Written by Duygu Ersoy, Short-term 2022 – Edited by Bianca Rêgo, ESC Wake-Up 2022-23
Hi everyone!
My name is Duygu and I’m a turkish dietitian volunteering at IDC. Before I applied for the project, I was very excited when I saw that one of the main topics of it was sustainable nutrition. Because, as a dietitian, it is my main duty to explain and support sustainable nutrition to the public in addition to healthy eating. Unfortunately, the eating habits and production patterns in the world are not sustainable and have a high damage on the ecosystem. For this reason, I applied to the project thinking that I could contribute and learn more in this field 🙂
Today I would like to explain about my sustainable nutrition seminar and sustainable cooking workshop. First of all, I prepared a presentation in which I explained sustainable nutrition in detail. I have compiled the information in the presentation using only scientifically sourced articles and databases.
WHAT İS SUSTAİNABLE NUTRİTİON?
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) define a sustainable healthy diet as “sustainable diets are diets that have low environmental impact, support food and nutritional security and a healthy life for present and future generations”. The aims of Sustainable Healthy Diets are to achieve optimal growth and development of all individuals and support functioning and physical, mental, and social wellbeing at all life stages for present and future generations; contribute to preventing all forms of malnutrition (i.e. undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency, overweight and obesity); reduce the risk of diet related NCDs; and support the preservation of biodiversity and planetary health. The Guiding Principles for Sustainable Healthy Diets are food based, and take into account nutrient recommendations while considering environmental, social/cultural and economic sustainability.
Existing food production systems in the world do not comply with the concept of sustainability, causing an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and thus the burden of global warming by consuming existing resources. The increased consumption of animal food as a result of the adoption of the Western-style diet affects the environment negatively.
In addition, the increase in the consumption of frozen, canned and packaged foods, activities in the production processes and waste generation increases greenhouse gas emissions. While the global warming potential load of fresh vegetables, fruits and legumes is 0.9, the load of canned form of the same foods is 3.3 kg CO2 eq. It is known that waste packages also increases the potential burden of global warming, apart from the greenhouse gas emissions that occur during the canning process.
Although the needs of people are important in sustainable nutrition, the traces left by the food chosen for consumption in nature are also important. These traces are ecological footprint, carbon footprint and water footprint.
In order to improve nutrition, it is necessary to address the entire existing food system, from farm to fork, such as food production, processing and packaging, distribution, marketing, consumption and food waste and loss.
What we can do?
- Prioritize plants
Shifting to a more plant-based way of eating will help reduce freshwater withdrawals and deforestation
- Minimize meat
To eat for our own health as well as that of the planet, we should consider picking non-meat proteins such as nuts and legumes.
- Select new seafood
Fish should be preferred during the hunting season and not the ones that are at risk of extinction.
- Look local
Exploring farmers markets helps you find fresh produts grown locally.
- Eat mindfully
Focusing on what you’re eating makes you think about where your food comes from and how it nourishes your body, and by adjusting your hunger signals, you may realize that you don’t need as much food as you think. We can rearrange our meals accordingly, change our food consumption, reduce food waste and be encouraged to seek more sustainable food sources.
Vegan nutrition makes the most positive impact on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25-55%, and the areas used for production by 50-60%. It is necessary to meet the daily protein requirement with plant-based proteins. However, since the bioavailability of proteins of vegetable origin is lower than those of animal origin, care should be taken to ensure that they meet the recommended amounts in terms of nutritional value. Even if a vegan diet cannot be applied, choosing poultry instead of red meat significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. As a result of a study conducted within the scope of sustainability, it is recommended to reduce red meat consumption by 1/3 and replace it with vegetable protein (soy, grain, nuts, legumes…) and protein from poultry.
As a result of the studies, it has been reported that two European diets, the Mediterranean Diet and the Nordic Diet (Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) are health promoting.
WORKSHOP TİME !!!
After the seminar, we started a healthy and sustainable cooking workshop! I have determined 4 recipes for the workshop. I made sure that all the recipes were protein-rich, sustainable, healthy and suitable for our gluten-intolerant friends.
1) Buckwheat salad with lentils
2) Eggless carrot cake with vegetable milk
3) Gluten-free chickpea flour bread and homemade bread (most of the time we need to make bread. That’s why I wanted to learn the recipe together. Also, there are alternatives for our gluten-intolerant friends
Green Lentil Salad with Buckwheat
A healthy salad recipe with high vegetable protein value. You can change the content according to your wish. Enjoy your meal!
1 cup green lentils
1/2 cup of buckwheat
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
1 tomato
Parsley
Pickled cucumber
Lemon
Olive oil
Salt
Optional balsamic vinegar
1) Brew buckwheat in 1 glass of hot water.
2) Boil the green lentils until cooked.
3) Finely chop all the vegetables and mix all the ingredients.
4) Finally add lemon, olive oil and salt.
Eggless carrot cake with vegetable milk
1 1/2 cup grated carrots
1 1/2 cup plant based milk – I used rice milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil or coconut oil
2 1/4 cup buckwhear flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 cup crashed walnuts (optional)
1) Preheat the Oven at 360F, fan on.
2) Sift flour, baking soda and cinnamon into a bowl.
3) In a separate bowl, add milk and sugar and start whisking until the sugar dissolved.
4) Add oil into mix and whisk the dry mix into wet ingredients.
5) Once the batter is creamy and smooth, add grated carrots and walnuts and use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix them evenly.
6) Coat the cake tin and transfer the batter. You can add few walnuts on top to decorate.
7) Place the cake tin in the middle rack and let it bake for 45-60 minutes.
8) Make sure to rest the cake at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Gluten free bread from chickpea flour
An alternative bread recipe for people with gluten intolerance.
In addition, chickpea flour contains high protein and fiber content. In this way, it can be preferred by people with diabetes or insulin resistance, as it will increase blood sugar more slowly. However, the carbohydrate value in its content should not be overlooked and should not be consumed in large quantities.
3 cups of raw chickpea flour,
2 cups of mineral water/soda,
1 heaping teaspoon of baking soda,
1 tablespoon of any kind of vinegar,
2 tablespoons of olive oil,
1 dessertspoon of sugar,
1 dessertspoon salt.
1) Take the baking soda in a mixing bowl, add vinegar to it and mix until it foams and disappears,
2) Add mineral water, sugar, salt and olive oil,
3) Add chickpea flour little by little and start whisking,
4) Add chickpea flour and whisk until you get a cake-like dough,
5) Grease a 24 cm baton mold and pour the dough into it,
6) Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees until cooked through.
Homemade bread
2 tablespoons of dry yeast
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
1.5-2 glasses of warm water (350 ml)
4 glasses of flour (500 g)
2 teaspoons of salt (wipe)
For the above;
Water
First of all, let’s add dry yeast and sugar to the warm water that we took in a suitable container for the yeast to dissolve.
Let’s take flour into the kneading bowl, add salt to it and open the middle in the form of a pool.
Let’s pour the thawed yeast into the pit we prepared and start kneading our dough.
Then let’s cover the dough and cover it with a cloth and leave it to ferment in a warm environment for 40 minutes.
When the leaven of our dough comes, let’s open it, let’s get its air by wetting our hands slightly.
Then, let’s take our dough to the counter where we sprinkled flour and collect it by kneading with our hands.
Let’s put the dough we have shaped on the baking tray on which we have laid baking paper, cover it with a damp cloth and wait for 15-20 minutes for the tray yeast to come. If you do not cover it with a damp cloth, the dough will dry out and crack.
Let’s open the tops of our doughs with the yeast on the tray, let’s spread the water on all our dough. In this way, the top of the bread will be browned like a pomegranate.
Finally, with the help of a sharp knife, let’s make cuts on our breads, then let them bake for about 20-25 minutes in the oven we preheated at 230 ° C. By the way, there is a trick I would like to point out in particular, before you start heating the oven, do not forget to put water in a heat-resistant container on the bottom of the oven. Water vapor is very important for your bread to be cooked softly.
Our soft homemade breads, whose top and bottom are browned like pomegranate, are ready. After the first heat comes out, you can consume it as you wish. Enjoy your meal.
Thank you for your time and reading!
If you have any questions you can contact me 🙂
Instagram: @dyt.duyguersoy
Mail: [email protected]
