Last week’s posts explained how we can all save the world on the fascinating road to optimal health, financial freedom, and self-actualization. 

This week, we’ll be getting a bit more practical. The focus will be on the best ways each of us can cut our ecological footprint. 

Let’s start with a big one: food. 

Plants > Fish, Eggs, Dairy > Meat

This figure from last week’s post tells the whole story. If you want to help save the world, a plant-dominated diet is a must. 

Going completely vegetarian is not required, but animal products, especially meat, must be limited.

Personally, I stick to 5% meat (mainly pork) and an additional 10% fish, eggs, and dairy. The slightly increased ecological impact of these small amounts of animal products is worth it for two reasons:

1. A healthy plant-dominated diet becomes much more pleasurable, making sure it will last.  
2. Convenient access to high-quality proteins and other nutrients required for optimal health. 

If you’re too big on the animal products, try limiting your consumption to the following: meat as a vegetable dressing, dairy as a delicious binder for nuts, seeds and berries, and fish and eggs as a super-convenient dinner option.   

Other factors

After the type of food you buy, the quantity is the next most important factor.

If the health, mobility, and body-image benefits of eating less are not enough, add saving the world to your list of motivators. A focus on reducing food waste also helps reduce your footprint.  

The locality and degree of packaging of your food are two more important factors, although not nearly as important as the type of food you eat. Support the local farmers’ market if possible. 

Lastly, a healthy diet can save the world by minimizing your consumption of medical services.

The world spends an enormous 10% of GDP on healthcare, mostly on self-inflicted lifestyle diseases. We can massively reduce this tragic waste by refusing to pay for empty calories and choosing healthier snacks instead, and by committing to home-made meals using whole foods. 

Zero-compromise diet

A healthy and sustainable diet does not need to be a compromise. Nope, if you’re smart, it can still be deeply enjoyable, practical, and affordable. 

You just need to put in the curiosity and experimentation required to design yours. Once you do, it will last you a lifetime – surely one of the best investments you can ever make! 

A detailed outline of such a lifelong healthy diet can be found here.