For our Week 2 general meeting, SIM welcomed Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes as our first speaker of the quarter! Dr. Hunnes is a senior dietician at the UCLA Ronald Reagan medical center and an adjunct assistant professor for the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health where she teaches classes on nutrition, chronic disease, and the environment. Her research focuses on the relationship among climate change, food choices, and food security.
At our meeting, Dr. Hunnes informed us about how what we eat affects the environment. Human influence in general has increased emissions of greenhouse gases, and one way we do this is through agriculture. As of 2014, the agriculture, forestry, and other land use economic sector accounts for 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions, second only to electricity and heat production (which stands at 25%). If our current rate of meat intake continues, the agriculture sector is projected to account for 45% of global greenhouse emissions by 2100.
Fortunately, there are lifestyle changes we can make to help the earth. Firstly, Dr. Hunnes advocates adhering to a plant-based diet. Much of the greenhouse gas emission related to agriculture comes from animal enteric fermentation and the production of feed for the animals. If following a diet of whole foods, plant-based diets are also the most healthy from a nutrition standpoint. They are the best for gut health, and sticking to one can prevent or even reverse numerous chronic diseases.
Where would I get my protein? This is understandably the go-to question people ask when considering a plant-based diet. Luckily, Dr. Hunnes explained you can get the recommended amount of protein from foods such as nuts, beans, lentils, and seeds. And while many farms are using monoculture farming, Dr. Hunnes assures us that any produce is better than meat, “no matter how you slice it or dice it”. It is also important to note that meat includes seafood - fish production often depletes natural resources and damages aquatic environments.
In addition to switching to a more sustainable diet, there are other changes we can make to help the environment. These include using multi-use products, minimizing food waste, buying clothing made from natural materials, and following the four R’s: refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle.
If you would like to learn more, feel free to email Dr. Hunnes! You can also check out her website, where you can find more information about this topic and a link to preorder her book, Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life.
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