The 3 most sustainable foods of the future
As climate change snowballs at a rate we can no longer ignore, some are sending out alarmist warnings that we won’t have enough food to feed our population by 2050. And don’t get me wrong, I agree that we’re in trouble if we keep consuming the way we have been. But “productionists” in favor of growing more food don’t acknowledge that we currently grow more than double the food necessary to sustain our population in America.
This surplus goes to waste for cosmetic reasons, lack of infrastructure to get it to those who need it, or it simply goes bad before it’s eaten. But if we make shifts to what we produce and how we produce it, we can feed our ever-growing population and instead put our heads together on that fossil fuels issue. So today I wanted to talk about three futuristic foods with incredibly low environmental impact that we can begin eating more of today.
Outside of sushi, algae may not sound all that appetizing, but high in essential minerals, the World Bank has deemed sea vegetables one of the best solutions to sustain a large population with minimal ecological damage. As Tollef Olsen of Ocean’s Balance explains in an interview with Civil Eats, seaweed requires “No land, no fresh water, no fertilizer, [and] no pesticides” to grow. Even better than that, growing seaweed adds oxygen to the water, cleans ocean water, enhances biodiversity and even absorbs excess CO2, which reduces ocean acidification.
While eating algae may seem strange in the US, asian countries have been incorporating chlorella, spirulina, kelp, nori, dulse, and hijiki into their diets for centuries, and even today eat 25% more seaweed than we do in America. And looking at their nutrient content, I think it’s about time we give them a chance. High in protein, and rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron, the mineral composition of seaweed mimics that of our bodies, meaning they’re great for filling in nutritional gaps.
Bugs. Okay, hear me out. I don’t want to eat bugs either but lets review the facts. Edible insects such as ants, cicadas, termites, locusts, and crickets, are high in protein, low in fat and rich in vitamins and minerals such as zinc and iron. On top of that, they’re remarkably easy to raise compared to livestock. They don’t emit methane like cows, and require less water and food. In fact, they can subsist on 12 times less feed than cows, and can be fed food waste, meaning fields devoted to growing wheat and corn for animal feed could be converted to growing food for human consumption. Eating insects is a budding trend in America but the FAO, a branch of the United Nations, estimates that 20% of the world’s population already eats insects. In Mexico you can find chocolate-covered locusts, and ant eggs soaked in butter.
Many of us already eat some amount of mushrooms without realizing what a perfect food they are. Not only do they provide an other-wise rare source of vitamin D and selenium, they’re high in calcium, phosphorus and other minerals. Studies show they have strong anti-tumor and anti-viral properties, low fat, and more vitamin B12 than milk and fish. They can be grown just about anywhere, as they don’t need arable land, special light, or large amounts of water. Fungi are fast growing and produce a high yield, making them efficient and a good investment for producers.
And since they naturally play the role of the recycler of nutrients in the wild, they’re able to convert toxins and waste products back into fertilizer and nutrients in the form of edible mushrooms. The most common varieties include button, shiitake, enoki, oyster, cremini and portabella, and are easy to cook and incorporate into your diet, but other varieties, such as lionsmane, chaga and reishi are known for their medicinal properties.
All three of these foods hold potential to produce food with few resources, and will divert our consumption from otherwise wasteful foods such as animal products. They are each wonderful examples of how we can solve issues of sustainability in our food system without expensive high-tech solutions, but by embracing age-old food sources.