A point of pride: The way we Indians eat is best for the planet! Claim in WWF report

New Delhi : The food and drink of every country is different. The way of preparing them is different. But if someone asks which country has the best way of eating in the world, then you can take the name of India without any hesitation. We are not saying this but the report of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is saying this. The way we Indians eat is best for the planet. It is best from the point of view of climate change. A question may come to mind that how can the way of eating and drinking be related to the health of the earth? What could be the connection with climate change? So the answer lies in what you are eating and drinking and how you are preparing them. The amount of greenhouse gases emitted in food preparation determines whether it is good for the health of the earth or not.

WWF has praised India’s eating habits in its ‘Living Planet Report’. The report says that among the big economies (G20 countries), India’s food is the best. The report also says that if all the countries of the world adopt India’s way of eating by 2050, then the environment will be harmed the least. According to the report, Argentina, Australia and America have the worst food habits.

According to the report, ‘If by 2050 everyone in the world adopts the diet of countries with existing large economies, then due to greenhouse gas emissions caused by food, the world’s temperature will increase by 263 percent more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Not only this, we will need seven Earths instead of one Earth to meet our needs.

India’s ‘Millet Mission’ has also been praised in the report. The report states that if all the countries of the world adopt India’s way of eating by 2050, we will need less than one (0.84) land mass to meet our food needs. Greenhouse gas emissions due to food in India are so low that the world’s temperature will not rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

According to the report, the world would need a maximum of 7.4 Earths if it adopted Argentina’s diet. This means that Argentina is lagging behind in terms of proper eating habits. After that comes Australia (6.8), America (5.5), Brazil (5.2), France (5), Italy (4.6), Canada (4.5) and Britain (3.9).

After India (0.84), Indonesia (0.9) is in better position. After that comes China (1.7), Japan (1.8) and Saudi Arabia (2).

The report also praised India’s efforts to promote climate-resilient millets (nutritious cereals). The report said that the ‘National Millet Campaign’ has been designed in such a way that it increases the consumption of this old grain in the country. This grain is not only good for health, it is also quite strong against climate change.

The report says, ‘If we eat the right kind of food, we will not need much land to grow food. This will allow the pastures to be used for other things, such as making nature green again and reducing carbon emissions.

The report also calls for promoting other protein alternatives, such as pulses, nutritious grains, plant-based meats and nutrient-rich algae.