Why an Indian diet will cost the world less than one Earth

With an emphasis on less meat, home-cooked meals and millets, eating habits in India are the least climate damaging, says WWF report

The Indian diet typically entails home-cooked food with seasonal produce, fresh spices and more vegetables. Getty Images

Tanvi Gulati enjoys cooking many of the local dishes she grew up eating in the northern Indian state of Punjab. Her favourite breakfast remains a wholesome paratha with yoghurt or lassi; and she also cooks with seasonal produce to make sarson da saag (mustard greens) and makki di roti (maize flatbread) in the winter.

“Making fresh butter and ghee at home is another traditional habit which I continue,” says the dietitian and nutritionist, who lives in the city of Khanna in Punjab. Like Gulati, many Indians prefer cooking fresh food daily, using seasonal produce, and making ingredients such as yoghurt, cottage cheese and freshly ground spice mixes at home. It is these habits, along with the combination of plant-based foods, climate-resilient crops and sustainable agricultural practices, which have contributed to the Indian diet being highlighted as the most sustainable among major economies in the World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Report 2024.

As per the report, Argentina, Australia and the US had the least sustainable food practices, and if their consumption patterns were followed globally, about one to seven Earths would be needed for this increased demand. But if other countries adopted India's food consumption patterns, the world would need less than one Earth (0.84) by 2050 to support food production.

So what makes the Indian diet so future-favourable?

‘Seasonal produce is important to us’

“Traditional Indian cuisine, which is mostly plant-based with its focus on cereals, legumes and vegetables, is a healthy diet that reduces the impact on the environment,” says Dr Alok Chopra, cardiologist and founder of Delhi’s Aashlok Hospital. “Seasonal produce is important to us and much of the food we consume is locally grown, reducing energy in transportation, packaging and processing.”

It is also a diverse diet, with varied options for dietary preferences and health conditions. For instance, Dr Chopra highlights flours made from locally grown ingredients such as banana peel and jackfruit that he also recommends to diabetic patients.

‘Whole meal over one food’

Bisi bele bhat from Karnataka is a lentil and rice combination with split pigeon beans, curry leaves, tamarind, asafetida and nutmeg. Photo: Kishi Arora

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian holistic medicine system, emphasises local, seasonal and nutritionally balanced meals that are suited to individual constitutions. “In Ayurveda, the food you have eaten in the first 15 to 18 years of your life is favourable for you; these are also known as foods that are ‘favourable by habit’,” says Ayurvedic doctor Rekha Radhamony, who lives between Dubai and India.

It emphasises variety and a mindful and holistic approach to eating. “For example, even if you eat all the superfoods in the world, if you cannot digest and absorb them, they cannot benefit you. Ayurveda is about the whole meal rather than any one food,” she explains.

‘A resource-efficient diet’

Cooking with the entire ingredient, which in turn minimises food waste, is also common. “For instance, every part of a vegetable, including stems and leaves, is often used, which makes the diet more resource-efficient,” says Sandeep Ail, executive chef at Abu Dhabi's decade-old Punjab Grill restaurant, which recently relocated from Venetian Village to the Ritz-Carlton Grand Canal. “Education is the key to sustainability. We use our menu as a platform to share the stories behind dishes and ingredients, explaining the significance of seasonal choices, traditional cooking methods and the cultural context.”

‘Meat not typically consumed at every meal’

Even biryani combines meat with vegetables, rice and spices. Getty Images / iStockphoto

The environmental impact of eating meat includes deforestation for livestock grazing, greenhouse gas emissions and excessive water usage. Gulati highlights how meat in Indian diets is usually eaten as a few small pieces of chicken, fish or mutton, alongside a plant-based meal such as dal (lentils), vegetables, rice and rotis. “This reduces the environmental impact compared to diets where large portions of meat are the main focus,” she says.

Meat is also not typically consumed at every meal, and it is common for non-vegetarians in India to eat only vegetarian food on certain days of the week for religious, cultural or health reasons.

“Cuts of meat that are often overlooked in other cuisines, like offal, are commonly used in Indian dishes as paya or trotter soup and brain fry. By making use of the whole animal, there’s less waste,” says chef Ail. Meat is also often used to infuse flavour rather than being the sole ingredient, he adds, as in a biryani or meat curry, where the pieces of meat are part of a larger mix of rice, spices and vegetables, reducing the overall needs for large quantities of meat per person.

‘We have replaced rice and wheat with millets’

Indian chefs are using millets in creative ways, such as this dish with barnyard millets by food studio Aragma. Photo: Poornima Somayaji / Aragama

There has also been an emphasis on promoting traditional foods in India, from ancient grains to nutrient-dense seeds, providing local choices and alternatives to imported superfoods such as quinoa and chia. The WWF report praised India’s National Millet Campaign which encourages consumption of these local climate-resilient grains that can survive even in inhospitable conditions.

While many urban Indians enjoy imported global superfoods, there is growing awareness of local alternatives. Gulati advises her clients to incorporate local superfood options as a foundation to their diet, while enjoying imported variants in moderation. “Instead of quinoa, millets like bajra or ragi provide high protein and fibre. Chia seeds can be swapped with sabja or basil seeds, which offer similar benefits.”

Chef Ail incorporates several traditional Indian superfoods and plant-based proteins into his menus, offering millet khichdi with foxtail or little millets; sattu parathas, made from roasted black chickpea flour; and jackfruit biryani.

Suresh Kumar runs a millet-specific restaurant called Millet Magic in Chennai with his wife, Adhieswari. The couple did not want to change the food habits of their customers, who are used to consuming idli and other regional dishes daily. Instead, they devised a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu with a twist.

“We have replaced rice and wheat with millets and made some dishes that are more contemporary and modern for the youth,” says Kumar. “If you come as a family, we have a product for each age group, from infants to senior citizens.” Millet Maagic has also hired a baking consultant who makes millet cookies, pizzas, brownies and cakes.

This is not to say that everyone can – or should – eat an Indian diet. However, there are replicable aspects. Chef Ail suggests trying meat as an accent rather than the centre piece of a meal, which can reduce the demand for resource-intensive production. “Eating seasonally, avoiding packaged foods and supporting restaurants that source locally are other ways to make food consumption more sustainable, whether at home or dining out,” he says.

Gulati suggests simple changes such as eating some plant-based meals every week to lower one’s environmental footprint. She has introduced some of her non-Indian clients to dishes such as khichdi, dal and lentil-based soups, which are nutritious and easy to prepare. She also encourages fasting once a week, health-permitting, in order to support mindful eating. “Small steps like these can make a big difference in sustainability.”