DIET for Balanced Health’s premier cooking lesson for Empower your Sense of Taste.
Creating Your Perfect Health Earth Day Plate. Presented on April 21, 2021 at 12:30 - 2:00 Mountain time
Event Description
Creating Your Perfect Health Earth Day Plate. Our premier cooking class honors Earth Day. In this session, you will learn about the Earth's planetary limits, food preparation to reduce food waste and and how to use seasonal herbs in everyday meals.
Our Goal
Together we celebrate Earth Day with respect to her planetary boundaries as related to food production and consumption by designing a healthy sustainable meal using spring herbs and the planetary health plate model.
Our Learning Objectives
The learner will select two personal actions that will improve the Earth's planetary health, identify their new awareness to three personal food waste practices that occur within their home kitchen, construct a lunch/dinner meal following the planetary health plate model using two spring herbs of their choice.
Our Intention
May we be open minded as we Discover the limits of our home planet, Integrate new ideas into our daily practice and Empower others in our social circles, so Together we may continue to celebrate all the gifts we receive from our home planet – EARTH.
Below is the narrative delivered during the PowerPoint presentation.
The content's source unless indicated otherwise is Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems Food Planet Health the report prepared by EAT and is an adapted summary of the Commission Food in The Anthropocene: The EAT – Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems. The entire Commission can be found online at www.thelancet.com/commissions/EAT Only select slides images from the original presentation are included here.
According to scientists, what is the state of the Earth’s planetary health?
This is a question we must explore before we can make changes in our daily routine to influence the health of our planet. Scientists agree the Earth will be severely degraded and the public health crisis related to malnutrition and severe disease will continue to increase without a global commitment to effective actions. These scientists were called to assemble by the EAT-Lancet Commission. Thirty-seven scientists from the areas of human health, agriculture, political science and environmental sustainability from sixteen different countries shared their research, thought and insights. Their goal was to develop global scientific targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production.
“ '*Planetary health' refers to the 'the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends'. This concept was put forth in 2015 by the Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on planetary health to transform the field of public health, which has traditionally focused on the health of human populations without considering natural systems. The EAT-Lancet Commission builds upon the concept of planetary health and puts forth the new term “planetary health diet” to highlight the critical role that diets play in linking human health and environmental sustainability and the need to integrate these often-separate agendas into a common global agenda for food system transformation to achieve the SDGs and Paris Agreement."
Recently, I attended a webinar hosted by two of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic practice groups: The Vegetarian Nutrition and Hunger and Environmental Nutrition groups. Dr. Isaac Emery, PhD and founder of Informed Sustainability Consulting was guest speaker. According to Dr. Emery, Biodiversity and Nutrient Cycles are at their highest risk for our planetary boundaries and are currently beyond the zone of uncertainty. While climate change and forest health are in the zone of uncertainty. The EAT-Lancet Commission concurred. Dr. Emery reported, “21-37% of green house gas emissions are attributable to the food system.” (- IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land) and beef, lamb, mutton, farmed prawns and dairy herds are the top contenders for greenhouse gas emissions based on 1000 kilocalories of food. [Poore, J., & Nemecek, T (2018) Our World in Data.]
Our planet Earth is regulated by interacting biogeophysical systems and processes. In particular, the interaction of the climate system and the biosphere determine the state of the planet. The EAT-Lancet Commission focused on the six earth systems surrounding this image of Earth. These six systems were selected because they are the main systems and processes affected by food production. The six systems can be quantified with scientific evidence; therefore, providing a way to create measurable targets. The six earth systems are measured by the control variables in the green rectangles. See image 1 below. In a moment, I will illustrate how the control variables are influenced by actions. But, first I will define what the actions mean.
Actions considered for reducing environmental impacts from food production.
"Dietary shift: Planetary health diet is a flexible global diet that supports the health of humans and our Earth. It's a plant forward diet with one half of the plate filled with fruits and vegetables.
Halve waste: Food losses commercially and food waste by consumers will be reduced by half. This is in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals target 12.3. www.unfoundations.org to learn more.
PROD- Improved production practices - Standard level of ambition
Closing of yield gaps to about 75%; rebalancing nitrogen and phosphorus
fertilizer application between over and under-applying regions; improving
water management; and implementation of agricultural mitigation options
that are economic at the projected social cost of carbon in 2050.
For biodiversity, it was assumed that land is expanded first into secondary
habitat or other managed ecosystems and then to intact forests.
PROD+ Improved production practices High level of ambition
High level of ambition practices on top of PROD scenario, including closing yield
gaps to 90%; a 30% increase in nitrogen use efficiency, and 50% recycling rates
of phosphorus; phase-out of first-generation biofuels, and implementation of all
available bottom-up options for mitigating food-related GHG emissions.
For biodiversity, it was assumed that land use is optimized across regions such
that it minimizes impacts on biodiversity."
The Planetary Health Diet: The good news is you get to eat twice as much food in the form of fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts. Wealthier nations will need to sacrifice their consumption of dairy and red meat to help meet the 2050 global goal which is to reduce the consumption of red meat and dairy foods by 50%. This recommended way to plate our food for the health and wellbeing of both humans and earth aligns wholly with the Perfect Health Ayurveda Lifestyle. See image 2.
In our current geological age, Anthropocene, human activity is seen as the dominating factor of influence on the climate and the environment. The Commission’s integrated agenda for food recognizes that food forms an inseparable link with environmental sustainability and human health. This is why The Commission chose to focus on the food system to improve both the planet and human health. Perhaps you recall from earlier mention, their goal was to develop global scientific targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production.
The chart in image 3 represents a the combinations of lifestyle and production actions and how they are predicted to influence the target to improve planetary health and human health simultaneously by 2050. Six Earth systems, Climate Change, Land system change, fresh water use, Nutrient cycles for N, Nutrient cycles for P and Biodiversity Loss are measured by the controlled variables listed in this chart: GHG emissions, cropland use, water use, N application rate, P application rate, extinction rate. The Earth’s population in 2010 was 7 billion, in 2021 is 8 billion, and 2050 estimated at 10 billion.
Dr. Emery said the BOLD systems listed above are currently beyond the earth’s limit and beyond the zone of uncertainty and those in Italics are in the zone of uncertainty. So, will this change happen overnight? No. All desire for change begins with awareness and intention to fulfill desire. Intentions are followed with attention. For the most aggressive actions, we see the greatest impact on the extinction rate. This impresses me; therefore, I will embrace changing my habits to benefit the sentient creatures who share our home planet. So let’s move on to give attention to the areas of change we can embrace: personal food waste and what we eat.
There are many ways to reduce food waste in your personal life. Pause for a moment to ponder the ways you personally waste food.
In order for reducing waste to have a scientific impact, we might need to know how much food we currently waste in our personal life. If you are interested, you could collect and weigh all the food you currently waste before implementing any proposed changes. A food scale or measuring cups will work, as illustrated in image 4.
Here are a few ways consumers waste food.
Over purchasing at the grocery.
Omitting date of first use on food.
Losing track of leftovers in refrigerator.
Losing food in the pantry.
Poor practices for food storage. Improper cooling, leaving food open, not refrigerating left overs, leaving food on counter to thaw.
Trimming produce and meat too generously or when unnecessary.
Discarding produce trimmings verses making stock or composting them.
Ordering too much restaurant food and not eating it.
Overconsuming calories leading to unintended weight gain.
Not eating all the food plated. This is a complex practice.
Core beliefs about food, like “we never eat leftovers”.
Leaving a small amount of food in a container instead of scraping it clean.
Boredom with food.
Be mindful when trimming produce. Left over soft veggie trimming can then be composted or ground up and buried into the garden soil. Cooking water can also be cooled and poured onto garden soil verses pouring it down the drain. Image 5.
At this time, think about three food waste practices you have become aware of. Write them down. With reflection, write down three actions you could implement to stop wasting food and support the goal of a 50% reduction of food waste by 2050. Image 6 is my reflections on food waste practices and actions of change.
If you look at the details of the planetary health diet, you will notice is aligns with the other two other diets: The Mediterranean Diet and the Perfect Health Ayurveda Lifestyle Diet listed on this slide. "The planetary health diet is flexible by providing guidelines to ranges of different food groups that together constitute an optimal diet for human health and environmental sustainability. It emphasizes a plant-forward diet where whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes comprise a greater proportion of foods consumed. Meat and dairy constitute important parts of the diet but in significantly smaller proportions than whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes."
The WHO defines "health" as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
"The Planetary Health Diet has set target ranges for the consumption for each of the food groups, and also suggests that the average adult requires 2500 kcal per day. While this caloric amount will vary based on age, gender, activity levels and health profiles, overconsumption is a waste of food with both health and environmental costs.” All three of these environmentally friendly diets focus on longevity and the wholeness of health.
Follow the challenge on Instagram at #planetaryhealthchallenge Follow the EAT foundation @eatfoundation.
Plate verses DIET
I personally believe words can be confusing and a “diet” to some, means lots of restrictions with food choices. It’s less than a lifestyle and more of a something used for a temporary period of time. So, Let’s all agree that when we look at making changes with regard to the planetary and personal health of today’s information, we are looking at filling our plates in a way that promotes healthy longevity for both humans and earth.
Make half your 9” plate of fruits and vegetables of different colors: the colors of the rainbow. The amount of F/V to eat is also equal to an open hand from wrist to finger tips.
Next incorporate whole grains – check the package label or make at home with whole grain flour. The size of a closed fist is a perfect portion of whole grain. Include a garnish 1- 3 ounces of cooked animal protein occasionally, and/or a deck of card equivalent for plant proteins like legumes (1/2 cup x 2 per day) or nuts (¼ cup to 1/3 cup x 1 per day). Most likely, some of the preparation of these foods will have some healthy fats like unsaturated olive oil or canola oil, sunflower, safflower or maybe avocado oil. The plate will have extremely limited foods with added sugars: ½ inch x 2 inch wedge once or twice weekly. And about ½ to 1 cup diary milk, if desired. In the perfect health program, warming the milk with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, or ginger is recommended as warming makes the milk easier to digest.
Samples of plant forward plates. Image 7
Now that I have shared a few of my recent plant forward plates, let’s take a few minutes to think about what foods you like. How would you use these food to make a Planetary Health Plate for lunch or dinner? Write the foods down you like on a piece of paper or paper plate. Now, design a noon or evening plate with fruit, vegetables and whole grains as the main event and plant proteins glittered with animal proteins as the side show. Go ahead and design your own planetary health plate using the food you like best.
Strawberry plants bloom once the weather warms. Italian parsley and chives emerge after a few warm spring days. Perennial herbs return early in the garden season and offer great flavor to spring dishes. We enjoyed some chives, cut from the featured plant, on a small baked potato recently. Some other annual herbs great for spring dishes include: tarragon in vinaigrettes or on deviled eggs, and basil in all its delicious forms. Basil is a great plant to grow from seed and have available all winter long, but wait until after the last frost date in your zone to sow some basil seeds in the garden. Enjoy your summer crop of basil on tomatoes, veggie pizza, in casseroles and on sandwiches.
Next up is the recorded cooking demonstration for the Wilted Greens Soup with Spring Herbs and Crème Fraîche.
This concludes the narrative for the PowerPoint presentation. Thank you for reading it to the end.
Prepared and presented by JoEtta Heck, RDN 2021
