is in the environment it degrades into microplastics that are then found in our water and our soil (Royer et al., 2018; World Economic Forum, 2017)
• Ultra-processed drinks in bottles and cans contribute massively to river and land pollution and the blight of micro-plastics that are now being found in human and animal bloodstreams. Consider investing in a good water filter system and making the bulk of your hydration pure water.
• We should all make a concerted effort to not throw food away. It is estimated that an unbelievable 1/3 of all food produced globally ends up in waste.  Think about the size of portions of food you produce, either make just enough or make more than enough to eat the next day or freeze.

Does this sound familiar? 

One of the solutions proposed to help support the planet is to introduce more plant-based meals to our diet, and with vegan and vegetarian options becoming more easily available many of us are embracing this new way of eating with gusto.  The trouble is, changing your diet radically and in a short period of time can result in a host of digestive issues, including bloating, indigestion, flatulence, and pain. 

It is important to note here that any persistent digestive issues should be checked by your GP, but if you can link the digestive symptoms to your new diet then the answer may simply be that your gut and the good bacteria (microbiome) it houses isn’t primed to digest those foods.  

We all have a variety of different bacteria in our gut and different bacteria like eating different things. If you’ve been traditionally a ‘meat and two veg’ type of eater, then your microbiome population will be geared towards those foods. If you have traditionally rarely eaten legumes and your fibre intake was low, the bacteria population that likes those things may be small and struggle with the sudden influx. There simply isn’t enough of those bacteria to process the new diet. 

The secret is to gradually increase your plant-based foods rather than suddenly go all in. As you increase your intake of fibre and legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, beans and peas, the population of bacteria that loves those foods will grow and so you will be able to tolerate more.  Unfortunately, one of the main signs that this population is expanding is flatulence, but if you go gradually, it should be a temporary and should subside as as your gut gets accustomed to its new diet.