Understanding What Sustainable Eating Means
After sinking money, time, energy, and misery into dieting for decades; only to gain all the weight she lost back plus more, Diana was done. She and her family were frustrated with changing how they ate every few months, depending on what current trendy diet was popular. She had resigned herself to never feeling better or getting off of her meds. When Diana told her doctor about her frustrations with eating and losing weight, she sent her to us at BCC to learn more sustainable eating habits.
When eventually sick of dieting, people start looking for more sustainable healthy eating habits, but what exactly does that mean? Sustainable eating habits are those that we can maintain for several years or more without an extraordinary amount of effort to do so.
To have generally healthy eating habits and a balanced diet for the long-term, it helps to think of how the ways in which we will choose and prepare food will need to change over time. We are much more likely to stick with eating habits that are flexible and personalized, as well as fun and easy to do.
Flexibility in Sustainable Eating
Our habits are much more likely to stick when they are flexible enough to respond to changes in our needs, schedule, and the availability of food. Having diverse food choices rather than a rigid, limited diet allows us to meet our dietary needs no matter what foods are in season or available. Being able to enjoy social gatherings by using mindful eating techniques, regardless of what food is served, allows us to avoid feeling hungry and deprived. This makes it easier to return to our preferred eating plan at the next meal. Flexibility also allows us to eat differently at times of higher vs lower stress throughout the year. It can be important for many to use ultra-processed foods or restaurant meals at times of high stress in order to feed themselves and their families. Being able to include these foods when needed and to consume less processed foods when there is more time to obtain and prepare them will allow for less guilt and frustration regarding our eating habits. We may also need to flex our eating habits over our lifespan as our medical and developmental changes can affect the macronutrients and micronutrients that we need.
The Importance of personalized eating plans
If you don’t like what you’re eating and obtaining that food doesn’t fit easily into your life, you aren’t going to stick with those habits. Having a personalized eating plan is more sustainable than a generic meal plan because it means it is an eating plan for YOU, not just a theoretical plan for anyone. At BCC, we can help you to develop a personalized eating plan (not just a menu!) that incorporates your preferred foods, dietary needs, and your dietary restrictions. We also offer community support and online support to help you as you use your plan.
Your personal plan can simply revolve around eating the foods you enjoy (and have time to obtain and prepare) in portions and at frequencies that help you to meet your body’s needs, and to feel good physically and emotionally. Your plan should take into account how your medical conditions are impacted by the food you eat and how they may impact your ability to prepare foods. If you have significant foot pain, it may not be realistic to spend significant amounts of time standing to make home-cooked meals, you may need to include foods that require little standing prep time as a part of your plan. Your plan may also need to take into account the preferences of those with whom you live and dine with often, ensuring that generally everyone involved is enjoying meals and having their nutritional needs met. If your preferred foods and your schedule feel incompatible, it may be time to change your schedule to prioritize taking care of yourself in this way, or figure out how to more easily incorporate those foods with less time by meal planning and prepping 1-2x/week.
Making Healthy Habits Fun and Easy
Habits need to be easy to do and rewarding in order to stick. Sustainable habits are those that eventually take less effort to do and feel worth doing. You can make it easier to eat your preferred foods by changing how you organize your kitchen and pantry. The foods you want to eat more often should be visible at eye level and easy to reach on shelves and in the fridge, don’t put those in drawers! The foods you would like to eat less often should be farther back on shelves or in drawers; the less obvious they are, the less likely you are to reach for them.
Having water bottles and lunch boxes help us to be prepared to always meet our hydration goals and to manage cravings if we already have food we like with us. Make sure they are easy to clean and visually appealing so that you are able to use them easily. Sustainable movement habits follow the same pattern; choose an activity that is fun to do and easy at first, then once it becomes rewarding, increase the difficulty, if desired.
Including Health in Sustainable Eating
Sustainable eating habits should take your health into account. Different life stages (ex: adolescence, pregnancy, menopause) and onset of medical conditions (ex: cancer, diabetes, and hypothyroidism) necessitate changes in our nutrition and dietary habits. Meeting with a registered dietitian at these times will help you to get updated nutrition information and a plan to meet your new dietary needs. Avoiding fad diets and relying on respected scientifically-backed sources for nutrition advice can help you to manage your dietary health more consistently.
Financially Sustainable Eating: Tips and Tricks
Choosing Seasonal and Local Produce
Sustainable eating habits should also take your wallet into account! Many people use expensive weight loss products or programs and experience short-term weight loss but cannot afford to keep using these products long-term; when they stop using them, the weight returns. Sustainable eating habits that are flexible allow you to also save money by helping you to eat what is available to you. Seasonal produce and local produce can often be more affordable than out of season fruits and vegetables flown in from far away. For those with green thumbs, the initial investment in growing some produce at home may ultimately result in saving money over the long-term.
Efficient Meal Preparation for Sustainable Eating
Efficient meal planning and prepping is a great way to save money on food, can reduce food waste, and can help with portion control. It is often cheaper to buy food in bulk, which is useful to then use some for meal prep, make extra meals to freeze for the future, and then appropriately store the rest. Making extra servings of dinner to eat for lunch the next day is a quick and easy way to prepare meals without as much effort as setting aside a few hours to meal prep for the week. Bringing water and meals or healthy snacks with you on road trips, to the airport, to the office, can help save money by reducing reliance on fast food and restaurant foods.
Supporting Community Sustainability through Eating Habits
We can also consider our communities when we think about eating sustainably. We can support local farmers and ranchers by shopping at our local farmer’s markets and through Community Support Agriculture (CSA) programs. We can grow some of our own fruits and vegetables and share them with neighbors or start a community garden project from which all can benefit. Dining at local farm-to-table restaurants (which support local agriculture on a larger scale) can also help us keep dollars in the pockets of our community members.
Final Thoughts on Adopting Sustainable Eating Habits
Our eating habits change throughout our life. They can reflect where we are, what we are doing, how we are doing, what is available to us, and what we need. Trying to eat one way forever, regardless of circumstances, causes diets to fail because we then typically feel deprived and socially excluded. Sustainable habits should allow us to nurture our physical, emotional and cultural well-being and adapt to our circumstances.
Professionals like those at BCC are available to help you figure out a good plan for your current stage of life and help you identify how to flex and modify your plan in the future as needed. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and start your journey towards healthier, more sustainable eating habits.
How will you make your eating habits more sustainable?
