Choosing food that ’ s good for your health and good for the environment ? Surely you ’ ll need to get a second job to finance that , right ?
But what about the cost ?
What the Planetary Health Diet doesn ’ t do , however , is give any actual shopping lists of what to buy . In fact , cost is not considered at all in the report . This was something myself and my co-authors , Georgie Russell and Rebecca Lindberg , from Deakin University ’ s School of Exercise and Nutrition Science , thought needed to be addressed . We felt that it was all well and good for the Planetary Health Diet to advise us that we need to eat healthily and sustainably , but it didn ’ t look at whether the general population can actually afford to do so .
Putting it to the test
We created a basket of groceries based on the Planetary Health Diet , which includes more fresh produce and less ultraprocessed food - included brown rice , oats , wholemeal grain bread , fruit and vegetables , nuts and a small amount of meat ( mainly chicken and fish ) with beans and legumes also contributing to protein intake .
We then compared the cost of this healthy and sustainable food basket with a basket of groceries based on the typical Australian diet ( from previous research surveys ). The baskets were costed at Coles supermarkets in metropolitan areas in each state , in a range of different socio-economic areas to allow affordability comparisons . We wanted to see if everyone , not just the wealthy , could afford to eat healthily and sustainably .
The results
When we crunched the numbers , we were pleased to find that the Planetary Health Diet basket cost less than the typical Australian diet basket in all states and all metropolitan areas , with an average saving of $ 35 per week .
To assess affordability for different socio-economic groups , we compared the cost of groceries to the median income in low , medium , and high socio-economic areas in each state , and it was found that the Planetary Health Diet basket was also more affordable than the typical Australian diet , regardless of socio-economic area . Our research shows that low socio-economic households need to spend 17 % of their income , on average , to eat a healthy and sustainable diet but 21 % of their income to eat a typical Australian diet . Households in the higher socio-economic category only need to spend , on average , 11 % of their income to eat a healthy diet and 13 % to eat a typical Australian diet .
Tips for eating healthily , sustainably and on-budget
The bottom line is , if you follow a healthy and sustainable eating pattern , you could improve not only your own health , but also that of the planet and your bank account . So how do you make your diet a healthy and sustainable one ? It ’ s actually not as difficult as it might sound . Here are a few tips :
• Eat more fruits and vegetables and , if possible , select produce that is in season . Not only will the produce be cheaper , it also won ’ t have required artificial heating for growing , which increases the environmental impact .
• Eat more legumes and beans – it ’ s cheaper than meat and produces much less greenhouse gas emissions ( especially compared to ruminant meat like beef and lamb ). Invest in a pressure cooker to cook beans and legumes super-fast .
• Eat less ultra-processed and packaged foods – not only are these products less healthy for you , the extra processing uses more energy and the packaging is often not recyclable .
• Before making any major dietary changes , it ’ s a good idea to consult a qualified nutritionist or dietitian , especially if you have any pre-existing health conditions .
Chances are , you already knew all of those tips , so if you haven ’ t been following them so far , work out what ’ s held you back , and try to make it happen .
It does take some time to get into the groove , because it ’ s a different way of eating
THE QUICK READ
• A healthy and sustainable diet is one that has low environmental impact while contributing to food security and meeting the health and nutritional needs of current and future generations
• The Planetary Health Diet incorporates the principles of both health and sustainability
• Researchers compared the financial cost of eating according to the principles of the Planetary Health Diet compared to the cost of following a typical Australian diet
• They also compared the cost of both eating approaches to the median income in low , medium , and high socio-economic areas in each state .
• The healthy and sustainable shopping basket cost less than the typical Australian diet basket in all
states and all metropolitan areas .
for many people , including your clients . The focus on fresh produce means that you may need to shop more often , and reducing reliance on processed foods will generally require more time to be spent in the kitchen preparing and cooking . If these are skills that have eluded you until now , why not make them goals for the new year ? There ’ s no excuse not to learn these days – if you have internet access , you have access to free online cooking classes !
This study shows Australians that it is more affordable to eat a healthy diet that supports the planet than it is to follow a typical , highly-processed way of eating .
For more information and detail , you can access the full research study
here .
Tara Goulding , BHSci ( FoodNutrit ), GDipHumNutr Tara holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in nutrition , which started as personal interest and finished as wanting to change the world . She lives in the Hunter Valley NSW with her husband , bunny and dog , and is currently reaping the rewards of starting a vegie garden in iso-days .
34 | NETWORK SUMMER 2020