When you think of sustainable food, the thought of lettuce heads and green tea bags may already have crossed your mind. However, sustainable food is not necessarily synonymous with a sustainable diet; there are many other things to consider. Do read on.

Would you like to reduce your ecological footprint in the area of food as well? We are happy to support you by sharing our favourite tips with you.

• Keep your meat and fish consumption to a minimum. If you don't even really like or need meat or fish in your diet, dare to leave them off the menu. Red meat has the greatest impact on a sustainable diet.
• If, in addition to meat and fish, you also eliminate dairy products, you will make a huge difference. Cattle that are used to produce milk are responsible for significant emissions of methane gases. In addition, these animals do not have a dignified life, contrary to what many people think. If you want to know more about that, you can go here.
• If you're going all out and intend to start eating vegan: don't make shopping more difficult than it needs to be. Download some useful apps that will save you from a non-vegan shopping trolley in the supermarket.
• Try to recognise sustainable products in the supermarket by their labels, ingredients and origin.
• Buy fruit and vegetables according to the season. Check our seasonal calendar and find out what products you buy when.
• Buy fruit and vegetables at the market, because the offer there is usually entirely seasonal. An additional advantage is that fruit and vegetables at the market often taste better: they are harvested when they are riper than products in the supermarket.
• Support local initiatives such as Buurderij België or Buurderij Nederland and buy fresh and directly from farmers in your neighbourhood. If you prefer to go to the supermarket, choose products that have been produced locally.
• For imported food, give preference to fair trade products.
• Don't buy too much to minimise food surpluses. Make a shopping list and never go to the supermarket hungry, because you usually buy what you feel like at that moment. Are you shopping for the day or evening itself? Buy food that will spoil in a few days at a low price.
• Do you have surpluses at the end of the week? Then process them. You can use them to make a broth or soup, serve up an omelette with vegetables or have a 'leftovers day'.
• Are you not the type to shop for a whole week, but rather to see what you feel like at that moment? Then the app Too Good To Go (Belgium|Netherlands) might be for you. The app collects the surplusses from entrepreneurs (restaurants, supermarkets, caterers, delis, etc.) in your neighbourhood and you buy them over for a competitive price.

Is your most valuable effort towards a sustainable diet not yet on this list? Give us a shout via Facebook or Instagram or mail to info@etikl.com and who knows, your tip might be on this list soon.