changing the way we eat

We’ve got change on the brain.

We feel it’s time to do something but in 2020, where passions run high and change meets us at every corner, what to do?

And where to start?

How about with planet earth - the one place every human, black or white, collectively calls home?

No matter where you live or what your lifestyle, daily life revolves around convenience – takeaway coffee, fast food, single-use plastic containers and excess packaging - all of which are useful but have a devastating impact on our planet. 

Food choices are a major contributor too with certain ingredients, farming practices, supply chains, and personal eating habits all detrimental to the environment. 

Australia's food consumption alone contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, land clearing and biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and ocean pollution.   

Whilst breaking the status quo takes time and work, committing to small daily changes can make a big difference to the planet as well as our personal health and wellbeing. 

Here at nuut, we’re taking time to reflect on our own practices, including how we approach all aspects of eating, from sourcing local ingredients, cooking, and reducing food waste.

Here are some changes we are implementing right now for the good of ourselves, the community, and this beautiful planet we all call home.

fresh, seasonal organic produce

The more a product is processed, the more harmful additives it contains and the poorer its nutrients. Fruit and vegetables out-of-season are grown in greenhouses, where a high amount of energy is used to create their perfect cultivation conditions, resulting in unsustainable environmental costs. Because seasonal produce is grown in natural atmospheric conditions without chemical treatments, it not only saves energy, but is sustainable, full-flavoured and super-nutritious. 

plant-rich diet

Much of the food we eat today is the by-product of overindulgence and can skew to trends and cravings rather than what our bodies need to thrive. Much of it is expensive, big on marketing spin and small on nutrients. Our aim is to cut down on meat, dairy, sugary foods like cakes, biscuits, and pastries, refined white carbohydrates, processed foods, and fatty, greasy, and deep-fried foods. By adopting a plant-centric daily diet, we’re not only looking after the planet, but protecting our bodies against diseases like weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease.

Check out our plant-based blends here

refute refuse

Rubbish and food scraps is a massive issue to resolve, yet most of what we toss in the bin can actually be composted or recycled. We’re taking organic materials, like fruit and vegetable peels and coffee grounds and using them to nourish our gardens or as compost. We’re only buying honey, maple syrup, and nut butters in reusable jars and when we can, returning them to the merchant. We’re also cutting down on food deliveries to save on packaging waste, and instead dining-in or cooking at home. We’re dusting off our reusable coffee cups, replacing tea bags with tea strainers, plastic containers for mason jars, cling wrap for beeswax wrappers, and installing water filters instead of buying bottled.  At nuut, we use a circular packaging recycling scheme that is kind to the planet and makes recycling your used nuut sachets super simple. So it’s pro-planet and pro-you too.  

Read more about it here 

healthy sweets

Dairy-based desserts have amongst the highest footprints amongst junk foods, so we’re looking elsewhere for our sugar hits. Frozen fruit, sorbets, smoothies and 3pm healthy chocolate hits (hello nuut!) is the planet-friendly and healthy way to smash our cravings.

Check out our favourite chocolate treats here 

reduce meat

Animal-derived foods, especially red and processed meats, have a large environmental impact because they require more energy and resources and release more emissions than plant foods.  Here at nuut, the die-hard carnivores amongst us are cutting back and only eating organic, which produces fewer emissions thanks to the livestock’s diet and reduced amount of animals.

Tip: Think you need a big steak to make a delicious, satisfying dinner? Change your diet by not eliminating meat, but simply scaling back. Make vegetables the star, and meat its sidekick. Scatter organic free-range chicken on a vegetable pizza or atop a bowl of wholegrain pasta. It's healthier, more sustainable, and still hits the spot.

sustainable shopping

We’re saying ‘no’ to unnecessarily packaged fresh produce, like plastic wrapped cucumbers and cherry tomatoes in plastic containers. Instead of buying tinned and packaged foods like legumes and grains, we’re hitting up our local health food stores and buying them dried by-the-kilo.  They’re less expensive and taste better too. Winning!

eat moderately

Eating more than our bodies require leads to health issues like obesity, and also wastes environmental resources that are used in producing that extra food. This contributes to an extraordinary amount of waste, that in Australia is around 7.3 million tonnes of edible food a year.  We are resolving to downsize at meal time and eat only as much food as our bodies need.

Tip: Serving meals on smaller plates helps trick the brain into thinking it’s a larger portion. Still hungry at the end of the meal? Add more leafy greens or finish with whole fruit.

diy

We’re taking a second look at some of the items we buy at the supermarket, like nut butters, stock, soups, sauces, dressings, yogurt and biscuits, and making them ourselves. The result? We know exactly what is going in to each (ie none of the sneaky bad stuff), and well as less cardboard, aluminium and plastic packaging.

cook-up & co-op

We’re batch cooking with friends and forming our own co-ops.  It’s cheaper, better quality, less packaging, and it’s planet friendly.

And then there’s the community aspect – belonging, helping, and learning. We swap food and recipes, stories are told, children participate, and our community becomes more cultivated.

It’s the world we all want to live in - one of community connections, generosity, health, authenticity and wholesome food everywhere we look.

Change is to be made. Come help us do it.