10 Tips to Eat More Sustainably

What you decide to put on your plate is one of the most empowering decisions you can make. Though it may sound like a simple act that is done everyday, sometimes even more than three times a day for the duration of your earthly life, your choices    significantly impact not only your health but also the environment.

What does eating sustainably mean? Simply put, your food choices  should be good for your body, while ensuring that your preference does not harm the environment and benefits the community you live in. With this conscious way of living , the person is giving himself the best possible nutrition  and is also protecting the wellbeing of the future generations.

Eating sustainably in the last 5 years has evolved from being a buzz word or a trend to a mainstream lifestyle, which is being embraced by more and more people. The change is noticeable around the world.  Travelling abroad, you can see the changes in the choices of products that are being sold in supermarkets and in the menu options of restaurants. Local organic and sustainably made products are part of the par compared to ten years ago wherein these items were only found in specialty stores and restaurants.

For the Manila food scene, the pivot happened during the Madrid Fusion festival, wherein our local ingredients and artisanal product were centerstage in the world’s culinary arena. This has inspired an increase in Ecopreneurship which further promoted locally   sourced products into the mainstream distribution channels.

We also have the millennial mindset to thank. This generation is the most conscious when it comes to their food .  They want to know where their food comes from and how it is made. There has been an increase of vegan requirements in our restaurants brought about by lifestyle choices more than merely by religious reasons.

How can you start being a sustainable eater?

The following are some basic considerations when your ready to make the shift and make a difference:

1. Eat Fresh. The nearer you buy from the source, the fresher you get your produce. This makes buying local food and products the best choice.
2. Start your own vegetable garden. There is nothing more satisfying than picking your own produce from your backyard or pot.
3. When you’ve started your own vegetable garden, the interest to compost your food scraps is not far behind.
4. Eat Organic.  Not only is it healthier for you. It is also best for the environment sans all the pesticides and chemicals.
5. Eat Seasonal Food. Imagine what a fruit vegetable has to go through when not in season. All the chemicals to keep its color and shape topped with the intensive storage to preserve it throughout the year.
6. Support local artisanal producers. Sustainability is also about helping the community and reaching out to as much stakeholders by providing opportunity and continuity of livelihood for future generations.
7. Eat only what you can actually consume or get creative with your food. Avoid food waste.  There is no shame in asking the waiter not to serve that cup of rice that you had no intention to eat.  Likewise, being creative with your leftover is not an offense but a welcoming creative culinary challenge.
8. Include more vegetables or plant-based products in your diet. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to be sustainable but having a meatless day or two is also good for your heart.
9. Eat meats and seafood that emits less carbon footprint like seafoods and chicken.
10. Avoid plastic packaging. When grocery shopping, refuse the plastic the store offers you by using your own reusable bag. Also try avoiding sachet packaging and support products that use recyclable containers.

We only have one life to live and one Mother Earth to nourish so let’s make the right choice not to care less but to live more.

You can try some of our sustainable menu from SM Hotels: