Do you want to be a more sustainable consumer but don’t know where to start? There are different ways in which we can keep ourselves healthy and save the planet. That’s what Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes discloses in her book Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life. This book outlines the problems we are facing and presents ideas or ‘recipes’ to empower us, to help us all make a difference. Pay close attention since Dr. Dana will show us how our daily choices have a great impact on the environment. Let’s dive into how to eat to save the world!

Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes is an Assistant Professor with the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA and a Senior Dietitian at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. She has dedicated herself to understanding the relationships between climate change, food choices, and food security, and how they affect our health. She earned her BS in nutrition and human biology from Cornell University, her RD at Emory University, and her Masters of Public Health (MPH) and Ph.D. in climate change and food security from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

Key Highlights:

[00:01 -09:56] – Opening Segment
Dr. Dana’s insights about the climate implications of food
What could happen if we don’t reform the way that we grow food and handle meat
What we eat is a big contributor to the environmental emissions

[09:57 – 18:31] The Ticking Clock Right Time is Critical Here with Climate Change
How showing people real-world comparisons can make the difference
Dr. Dana’s outlook on why meat oriented dishes, restaurants, and cuisine tend to be considered more sophisticated
Conflicts between personal health or what we believe some foods might be in terms of their health value versus their ecological impact

[18:32- 28:02] – Provide Healthy and Environmentally Friendly Foods
Dr. Dana explains what milk alternatives she recommends
The explosion and startups with mock meats and plant-based meats
The current status of private businesses providing healthy but environmentally friendly foods
What the implication for health differences are between different kinds of eggs

[28:03 – 37:40] – Keep Ourselves Healthy But Not Destroy The Planet At The Same Time
The reason why Dr. Dana decided to write the book
Understanding the role of food in our culture
How do we get a healthier dialogue about food

[37:41 – 39:11] – Closing Segment
Want to connect with Dana Ellis? Follow her on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. Head to Dana Ellis Hunnes, and learn more about the actions we can all take, starting today.

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Resources Mentioned:

Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life
Eleven Madison Park
The Cornucopia Institute

Tweetable Quotes:

Dana Ellis- “We can’t demonize one particular culture when we all are responsible for the globalization of our foods and the way foods get transferred from one country to another.”

Dana Ellis- “There is this unfortunate misconception that meat is what makes us strong or meat is what makes us healthy. But when you boil it down to the science, and you really look at how do we grow our muscles? Yeah, you do need some protein, but it doesn’t have to come from meat.”

Dana Ellis- “You need enough calories and you need enough protein to support your life. But you absolutely can get it all from plants.”