Food for Thought

Today we have food choices that our ancestors could never have dreamed of. But not all foods are created equally as food production is a major cause of climate change and habitat destruction. In order to avoid the worst effects of climate change, we will need to see dramatic changes to what we eat in the years ahead. But what are climate friendly diets? And can they be produced sustainably here in Ireland? On this journey Dr Lara Dungan looks at the environment and health implications of different diets and tastes new replacements to meat and dairy products asking if this can go mainstream? In 2016 a landmark study released in the world’s biggest medical journal, The Lancet found that the world can not sustain the dietary habits of the West and that food and diets need to change to feed a growing population. The Lancet diet has become a huge talking point, but what is it and what does it mean for the future of our diets? In this episode Dr Lara Dungan meets Ireland’s leading chef on the Lancet Diet, Conor Spacey. With Conor’s help Lara will uncover the many simple changes we could make to our diets to become more sustainable. Lara will also learn that plant based alternatives to meat have turned into big business but has Ireland caught on to this trend in time?