--- title: Dietary Guidelines: Some Healthy Foods May Be Unsustainable description: Figuring out what to eat can be tricky for those hoping to eat in a way that's sustainable for the environment canonical: https://time.com/4066290/dietary-guidelines-sustainability-foods/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-09T21:14:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:33.009Z article:section: Health og:title: Dietary Guidelines: Some Healthy Foods May Be Unsustainable og:description: Figuring out what to eat can be tricky for those hoping to eat in a way that's sustainable for the environment og:url: https://time.com/4066290/dietary-guidelines-sustainability-foods/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dietary Guidelines: Some Healthy Foods May Be Unsustainable twitter:description: Figuring out what to eat can be tricky for those hoping to eat in a way that's sustainable for the environment twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Why Some Healthy Foods Are Not Sustainable > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=497e1e8a-a2ea-4ff5-b39f-c51ec6db61a1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=497e1e8a-a2ea-4ff5-b39f-c51ec6db61a1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=497e1e8a-a2ea-4ff5-b39f-c51ec6db61a1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Should I Eat Salmon? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Salmon?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OIB4mfT2.m3u8) (1:55)  _Published 2015-08-26. This food from the sea is a no-brainer for all five of our experts._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Oct 9, 2015 9:14 PM UTC  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Oct 9, 2015 9:14 PM UTC For Americans interested in eating healthy, dietary guidelines—which are expected to be updated by December 2015—are one place to start. At more than 100 pages, the document provides details on everything from vegetarianism to health questions about alcohol consumption. For people who want to know what’s sustainable in addition to being healthy, however, things can get tricky. Some researchers pushed the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to include sustainability information in the 2015 update to the guideline, but the departments [declined on Tuesday](http://blogs.usda.gov/2015/10/06/2015-dietary-guidelines-giving-you-the-tools-you-need-to-make-healthy-choices/), saying the government food guidelines were not the “appropriate vehicle” for such a discussion. Sustainability advocates say it’s critical that more research be done into what foods are the most and least damaging to the environment. “Not only should you \[eat sustainably\] for dietary health reasons but for the heath of the planet,” said Kathleen Merrigan, executive director of the Sustainability Institute at George Washington University. “We may not have all the answers, but we certainly know we better be raising the questions.” Meat represents the ultimate in unsustainable food products. Meat goods for consumers, for instance, leave an enormous carbon footprint given the resources they require (water, land, food and fertilizer, to name a few). Producing one kilogram of beef results in the release of 27 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to an [estimate](http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/a-meat-eaters-guide-to-climate-change-health-what-you-eat-matters/climate-and-environmental-impacts/) from the Environmental Working Group. But in a separate [report](https://www.sciencemag.org/content/350/6257/165.short), published in the journal _Science_, Merrigan and her co-researchers suggest that consumers may want to consider reducing their intake of some healthy food products, like almonds, for instance, because of the enormous amount of water they take to produce. Farmers in California, which is currently experiencing an historic drought, produce about 80% of the world’s almonds using one gallon of water for a single almond. The statistic catches the eye easily and has been widely touted, but Merrigan notes that there’s more to the story. Almonds have often replaced even more water intensive crops like cotton and rice. “It’s not say we shouldn’t be eating almonds,” she said. “These are complicated issues. **Read More:** [Why Half of Edible Seafood Is Wasted](http://time.com/4046295/seafood-waste/) Like almonds, some fish falls into the same bucket: foods that undeniably belong in a healthy diet—but raise concerns in regards to sustainability, particularly in the long term, the researchers note. If, for instance, everyone in the U.S. followed the USDA guidelines that Americans increase their seafood consumption, the supply of some fish captured unsustainably could be threatened, the report in _Science_ notes. Further research being conducted in the Netherlands aims to assess which species in particular should be avoided. More research—and guidelines based upon it—are needed, say experts. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4066290/dietary-guidelines-sustainability-foods/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4066290/dietary-guidelines-sustainability-foods/"},"headline":"Why Some Healthy Foods Are Not Sustainable","datePublished":"2015-10-09T21:14:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:57:33.009Z","description":"Fish is among the healthy foods that may not be sustainable","url":"https://time.com/4066290/dietary-guidelines-sustainability-foods/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Environment"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4066290/dietary-guidelines-sustainability-foods/","name":"Why Some Healthy Foods Are Not Sustainable"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Eat Salmon?","description":"This food from the sea is a no-brainer for all five of our experts.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/OIB4mfT2/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-26T22:00:15.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OIB4mfT2.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4066290/dietary-guidelines-sustainability-foods/","duration":"PT1M55S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4066290/dietary-guidelines-sustainability-foods/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```