Every March is celebrated as National Nutrition Month®, which was created 50 years ago in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to help spread messages of the importance of good nutrition and an overall healthy lifestyle for all. This year’s theme, “Fuel for the Future,” focuses on sustainable nutrition. By that, we mean eating to nourish ourselves during every phase of life while also protecting the environment.
When we hear the word ‘sustainable’ in terms of food, it can refer to many aspects of the diet and food supply, although there are key areas that all of us need to know in order to make conscious choices and positive daily habits that support personal health and the health of the planet!
Food Waste Fright!
Decreasing food waste is a global priority. Before talking about ways to stop throwing out so much usable food, both in homes and in commercial use, it is eye-opening to know some staggering facts about food waste.
Each year in the US alone, it is estimated that between 30 to 40 percent of the food supply is lost or wasted, which is about 133 billion pounds of usable food a year. What’s more is the additional amount of water, energy, and land resources that went into producing the food that was never consumed. In other words, food waste takes a huge toll on both food systems and climate. Maybe having to “clean your plate” is a good thing after all! No matter what we call it, cleaning our plates means decreasing food waste and lessening the amount of edible food that goes into landfills.
It is important to know that most of the food thrown out is safe and edible. It is often discarded because it is imperfect, or it may be the by-product of another type of food production (such as spent grains from beer production,) or merely surplus. The “fight” against food waste lies in decreasing what we individually throw out as food waste and also in some lesser-known environmentally-friendly solutions, such as upcycling foods.
Upcycle Your Diet
Have you ever eaten bread or bought pancake mix made from spent grains? That is just one example of using discarded edible foods instead of wasting them. What exactly is upcycling? The formal definition states that upcycling is a process by which items that would have otherwise been discarded or wasted are transformed into a product of higher quality or greater value than the original item. Further, unlike recycling, upcycling adds value to the supply chain, reducing overall waste by removing discarded items from the waste stream.
The mission of the upcycled foods movement is to reduce food loss and waste, thereby decreasing the negative impact on the environment and increasing access to safe, sustainable food sources for people around the world.
What’s more, the Upcycled Food Association has developed a product certification where consumers can easily identify and buy certified upcycled products that are consistent and verifiable when it comes to claims for decreasing food waste and following standards, all of which are aimed at improving the environment.
Doing Your Part with Daily Habits
In keeping with National Nutrition Month’s theme, there are very doable habits for all of us as consumers. To get more nutritional bang for your buck and improve the environment, here are some steps to take and diet habits to make a part of your life:
Sources:
https://www.eatright.org/national-nutrition-month-2023
https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs
https://chlpi.org/news-and-events/news-and-commentary/food-law-and-policy/upcycled-food-release/