Transcriber: Jeremy Grover Reviewer: David DeRuwe
What comes in your mind when you hear the word “diet”?
Probably weight loss, healthy living, and etc.
Right?
Well, it’s always tied to weight loss and healthy living,
but I thought of it from a different perspective,
which made me a believer of Mr. Phil’s underrated statement:
“The future of our nation depends on our ability
to produce food to sustain the world.”
This made me realize that Granny was always right
when she kept on imposing plant-based diets on the table.
Well, meet my granny.
She always reminded me that I had to have
a healthy and fresh diet if I wanted to live a longer life.
Since I was blessed with a family
that had a big portion of farmland back home in Pakistan,
it was a must to eat fine fruits and veggies.
Otherwise Granny’s sermon about a healthy lifestyle
would go on and on till everyone disappears in front of her.
I mean, isn’t it just obvious that anyone would pick a fresh, juicy burger
over a plate of boiled broccoli?
Right? Oh, come on.
For those of us who were born and raised here in Dubai, this is just our lifestyle,
since Mom and Dad are both busy with work.
But wait ...
Do you believe that we need to think twice before it’s too late?
Well practically, Granny’s rule is so true and valuable,
especially now that the world is faced with uncertainties,
a pandemic that no one knows when and how will it stop.
This is for me to talk to you about sustainable diet in my own simple way.
And do you think that it’s the right time to shift our gears
to a sustainable diet before it’s too late?
Standing here in front of you, gazing around,
I can sense that you are doubting my seriousness.
Yes, as an 11-year-old Parameswaran, I may be young, wild, and free,
but I am serious with my battle to spread awareness
about sustainable diet across the globe.
This spark came from the fusion of my mentors,
the best granny in the world, and my fave science teacher.
Well, let's have a trip down memory lane.
My teacher once said that a healthy diet during childhood and adolescence
moderates the menace of nutrition-related health problems
and helps in protecting against chronic illnesses, diseases, and premature death.
Therefore, food choices can make a positive difference to people and nature
through improving personal health,
health of others, and health of our Mother Earth.
A crucial question is how to meet the increasing demand for food
and provide healthy diets for all the decades to come,
without undermining the Earth’s resources.
Yes, you heard right.
I know from facial expression that it’s quite difficult to implement,
I agree with you all, but I will not agree with you
to stop, sit back, and relax without doing anything.
I firmly believe that we, the new generations, are the hope of motherland.
We are the soon-to-be leaders of this world.
So I’m encouraging everyone here to take a big leap and cross the road.
and put into place sustainability.
But in extensive research on sustainability,
it made me curious to dig in more on sustainable diet and its impacts
on our health and well-being.
Since I started my diet plan a few weeks back,
I’ve noticed that it boosted my energy levels,
while making me more enthusiastic to catch up on my daily tasks,
and what was surprising is I was not even tired at the end of the day.
This just proves that adopting energy balanced and low-meat dietary patterns
led to an adequate nutrition supply and reduced environmental impact,
according to the “Lancet Planet Health Journal,”
which was published on October 2018.
So let me share with you research tips
that I considered in preparing a sustainable diet.
We need to look into the nutrition availability of food,
it’s relative cost, including biodiversity and ecosystem protection.
And finally, its general impact
on our health whilst keeping in mind production should be within the locality
to lessen the gas emissions of transporting goods
while considering the fruits and veggies grown based on season.
I know dietary changes are not as easy as they look,
but we can do it if we follow a step-by-step process
like reducing the intake of animal products.
One simple way is to use different initiatives on a daily basis,
such as meat-free Monday, leafy Tuesday,
colorful Wednesday, juicy Thursday,
Friday fruities, combo Saturday,
and fruit juice all-you-can Sunday.
As a student, I take responsibility to be a role model for everyone here
by consuming a sustainable diet.
It would be beneficial if we consumed plant-based diet
because vegan and vegetarian diets have the greatest reduction of land use,
greenhouse gas emissions, and use the least water.
So it’s not only us who are benefiting from a sustainable diet;
it’s our Mother Earth as well.
What are we waiting for?
Let’s all embrace a sustainable diet before it’s too late.
Life is uncertain nowadays.
If we love ourselves and our loved ones,
let it be a part of our daily lives.
The blueprint was unmasked,
If you plan to be active,
like my granny in her 80s, 90s, and maybe even 100s,
you better start creating and consuming a sustainable diet.
Together, we can make a difference.
Let’s make it happen.
A thriving future is in our hands.
Thank you.
(Applause)