Different foods and dietary patterns have differing impacts on certain ecological outcomes, such as greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, water quality, etc. For example, it is well established that (in general) diets that have a higher proportion of foods from plants, fungi, and trees lead to better environmental outcomes. Therefore, certain dietary patterns are “better” for environmental sustainability, just like certain diets are better for health outcomes.
The ways that foods are produced, distributed, processed, and retailed, as well as factors like economic structures (all aspects of the food system) are responsible for these different levels of impact. These food system factors also impact the sustainability of social systems, impacting important issues such as equity, access to healthy food, and the ability to influence your own food system. As dietary choices and food systems are impacting social and ecological systems, these are in turn affecting food systems, dietary choices, and health outcomes. The relationship is reciprocal.
Watch
Start by watching the video below to explore the relationship between our dietary choices and their effects on the environment
Future of Taste | How do our food choices affect climate change? (youtube.com) (6 mins)
Produced by Down to Earth
Read
In this section, we have compiled a number of Nutrition/Dietetic Association (NDA) position papers from various countries. Select at least one country’s position paper to go through. Several NDAs are officially recognizing the relevance of SFS to practice by publishing role and/or position papers. See how nations are explaining the relevance and visit the resources page on NDA SFS Positions/Guides for more.
Reflect
After watching the videos and reading the document/s above, reflect on the following questions.
- Describe 3 examples of how dietary choices and patterns impact the sustainability of our food systems.
- Describe 3 examples of how unsustainable conditions in our food systems impact diets and human health.
Keep Learning
We encourage you to keep exploring how dietary patterns impact food systems’ sustainability, and vice versa.
- The toolkit continually adds new resources which are highlighted in the GROW newsletter.
- You can look at some topic-specific relationships between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their relationship to nutrition using the SDG Briefs. We strongly encourage you to examine how these issues manifest in your community and speak with your clients and community members about how they are being affected.
Congratulations on finishing Part 1 of Learning Module 2!
Continue to LM 2 Part 2: In what ways is this relevant to D-N practitioners? (1 hour)
Return to the Learning Modules’ Main Page
This Toolkit is made to be used & shared - feel free!
Please cite the authors of the resources (and the ICDA SFS Toolkit if you can).
Feedback? Questions? Ideas? Contact the ICDA SFS Coordinator:
ICDAsfs.coordinator@acadiau.ca
