There’s a lot of talk about ethics and sustainability these days. From our cup of morning coffee to the milk we put in it to the eggs we eat for breakfast right through to the cup of cocoa we enjoy before tucking ourselves up in bed, it seems that our daily lives offer up a minefield of guilt when we stop to think about the ethical and environmental cost of the foods and drinks we count on to survive. It is for this reason that more and more people are turning to a vegan diet.
There’s no denying that eschewing meat, dairy, eggs, and fish can improve your health, reduce your risk of cancer and other serious illnesses and save you money while also being more sustainable it’s fair to say that veganism is not for everyone.
But just because you don’t want to (or are not yet ready to) commit to a vegan lifestyle, does that mean that you’re unable to eat ethically? Not necessarily.
In fact, a vegan diet isn’t always as ethical as it’s cracked up to be, especially when it’s largely comprised of processed meat substitutes containing soy and palm oil. You can be omnivorous but still eat ethically by:
Cutting down on processed and fast foods
There are many reasons why cutting out processed meats is beneficial. Most commonly consumed processed meats like bacon, salami and pepperoni are type 1 carcinogens in the same category as cigarettes. Moreover, the meat, eggs and dairy products used by most fast food outlets are factory farmed which means that they are unlikely to be treated ethically or raised with sustainability in mind. As tempting as the call of fast food may be when you have a busy lifestyle, cooking from home affords you far greater control over the ethics of what goes on your plate.
Be a precision pescatarian
There’s an argument that eschewing meat for fish is a more ethical way of ensuring that you get plenty of protein and omega 3 oils in your diet. But just as some meat is more ethically sourced than others, the very same goes for fish. Often a little homework is all it takes to ensure that your fish is ethically and sustainably sourced.
Make sure that your salmon is GSI (Global Salmon Initiative) certified or that your fish, in general, is certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). This will ensure that not only are the fish sustainably sourced but that the people involved in farming it get a fair deal.
Get loose
Even your fruits and veggies could stand to be more ethical. Most of the fruits and vegetables that you’ll find in supermarkets are prepackaged in single-use plastics which can be disastrous for our oceans and the planet as a whole.
Not only can buying everything from fruits and veggies to nuts grains and pulses lose you can not only vote against the use of disposable (and non-recyclable) plastics with your wallet, you can also save a fortune since 15% of the cost of packaged foods goes toward the packaging itself.
And if you have any tips for tips for eating more ethically at home? I’d love to hear about them below!
