What we put on our plates affects our overall health, from our individual bodies to the planet as a whole. Christopher Wharton – director of the Food Systems Transformation Initiative (FSTI) – and other researchers from the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability are studying the long-term effects of our diets on happiness, sustainability and ethics.

One ongoing FSTI study is examining food and fulfillment, gauging the motivators and barriers of adopting and maintaining plant-based diets. Though results are not yet in, researchers expect a correlation with long-term happiness because of the knowledge that there are positive health, environmental and other sustainability benefits to adopting a strictly or primarily plant-based diet.

In a story by ASU Now, Wharton says the availability of farmer's markets and locally produced foods along with a variety of pre-washed fruits, vegetables and pre-prepped salads help reduce some of the barriers to integrating more plants into our diets. In addition to the health and environmental benefits, these consumer choices also support farmers and their livelihoods. Wharton notes that when it comes to issues of sustainability, one of the biggest impacts we can make is through our diet.