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Can we balance nutritional needs with more sustainable diets?
Moving to a more sustainable diet involves reducing animal products. For vulnerable groups of the population such as older adults, this can be met with nutritional concerns in a care setting. Here, Tess Warnes from food procurement expert allmanhall gives a dietitian’s view
Firstly, what is a sustainable diet? One of the most recognised definitions of a sustainable diet is from The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations:
“Sustainable Diets are those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable: nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy while optimising natural and human resources.”
The important emphasis is that a sustainable diet is one that not only supports the planet, but is also appropriate for nutritional health.
Last month, my allmanhall colleague Theo Kuehn and I delivered interactive workshops at the National Association of Care Catering’s 2024 Training and Development Forum (TDF). As sustainability manager of a food
procurement organisation that believes good food should not cost the Earth, it was only appropriate that Theo Kuehn paid homage to these definitions, going on to make the valid point that:
“A sustainable food system is about
providing vital nutrients to support eating for health and healthy eating.” Now, there are many different interpretations of what a sustainable diet should look like, with varying degrees of restriction. For example, those of The EAT- Lancet Planetary Health Diet, The British Dietetic Association One Blue Dot, and The World Health Organisation Sustainable Healthy Diets. Some of these recommendations have
been criticised for being too strict, and potentially not meeting micronutrient needs. However, if followed, the government’s recommendations in The Eatwell Guide, although primarily for health, would reduce the environmental impact of our diets on average by about a third. Some
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Can we balance nutritional needs with more sustainable diets?
argue this does not go far enough to protect the planet. That said, The Eatwell Guide may be a realistic place to start. What is extremely apparent is that what is eaten rather than where it is from is the important consideration here – a move away from an oversimplified focus purely on local produce. Seasonal and local produce can have benefits, including nutritionally. However, local supply as the sole solution to improved sustainability is too generalised and distorted and has been debunked in recent years. A greater and more complex, nuanced understanding of the full value chain is required. In short, we need to appreciate what lies behind our food to the same extent as we consider quality, cost, nutrients, texture and taste. One of the many reasons I enjoy supporting allmanhall as a dietitian is their mission to bring about more informed decision making.
Let’s start with reducing red meat Red and processed meats have the single biggest environmental impact of any type of food. The focus when looking at sustainable diets is often on meat, which is a cause of concern for some, as red meat is a key contributor in our diets of several nutrients. A reduction in red meat could potentially cause nutritional deficiencies. Conversely, too much red meat can contribute to excess intake of saturated fat and salt from processed red meat. The Eatwell Guide therefore recommends limiting red meat to no more than 70g per day, or 500g (cooked weight) per week, and processed meat should be limited or
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com November 2024
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