You Are What You Eat: A Story of Sustainability

One thing you might know about me, if you know me at all, is that I am one of the many gluten-free, problematic eaters that are so commonly encountered today. Yes, thanks to a very unexpected (and seriously annoying) outbreak of Dermagraphism, I haven’t had a wheat bagel, barley soup or god-sent gluteny Cinnabon in over four years. Although it goes without saying that this change in lifestyle was a huge adjustment for me, I have grown and adapted in my specialized diet of oat and rice products. To be honest, I don’t even notice anymore (except at those awkward meals when someone forgets your inconvenient restrictions and you have to so kindly deny the odd casserole or cake).

That being said, if someone told me tomorrow that I had to cut out even more of my diet, say meat and cheese, I would just about fall over! So, you can imagine my dismay when my boyfriend, and cross-country road trip partner, told me he was going.. vegan! Although I was overly aware of the heroic motives behind his decision, I couldn’t help but resist with all of my might. Without wheat, dairy and meat how would we ever cook together? How would we survive?! What would my family think? Being a Southern girl, raised in a family that devours delicious grilled steaks and swoons for the perfect peel-and-eat shrimp, surely they could never understand the decision to choose a plant based diet. But the truth is, the word “vegan” is simply a loaded label. People hear vegan and they automatically think animal rights obsessed, pot-smoking, wheatgrass drinking weirdo. Or maybe some will see it as I did, just another restriction.

According to who, or what, you reference, today’s diet recommendations vary from no soy to no dairy to low carb, only raw food and of course no GMO. In fact, if we were to take all of the suggestions out there, we would be left with nothing to eat at all! But how many of us actually know why these suggestions are in place?

These were the questions that the “vegan choice” led me to, and although it can seem endlessly confusing, I ended up with one very important conclusion: what is most important in a diet are 1) what your body needs (and why) and 2) what is most sustainable for the planet.

For example-

 Did you know that, according to a recently published article in The Guardian, “producing 1kg of beef requires 15,000 litres of water, 30kg of carbon dioxide or equivalent greenhouse gas emissions, and 5m² of land.” Whereas “potatoes, where producing 1kg requires just 290 litres of water, 0.5kg of carbon dioxide emissions and 0.6m² of land.”

Even more shocking, agriculture is thought to account for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and livestock lands alone cover 30% of the worlds land surface.

(Read more shocking statistics here)

The makings of a gluten free vegan lemon cheesecake! See recipe HERE

Now- I know what you are thinking, that this is going to turn into a rant about how every one of you should go vegan right now to save the world! But, as I mentioned before, even I cannot dedicate myself to such a high order. Instead, it is going to turn into a rant about how every time you go grocery shopping, cook dinner, or make a batch of cookies, you should consider what you are eating, why you are eating it (does your body actually need it?) and perhaps most importantly, where it came from.

That being said, I could write for hours on the good guidelines of eating a balanced and healthy diet. However, what I really want to focus on is the awareness that goes along with the diet. I am sure we all wish we could grow our own food in our own gorgeous backyard with healthy compost and organically comprised mixed soils. But sadly that isn’t realistic for most of our lives today. So instead, try following these simple guidelines:

1. Learn about your body/diet and what is actually in foods that we need
   • A great resource for this is the recently released National Geographic Super-foods Edition
   • This awareness will  help you cut out unnecessary added sugars and processed foods (which require more resources)
   • This will also encourage you to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains
2. Buy organic, seasonal, and most importantly local, whenever possible
   • Farmers markets are perfect for this, or even your own garden
   • By buying organic you help reduce pollution in our water ways and therefore are contributing to a healthier ocean (and maintain a healthier body)
   • If you are worried about cost, the best produce to buy organic is anything with thin skin (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
   • Always bring your own reusable bags and skip the plastic produce bags!
3. Cut out meat at least one day a week – this has been called the “Reducetarian diet”
   • Try substituting tofu, tempeh or beans
   • Minimalist Baker is the most amazing blog with unbelievable recipes- you can search their site for ideas and can even sign up for a weekly recipe bonus!
4. If you must buy seafood know what you are eating with a Seafood Watch Guide and be sure to pay attention to WHERE it comes from
   • or (even better) just avoid it all together! For a little inspiration watch these END OF THE LINE clips
5. Don’t buy more than you can eat
   • This is not only a benefit to you but it is a way to greatly minimize waste and therefore precious energy and resources
6. When eating out, choose places that source local and sustainable products
   • Not only is your money going toward delicious and more responsible products but these restaurants often have a much more personal feel
7. Start conversations about conservation with your friends and family! Some people are guilty of  bad diet choices simply because they don’t know better. Don’t let yourself be one of them.

sourced from eating-better.org

 

If you want to learn more about a sustainable diet be sure to check out these extra resources. Also be sure to leave a comment and let us know how you work toward a more sustainable diet!

 

Recommended sites:

Racing Extinction

How to eat better to live better

What is a sustainable diet?

Start with ONE thing (or all of them!)

To learn more about being a Reducetarian

Weekly TED Ed talk

 

Thanks so much for reading! XXX

 

 

 

Underwater Photography: How to take a closer look

Preparing for some extraordinary diving with this incredible morning mountain view in Musandam.

For the love of photos-

A friend once told me that he ‘lost his purpose for diving’. This confession shocked me. How could anyone lose interest in diving? Then I thought about it and began to find that I actually understood what he meant. You spend days on days diving all over the world, everywhere from Indonesia to Mexico, and then you come to feel as if you have seen all there is to see, your curiosity is somehow satisfied.

The truth is, everybody needs a reason to go diving. My love of diving originally sprouted from my scientific roots and endless curiosity in marine biology. Although more recently, thanks to inspiration from my friend’s epiphany and coincidentally my dad’s great influence, I have been drawn to the new world of underwater photography. As an avid diver, I was really surprised by how quickly I began to see things differently. From finding almost microscopic nudibranchs to completely camouflaged fish, underwater photography allowed me to take a closer look at the marine world I thought I knew so well. 

In the beginning I started out by being the spotter – finding all the little things for my dad to photograph. ‘Did he get this one? Did he see this incredible blue thing here? Oh, I hope he got a decent photo of this awesome creature.’ Then I got impatient with my reliance on his photos – so I invested in a camera of my own. How marvelous it is to take pictures! Although they were absolutely dreadful at the beginning when I only took photos to remind myself of what I saw on the dive, I’ve now gotten the hang of it and I actually started taking good photos.

Almost instantly I found that there were a few things that are absolutely necessary for this to happen-

1. Buoyancy – probably the most important skill. If you can’t hover on the spot, how do you expect to take a photo? Also, you need to make sure you’re not kicking up sand (or the subject in question!), messing up the area for other divers and photographers. Without good buoyancy you can also put yourself or others (including the marine life) in danger.
2. Curiosity and Observation – in order to take pictures of things, you must be able to find them! Knowing more about the habitat and behavior of certain species can help in identifying things. And when you’re looking for the tiniest of creatures, your eyes have to become magnifying glasses. Think small!
3. Patience – when you rush, the chances of you getting a decent photo go down dramatically. Having the right state of mind and breathing well (goes along with buoyancy!) really helps when framing and then capturing your subject.

Photo hunting for the tiniest of tiny creatures in North Sulawesi.

Taking it one step further-

There are also huge benefits to underwater photography aside from creating magical pictures for your laptop backgrounds and Facebook cover photos. Actually, perhaps the most important use of underwater photography is for marine conservation. Pictures have always captured more attention than long texts and in marine conservation pictures are worth more than a thousand words. As our oceans face ever increasing threats and stress from pollution, what better way to capture the attention of the public than with pretty of the underwater world they may not have the pleasure of knowing? Even more impacting are the photos of the very not so pretty empty algal covered reefs we are seeing today.

Although half of the world’s population lives within 60km of the coast, it is frightening how little the average person knows about the ocean. Even ocean scientists know very little about the environment of the deep sea! Therefore, how are we suppose to spread awareness and make people care about conserving something that they have never seen? By using something common that people can relate to, like photos, we can appeal to the minds and the hearts of our diverse communities across the world. Images of beautiful, healthy, thriving coral reefs, teeming with life, can be compared with empty, algae-covered, rubble reefs to show people the differences we are sadly starting see in more and more areas. The more we publicize our pictures of the underwater world, the more interest we can gain from the public to incite action for ocean conservation.

 
(Left, taken by Caitlin) A pretty beat up reef in Mexico vs. a flourishing reef in Indonesia (right, taken by Yanni)

On a scientific note-

There is also huge scientific importance within underwater photography. New species are being discovered all the time – just this year, more than 100 new marine species have been found in the Philippines alone! The more photographic evidence we gather, the more we can understand the species in question (not to mention it is a lot easier to ID from a picture than a quickly swimming fish!). 

In a world where technology gets better every day, we are no longer limited by the amount of images on a film cartridge. We can take endless photos and can even send cameras beyond our own capable depths. Deep sea cameras deployed on the sea floor can not only capture images of the fauna that exist, but they can gather information about the grain size and type. For examples, check out National Geographic’s gallery of deep-sea creatures (and other ocean galleries)! 

Most importantly, photography (if done correctly, see dive skills above) is the perfect example of a non-destructive/no-take/no-touch form of data collection. Our aim as modern day scientists is to harmlessly retrieve information about the underwater life without changing the subject’s behaviour or mood. 

Recently, I went on a dive trip (mainly for photography) to Lembeh, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Indonesia has one of the highest marine bio-diversities in the world – showcasing the weird and wonderful. It was there in Lembeh that I realized how incredibly important all of these things were– proper dive etiquette, scientific research and of course no harassing of marine creatures. There the research is never-ending, with no doubt hundreds of new things still to be discovered, and photography is such a great way to access those resources properly.

I’m proud to say I came back from this trip with wonderful photos. But even more importantly, I came back with a way to spread awareness. Most of my family has no experience of being underwater. When I showed them my photos they were quite amazed by the variety of things I saw – the colour and the size and just the absolute strangeness of it all. Even if their response was “can we eat this?” my bewildered expression stopped them in their tracks. Although it is mostly the aesthetic beauty of the photos that captures their attention, it gives me a moment to explain the importance of marine conservation. That moment can go a long way, especially when you start with your family and friends.

 
 
(Top left) The Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) – one of the most beautiful and weird creatures you can find on Lembeh. Careful though, its club-like appendages are notorious for breaking glass and even knee caps (I backed away quickly after taking this photo!)
(Top right) Cute little Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) – it was too hard to get a face-on shot of this guy!
(Bottom left) Mating of the blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata)! These are incredibly difficult creatures to spot, so seeing the mating was a pretty special and rare occasion.
(Bottom right) One of my favourite things to photograph – Nudibranchs (i.e. sea slugs)!!! This one was a cute little Chromodoris annulata (which is actually now named Goniobranchus annulatus).

Happy Diving everybody! x

 

 

New Year, New You. New World?

We are so often told that the start of a new year is the perfect time to make a change, be who you want to be, leave your bad habits behind. Yet, how many of us actually carry these self-set goals to the finish line? Most of us will last a month, maybe two, or even three before we slowly slide back into our usual comfortable ways of cutting corners. That is why I want to challenge you (and me) this year not to set a new year’s resolution- but to simply make a choice to live every day like it is the first day of the year.

This, for me, means taking steps to accomplish what I want more than anything this year- to live a more conscience life with the intent of a greener (and blue-er!) future for our planet. I spent far too many days in 2015 depressed over hopeless statistics of massive animal strandings, predictions of trash outnumbering fish in our oceans, and massive coral bleaching events. Nothing seems simple anymore. From choices as common as what to buy at the grocery store to what news articles to read, issues of sustainability are forever encompassing our lives. The right choices are out there but the difficulty for most of us is finding the time to decipher them. Sadly, the environment doesn’t have much time left to wait for us to figure it out as we drastically crash into what scientists are calling the “Anthropocene Era”. All while the impending 2016 U.S. presidential election doesn’t offer much comfort for our concerns..

However, I am not willing to lose hope just yet. There is a positive, and ironic, side to this dark tinted future- us! Through my travels and studies over the years I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting and working alongside outstandingly brilliant, inspiring people from around the world. These people remind me that there is so much knowledge and drive within our generation just waiting to be unleashed. That is why Yanni and I have decided to start this blog. It is time for us to start channeling our studies, passions and time on social media in a positive way. Over the next year we will be sharing with you topics on marine and environmental news, glimpses into our own Master’s research, and sustainable lifestyle choices that you can (and should) employ in your everyday life. Spanning the globe from Alaska to Australia (and even links from Florida to Dubai) we hope to provide a universal approach to conservation that people from all areas can relate to.

Now that you know a bit more about our mission, I want to share with you a great video to start off our conservation craze. Although incredibly short and simple, this video reminds us of how important our everyday decisions are to the world and what actually happens as repercussions to those choices.

I hope that you will leave this article with a new outlook on the rest of your day, and hopefully a bit more. I challenge you to make a choice today for sustainability. Whether it is bringing your own reusable cup to the coffee shop or buying a reusable bag in the grocery store, every little bit counts. As Sylvia Earle says, “without blue there is no green” and wihout green there is nothing. This is our Earth- so how do you want to leave it?

I hope you enjoy! Xx

WATCH ME (Source: TED Ed)