What if every bite you took could be an act of nourishment for both you and the planet? This is the empowering reality of food sustainability. It’s a conscious way of eating that transforms food from fuel to an opportunity for holistic well-being. Every meal can be a chance to nourish your life and the planet’s.
You can be a thoughtful steward of our planet’s resources. This guide will help you discover easy ways to incorporate food sustainability into your healthy, holistic lifestyle. By choosing sustainable food, you tap into a powerful way to enhance your own vitality – mind, body, and spirit – while playing a crucial role in creating a healthier, happier planet.
Food sustainability is about creating a food system that ensures a future for this planet’s expanding population, where there is enough food available and sufficient access to high-quality, nutritious foods.
Sustainable food practices minimize environmental harm through:
Yes, you can be a part of this positive change! It starts with considering how your food choices impact the environment, support fair working conditions, strengthen local economies, and maintain healthy ecosystems.
With more than 3 billion people on our planet malnourished and even more eating diets that are of low quality, food sustainability is important. Our current food system is responsible for about 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, with climate change altering weather patterns, farming is being impacted, plus there is soil degradation and water scarcity in some areas. Add in the reality that the global population is growing, expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, we need to find ways to develop more sustainable food systems.
Sustainable practices often produce more nutritious food while supporting rural communities and ensuring food workers earn living wages. It’s about creating a system that works for everyone – from the farmer growing your vegetables to your family enjoying dinner together.
Canada has some inspiring examples of food sustainability across the country. In British Columbia, the “100-mile diet” concept was born – you source ingredients exclusively from within 100 miles of your kitchen. This concept supports local farmers while dramatically reducing transportation emissions. Restaurants in Vancouver, Ontario, and across the country have adopted similar sustainable and local themes.
Local farming is key to sustainability. The Ontario Greenbelt is one of the largest initiatives to protect farmland from urban development. It currently protects over 2 million acres of farmland, ensuring fertile land remains available for food production. Indigenous communities across Canada use sustainable practices, such as planting the three sisters (beans, corn, and squash), a form of intercropping. Intercropping is a practice where certain plants are sown and grown next to each other to build symbiotic relationships, instead of competing for water, oxygen and soil.
Urban agriculture is flourishing, too. In Toronto, an extensive network of community gardens and rooftop farms brings food production directly into neighbourhoods, while a Calgary initiative transformed a plot of land into Highfield Regenerative Farm.
Protecting and improving farmland is a benefit of regenerative farming, a movement that is growing across Canada. The Regenerative Organic Oats program is a great example of how Canadians are leading the way in developing farming practices that are more resilient to weather extremes, improve soil quality and carbon capture.
Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to farming. It goes beyond simply avoiding harm to actively healing and improving the land. It reflects farmers’ strong focus on conserving and enhancing the natural environment, from the soil to the water, to the diversifying plant life, ensuring every part of the ecosystem is healthy and working together.
Unlike conventional farming that can deplete soil over time, regenerative practices actually build soil health, increase carbon storage, and enhance biodiversity with each growing season. This approach draws from Indigenous agricultural wisdom and includes practices like cover cropping, rotational grazing, and integrating diverse plant species. It also improves biodiversity and increases the land’s resilience to climate change.
Organic farming is just on of the valuable tools we have in our sustainability toolbox. Organic practices eliminate synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which can help protect soil health, water quality, and biodiversity – all crucial aspects of sustainable farming. Organic farms also typically support higher levels of wildlife and use farming methods that work with natural ecosystems.
However, organic isn’t automatically more sustainable. For example, if the organic food is shipped thousands of miles, the transportation impact might outweigh the environmental benefits of the organic farming practices.
What’s the Most Sustainable Food Choice?
The most sustainable choice often combines organic methods with local production, seasonal eating, and minimal processing.
Embrace seasonal and local eating: Visit farmers’ markets or join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. You can support local farmers while discovering amazing flavours that may not be at grocery stores, while reducing transportation emissions.
Reduce Food Waste: Those leftovers and scraps in your kitchen can be better utilized.
Diversify your protein sources: Research shows that transitioning to plant-based proteins could reduce diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 49%. You start by experimenting with plant-based proteins (lentils, quinoa, hemp seeds) a few times a week. You don’t need to eliminate meat – even reducing your meat consumption by one or two meals per week makes an environmental impact.
Grow Your Own: Whether it’s herbs on a windowsill, tomatoes in a container on your balcony, or a small backyard garden, growing some of your own food in the most local food you can find. Plus, you get to enjoy incredibly fresh ingredients.
Choose Minimally Processed Foods: Whole foods offer better nutrition, and less environmental impact from processing and packaging. The easiest way to find these foods is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store..
The benefits of incorporating food sustainability into your lifestyle can have a ripple effect on multiple aspects of your well-being:
If these food sustainability concepts resonate with you, and you’re curious to learn more, consider exploring the comprehensive programs at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.
If you’re inspired to dive deeper into the world of holistic nutrition and food sustainability, the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN) has programs and workshops for you.
A leader in natural wellness education, CSNN provides students with a comprehensive understanding of how food impacts your entire being (body, mind and spirit). The school’s unique, science-backed curriculum offers educational opportunities for casual learners to those interested in careers in holistic nutrition.
From culinary workshops to the in-depth Natural Nutrition Program for those interested in practicing in the field, there are flexible in-class and online programs available so you can pursue your passion for wellness.
Visit the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition at www.csnn.ca today!
