The Climatarian: Planetarily delicious

Cathy Woodgold

“I do eat animal products,” says Centretown resident Maia Foster-Sanchez. Eating for the planet doesn’t have to mean giving up meat.

“I think about climate all the time,” says Maia, who works in emergency management. For many of us, though, the climate emergency is overwhelming and often gets pushed into a back closet of our minds.

Food choices give an opportunity to make a real difference for the climate with relatively easy changes. This is empowering, as pointed out in the book We Are The Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Maia used to be vegetarian, and now “I’ll do a day or two a week with no animal protein.” Getting protein from plants can involve a fraction of the carbon emissions produced by animal products. It’s not necessary for everyone to modify their habits, but if enough people do, this is one piece of the puzzle of addressing climate change.

Steps towards climatarianism can include developing habits of eating meat less often, or smaller portions of meat along with a greater balance of other satisfying foods in a meal. You can also eat chicken instead of beef, or look into how the food has been produced and transported.

Carol, another Centretown resident, says “we try to walk to as many of [Centretown’s] abundant food outlets as possible. We do have a car, but it’ll sit there.”

But how to make eating less meat work in practice? One key is to include a little vegetable oil in each meal. Animal products often contain fat as well as protein. Fats and oils provide energy lasting for hours and contribute to that satisfying feeling of “Ah, that was a good meal.” It might be some oil sprinkled on a salad; margarine spread on a piece of bread; some nuts or seeds, such as sunflower or sesame, which contain oil as well as protein; or coconut oil used in cooking.

It turns out that making choices for the planet has other benefits, too.

“I do actually prefer the plant-based hamburgers,” says Maia, and “it’s supposed to be healthy.”

Indeed. Research published in February 2022* found that for certain populations, life expectancy can increase by about 8 to 10 years by eating less red meat or processed meat and more legumes, nuts, and whole grains.

Not bad as a bonus for helping the planet.

* Fadnes, L.T. et al. PLOS Medicine. Feb. 8, 2022. Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: a modeling study.