October 16th is World Food Day and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) urges us to contribute to a future with #ZeroHunger. Here are some of the things they recommend.Â
In a world where food seems abundant, extremely varied and at our fingertips, it can be easy to forget that we still have not ended world hunger. And that there are people who go to bed on an empty stomach, all the time. Meanwhile, in our abundant world, we end up throwing out a lot of things we never even use in cooking. Supermarkets infamously throw out a lot of food that is past the expiration date. And we don’t use all of the parts of the food we cook with, throwing away a lot of nutrition because we’re not that concerned with food waste.
Thinking of this, the FAO has some suggestions for ways to have a healthy eating lifestyle, while at the same time contributing to the eradication of world hunger. Hashtag Zero Hunger!
Suggestions to consider this World Food Day
Add vegetables, nuts, fruits, pulses, and whole grains to your diet.
Let go of refined ‘white’ foods for brown options. Choose whole-wheat bread or brown rice! The brown options have a lot more nutrients for you. The white ones lose most of the nutrients when processed.
Try not to eat saturated and trans-fats. Go for unsaturated fats instead!
Try to reduce your food print in the world. This means as little food waste as possible.
Try to keep the food fresh for as long as possible.
Eat as much locally sourced food as possible – this does not require being shipped around the planet.
Diversify your diet if you can. Buy seasonal products when they’re in season.
Consider the environmental impact of the foods you eat. Almonds take up a lot of resources, for instance. They need a lot of water. At the same time, lentils and radishes need way fewer resources to thrive.
Choose sustainably sourced fish. Try to eat the types of fish that are not at risk of being overfished.
Try to be as informed as possible about the labels you’re reading, and the brands you’re buying.
Featured image by Pexels from Pixabay
