Sustainable eating: how to eat well with less impact, without overcomplicating things

What does it mean to eat sustainably?

A sustainable diet combines health, environmental impact and real access to food. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission proposed a planetary health diet centred on plant foods, while allowing room for animal-source foods [1]. Its 2025 update keeps this flexible framework and explicitly addresses justice in food systems [2].

These are population-level references, not a menu you need to copy gram for gram.

The traditional Mediterranean pattern is a nearby example; you can find its foods and context in the Mediterranean diet guide. To assess the impact of food, we need to look at both the foods we choose and how they are produced and transported [2] [3] [4].

That is why we first look at what recurs throughout the week. A broad analysis found that replacing animal-source foods with plant-based alternatives can reduce several environmental impacts, even when comparing producers with different impacts [3]. You can start with familiar dishes containing vegetables, legumes and grains, without expecting yourself to make perfect changes.

How can you make more room for legumes and plant foods without banning foods?

Start by increasing the plant-based part of dishes you already know. Add beans to a rice salad, chickpeas to a stir-fry or lentils to a tomato sauce. A vegetable soup can go with an omelette. This way, you can vary your meals without having to give up everything else.

Legumes can be dried, frozen or canned. Canned legumes can make a quick meal; a bag of dried legumes lets you cook a larger amount and freeze some. If you find them hard to plan, choose one preparation you can repeat with different vegetables.

The updated planetary diet places legumes, nuts, fruit, vegetables and whole grains at its core [2]. If you are looking for serving sizes and ways to cook them, see the legumes guide. Here, it is enough to choose one specific dish you can keep in your weekly routine.

Start with foods you can use in several meals.

What place can meat and fish have?

The 2025 planetary health diet allows meat and fish in moderate amounts and particularly limits red and processed meat [2]. It is a population-level reference, not an individual prescription; if you need amounts for your situation, discuss them at your appointment.

For everyday shopping, decide which meals you want to make before buying large cuts. If you are going to use meat, buying an appropriate amount helps avoid leftovers you will not use. The red and processed meat guide explains its limits and alternatives; here, we focus on the shopping basket as a whole.

When it comes to fish, “sustainable” does not refer to one fixed species. The status of marine populations and fishing methods vary by area and management [5]. Check the species, origin and method when they appear on the label; alternate between available options and match your purchase to what you will cook. Frozen fish and canned fish can help you reduce waste.

Do seasonal and local foods always reduce the carbon footprint?

Buying seasonal and local food can shorten journeys, but distance does not tell the whole story. Production and transport methods matter too [3] [4]; wasting food means resources have been used in vain [10]. We cannot work out a food’s footprint from its postcode alone.

A global analysis estimated that transport, including stages before the final product, accounts for about 19% of food-system emissions [4]. Another analysis found differences between producers, but highlighted above all the reduction in impacts when animal products are replaced with plant foods [3]. That is why it makes sense to combine criteria: make room for plant foods, buy seasonal produce when it suits you and prioritise a basket you will use.

If a local food requires a lot of energy to grow or store, being nearby does not guarantee a lower footprint. Nor does every imported product arrive by plane. When two options are similar, ask about season and origin; avoid treating a single detail as the final word.

What do “organic”, “biological”, “bio” and “natural” mean?

In the European Union, organic, biological, eco and bio are terms reserved for products that meet organic production rules [6]. On a packaged food produced in the EU, the green leaf logo identifies this certification.

It must be accompanied by the code of the control body and the agricultural origin. The label requires at least 95% organic agricultural ingredients in the processed products that display it [7].

This label indicates a certified production method. It does not guarantee that a product is local, seasonal, fair throughout its supply chain or nutritionally superior [6] [7] [8]. A recent systematic review found no generalisable nutritional superiority of organic foods over conventional ones; some differences depend on the food and the nutrient being compared [8].

“Natural” on its own is not the EU organic label. For nutrition claims, the rules allow “naturally” to be used alongside a specific claim when the food naturally meets its conditions [9].

Check the mandatory information and ingredients before drawing conclusions from the marketing claim. For information about exposure to substances, see the endocrine disruptors guide.

How can you reduce food waste at home?

Food waste starts before anything is thrown away. The 2024 global report says households account for most of the waste measured in shops, food services and homes [10]. In an ordinary kitchen, checking what you already have helps you avoid buying the same thing twice.

Before you go out, check the fridge, freezer and pantry. Choose meals that use opened items first, and write down only what is missing. If you buy a large bunch, decide then and there which part you will cook and which part you will store.

The use-by date is related to safety; the best-before date is about quality. A study for the European Commission concluded that understanding the difference helps prevent waste [11]. Always follow the use-by date. After the best-before date, assess the packaging, storage and appearance according to the type of food. If you have doubts about its safety, throw it away.

Freeze anything you will not use in time and label it. Leftover vegetables can go into an omelette; a portion of stew can make another meal. To plan your basket without buying more than you need, use the healthy shopping list.

How can you choose packaging without spoiling food?

Packaging can create waste while also protecting food. The United Nations Environment Programme compares the impacts of different food packaging and alternatives across their life cycles [12]. The material alone does not describe all those impacts.

Choose loose fruit if you can get it home without it being damaged. Use a reusable container when you wash and reuse it. Buy larger formats only if you will finish them. A small package that prevents food from being thrown away may be preferable to a bulk purchase that spoils.

Sorting waste helps at the end of the chain, but buying the right amount acts earlier. It also helps to bring a bag you already own instead of accumulating new ones. Consider packaging alongside the amount you will use and the storage the food needs.

What questions do we hear at appointments?

We see three shortcuts that often cause confusion. The first is judging the whole shop by the organic label. It can indicate how something was produced, but it does not replace looking at the food, the price and what you need [6] [8].

The second is assuming that local always means a lower footprint. Transport matters, as do production and storage [3] [4]. If a local, seasonal option works for you, great; you do not need to seek it out at any cost.

The third is changing all your meals at once. At appointments, we first identify what makes change difficult and adapt the approach to real life.