What is most important to you when it comes to food – price, healthiness, taste, origin, environment…? Why?

I cannot say that I make decisions based specifically on just one factor or another, but rather on the overall impact a particular choice has on myself, other people, animals, and the environment. Fortunately for me, the best choices for health are usually also the best choices for nature and animals. My diet centers on fruits and vegetables, legumes, grain products, berries, nuts and seeds, mushrooms and algae, and products made from them. For years now, I have not supported the meat, dairy, egg, or alcohol industries with my choices. When possible, I prefer cheaper or local options among similar products, and I often find something from the “rescue shelf” that I immediately use or freeze. I am also a big gardening enthusiast and grow as much of my own food as possible, which I then preserve and freeze.

Of course, taste is largely a prerequisite for food choices, but due to my education as a nutritionist, I am also well aware of how taste buds and preferences change, and I often base my choices on the impact they have on my own and my loved ones’ health. Still, I also eat fast food, chips, ice cream, and other treats, but 90% of my diet consists of minimally processed, healthy plant-based food.

What have you gained by thinking your food choices through so thoroughly?

I have gained better health and, perhaps surprisingly, also financial savings. While for many people a plant-based diet may seem restrictive, in reality my menu has become richer, and I have realized that such prejudice is actually based on a very one-sided diet that feels empty without meat and dairy products. What I value most, however, is peace of mind, because I know that my behavior aligns with my love for nature and animals. Planning also helps prevent food waste – I cannot remember the last time food spoiled in my home; the bio-waste bin is mostly filled with pumpkin, potato, and mandarin peels.

I have also noticed that well-thought-out food choices have made me a more conscious consumer in general – I ask more questions, look for background information, and make more informed decisions in other areas of life as well.

Many people take the “path of least resistance” when cooking daily (eating ready-made foods, ordering food to their homes, consuming semi-prepared products) because there simply isn’t time to cook healthy meals from scratch every evening. How do you find the time and attention for sustainable choices?

I don’t cook from scratch every evening either. However, I am used to preparing a bit more food at once so that I can quickly manage by reheating on the following days or easily make something slightly different from what already exists. Potatoes boiled one day can become potato salad, casserole, or soup the next day. Frozen vegetables and canned beans or soup bases preserved in jars in autumn are affordable, healthy, and quick to turn into meals. A small time investment to learn a few new environmentally friendly and healthy recipes saves a huge amount of time (and money!) later, both on cooking and doctor visits. I have a range of 15–20 minute recipes that I often use and slightly modify. Generally, preparing dinner on weekdays does not take more than 30 minutes.

And finally – I have accepted that sometimes it is okay to order or buy ready-made food. The important thing is to make these choices rather rarely and then consciously choose healthier and more environmentally friendly options.

In our food culture, there tends to be a widespread belief that a meal without meat is incomplete. How have you broken through this attitude?

I was certainly one of those people myself, having grown up in a completely ordinary omnivorous family and preferring meat over candy. At the same time, I always considered myself a big nature and animal lover without thinking about the actual impact my (food) choices had on them. When I changed my diet years ago, I had to put in quite a bit of effort, because good plant-based food was not easy to find in public places, and vegan sections in stores were at least half as long. Today, almost everyone probably knows someone who eats a plant-based diet and is very likely an inexhaustible source of information and guidance. Self-respecting eateries offer at least one plant-based dish, and there are at least eight vegan restaurants in Tallinn.

Knowledge about the health benefits of plant-based food and the risks associated with meat consumption has undoubtedly helped me as well. The WHO already added red and processed meat to the list of carcinogens in 2015, with the latter in the same category as tobacco – causing colorectal cancer. Long-term epidemiological studies show that vegetarians have lower rates of the most common chronic lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.

My biggest “discovery” was legumes and products made from them, which can essentially be used in almost any dish in one way or another instead of meat. The result is an equally nourishing but healthier meal.

Where would you recommend starting to make one’s diet healthier and more environmentally sustainable?

My recommendation would be to start with actions that have the greatest impact.

First – since half of Estonia’s population is overweight, eat less and lighter food. More vegetables, less fatty meat and dairy products. Half of the plate should be covered with cooked or fresh vegetables, a quarter with starchy foods (potatoes, grains), and a quarter with protein-rich food (legumes, meat alternatives, fish, chicken).

Second – choose plant-based dishes at the university cafeteria or restaurant whenever possible. Visit vegan restaurants to get truly good plant-based food, try a new recipe, and test products from the vegan section.

Third – think about what impact you would like your food choices to have on yourself and your surroundings, and explore which choices align best with those wishes.