7 How are Dietary Patterns, Food Systems Sustainability, and Health Related?
Different foods and dietary patterns have differing impacts on certain ecological outcomes, such as greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, water quality, etc. For example, it is well established that (in general) diets that have a higher proportion of foods from plants, fungi, and trees lead to better environmental outcomes. Therefore, certain dietary patterns are “better” for environmental sustainability, just like certain diets are better for health outcomes.
The ways that foods are produced, distributed, processed, and retailed, as well as factors like economic structures (all aspects of the food system), are responsible for these different levels of impact. These food system factors also impact the sustainability of social systems, impacting important issues such as equity, access to healthy food, and the ability to influence your own food system. As dietary choices and food systems are impacting social and ecological systems, these are in turn affecting food systems, dietary choices, and health outcomes. The relationship is reciprocal.
Learning Activities
7.1 Watch
Start by watching the video below to explore the relationship between our dietary choices and their effects on the environment (~8 minutes).
Future of Taste | How do our food choices affect climate change? [1]
Transcript – Future of Taste | How do our food choices affect climate change? [PDF]
7.2 Read
In this section, we have compiled a number of National Dietetic Association (NDA) position papers from various countries. Select at least one country’s position paper to go through. Several NDAs are officially recognising the relevance of SFS to practice by publishing role and/or position papers. See how nations are explaining the relevance and visit the resources page NDA SFS Positions/Guides available online. (~30 minute read)
Position Papers
7.3 Reflect
After watching the videos and reading the document(s) above, reflect on the following questions (~15 minutes).
- Describe three examples of how dietary choices and patterns impact the sustainability of our food systems.*
- Describe three examples of how unsustainable conditions in our food systems impact diets and human health.*
- Does the National Dietetic Association from your country have a position on or related to sustainable food systems and diets? If yes, does it help you to see which examples from your questions above are most relevant, or not relevant, to your country context?*
7.4 Extend Your Learning
If you wish to deepen your understanding, explore the following:
- To explore more resources that help you understand the relationship between dietary patterns, food systems, sustainability and health, visit the ICDA website homepage available online, and Additional Resources for Sustainable Food Systems Work available online.
Congratulations on finishing Chapter 7!
- Down To Earth. Future of Taste | How do our food choices affect climate change? [Internet]. YouTube. 2024 [cited 2025 May 11]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldm0bbr9WGI ↵
- The Role of Dietitians in Sustainable Food Systems and Sustainable Diets (role paper) [Internet]. Dietitians of Canada; 2020. Available from: https://www.dietitians.ca/DietitiansOfCanada/media/Documents/Resources/Sustainable-Food-Systems-Dietitians-Roles-(Role-Paper).pdf?ext=.pdf ↵
- Renner B, Arens-Azevêdo U, Watzl B, Richter M, Virmani K, Linseisen J. Peer Review | DGE position on a more sustainable diet. Ernaehrungs Umschau international [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2025 Nov 11]; Available from: https://www.ernaehrungs-umschau.de/fileadmin/Ernaehrungs-Umschau/pdfs/pdf_2021/07_21/EU07_2021_M406_M416_en.pdf ↵
“Climate change is caused [in large part] by the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These increases are primarily due to human activities such as the use of fossil fuels or agriculture…. Anthropogenic (human-made) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions… include emissions for 7 greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride, perfluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons and nitrogen trifluoride).” — Dietitians of Canada, 2020
Food systems are complex, non-linear, systems that “… that embrace all the elements (environment, people, inputs, processes, infrastructure, institutions, markets and trade) and activities that relate to the production, processing, distribution and marketing, preparation and consumption of food and the outputs of these activities, including socio-economic and environmental outcomes.” — Dietitians of Canada, 2020
