Leafy greens

One of the most sustainable foods we consume is leafy greens. Leafy greens are vegetables we consume often because it is one of the best environmentally friendly foods with lots of nutrients. There are different types of leafy vegetables. 

They are lettuce, spinach, kale, cabbage, and Bok Choy. Other leafy vegetables include broccoli, watercress, arugula, radicchio, and microgreens. Leafy greens are rich in Vitamins A, C, E, and K. Vegetables like broccoli, bok choy, and mustard contain B vitamins and potassium. Leafy vegetables are rich in carotenoids and antioxidants that protect the cells and block cancer cells in their early stages. They also have high quantities of fiber, iron, magnesium, and calcium. 

Leafy vegetables are the most sought-after food in the food system because they have low quantities of carbohydrates, sodium, and cholesterol. Consuming these vegetables protects human health from heart disease, stroke, and cancer. The high levels of B vitamins improve your heart health and prevent certain congenital disabilities. 

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when bone mineral density and mass are reduced. It also refers to the change in the structure and strength of the bone. Vitamin K helps protect the bones in the body from osteoporosis and prevents the occurrence of inflammatory diseases.

The fresh produce helps reduce bloating and relieve stress. Consuming any of the leafy vegetables supports your gut health and immune system. These are sustainable foods to include in your diet to ensure you're eating sustainably. Green vegetables are a staple in vegan diets.

Locally grown fruits

Fruits are one of the most sustainable foods. You can include them in plant-based diets or meat-based meals. Although fruits have high nutritional value, some have a negative environmental impact. Some fruits like avocado, pineapples, peaches, bananas, and strawberries need enormous amounts of water to grow. They also have a high carbon footprint and use chemical pesticides that harm soil health.

You can eat sustainably by purchasing fruits grown in your local community. These fresh fruits didn't go through the rigors of transportation, thus reducing their environmental footprint. Also, buying fruits grown locally helps us eat seasonally. Some fruits only grow during the summer or fall season. We refer to these fruits as seasonal fruits. 

Another reason to include locally grown fruits in your sustainable food list is the high quality of nutrients they provide. Local fruits have more nutrients because the transit period between harvest and your table or freezer is minimal. Their nutrient value is still intact and barely reduced. Seasonal produce imported from another country loses some nutrients, if not all, because of the long time it spends on trucks and distribution centers.

Also, consuming organic fruits grown in local communities supports the economy. Local farmers reinvest the money into the community to grow more fruits. You can converse with local farmers and learn about their sustainable agriculture practices. Overall, consuming fruits grown in local communities is safe and healthy.

Mushrooms

Edible mushrooms are one of the most sustainable foods in the food chain. Some examples of edible mushrooms are oyster, button, crimini, shiitake, maitake, and morel mushrooms. They are rich in proteins, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds.

Mushrooms are sustainable foods because they help us recycle waste. For instance, oyster mushrooms can grow on waste products like recyclable paper, coffee waste, cotton seed hulls, cocoa hulls, and banana leaves.

Shiitake mushrooms grow on wood, wood products, and wood waste. We advise you to add mushrooms to your diet if you want to eat sustainably because they have a higher yield return than other vegetables. For instance, you can harvest oyster mushrooms within a month of cultivation.

Also, cultivating mushrooms is not overly expensive. You can build a mushroom-growing house with cost-effective materials on a small parcel of land. Mushroom beds are stacked vertically in growing facilities to harvest more mushrooms. Farmers can get 7.1 pounds of mushrooms per square foot. Also, mushrooms use minimal water and energy for growth.

In the sustainable food system, mushrooms are a great source4 of plant-based protein. They also contain B vitamins, C, copper, potassium, niacin, calcium, and zinc. These nutrients improve heart health. Potassium regulates blood pressure, reducing the risk of high blood pressure.

Figs

Figs are soft fruits with thin skin. The skin can be purple or green, but the flesh is red. Figs are one of the most sustainable foods because you can eat every part of the fruit, including the bark. They also contain essential nutrients needed by the human body. 

These nutrients are fat, carbohydrates, calories, riboflavin, potassium, vitamin B6, Vitamin K, magnesium, and thiamine. The nutrient content in fresh figs is different from that of dry figs. For instance, dry figs are rich in calories and sugar. Eating figs improves digestive health.

They have fiber, which helps soften or add bulk to stools, reducing constipation. Research shows figs reduce pain and bloating in the digestive system.

Figs fit right into the sustainable food system because they have a low environmental impact on land and water. It is mainly because of the minimal use of fertilizers and pesticides. Figs also have a minimal carbon footprint. Fig trees contribute to the environment by providing habitats and food for various animals. They also help stabilize the soil and control emotions.

Mussels

Mussels, known as clams,  are freshwater organisms with two hard external shells. The edible part of mussels contains 80% water, 9-13% protein, 0-2% fat, and 1-7% glycogen. Some people eat them raw, while others like them lightly cooked.

Mussels have a positive environmental impact that makes them sustainable. Their ecological role in the environment earned them the name of ecosystem engineers. They modify an aquatic habitat to make it more suitable for them6. They also provide nutrients for marine plants, invertebrates, and fish. 

They consume organic matter from water columns and process it to build their body and strength before excreting. Their excretion is food for invertebrates, fish, and other marine organisms. Furthermore, the mussel's shell is a substrate for algae and insect larvae to attach to.

Seaweed

Seaweed contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, and essential fatty acids, contributing to its tasty flavor. Seaweed is a staple in Japanese cuisine. They use a seaweed known as nori to wrap a mixture of sticky rice, raw fish, and other ingredients. We popularly know this as sushi.

Seaweed has a lot of health benefits, and it can improve your journey to sustainable eating. A lot of seaweeds contain anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Even the ancient Romans used them to treat wounds, burns, and rashes. Seaweeds also contain compounds that help fight against cancer.

Seaweeds are excellent sustainable options because they don't harm the environment. Cultivating seaweed offers a lot of environmental benefits because it requires fewer resources3. There's no need to farm with fertilizers, feed, and herbicides. It grows using the nutrients in seawater. It also improves the health of the marine environment. 

The ocean absorbs about 30% of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The absorption of these greenhouse gases changes the ocean's pH levels and increases its acidity. It negatively affects marine life. However, farming seaweed as sustainable food prevents these dangers. Seaweed captures carbon and nitrogen in ocean waters, reducing the levels of ocean acidification.

Why is fish consumption not sustainable

After meat, fish is our primary source of proteins. However, is fish sustainable food? Sustainable seafood refers to seafood caught in the wild or farmed without causing a decline in marine life species. Fishes are abundant in the ocean, but the growing demand reduces their population. 

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization estimates we overfish 85% of marine fish stocks. We move fish from their habitats before they can reproduce, reducing their population in the ecosystem. Other factors also make it difficult for fish to survive overfishing.

Things like rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, plastic, and chemical pollution affect fish populations, making it difficult for them to survive overfishing. Overfishing disrupts the marine food web, as fish are a source of nutrients for other marine animals. 

These animals would enter a state of decline because they don't feed properly. Also, the method used to fish can cause environmental damage. For instance, bottom trawling is a fishing technique that involves dragging a big net across the seabed. This method catches everything in its path.

It puts endangered animal species, i.e., sea turtles, at risk. Furthermore, the net disturbs the seabed- releasing carbon stored in the sediments. It also reduces the capacity of these areas to absorb carbon in the future.