Meat vs Vegetarian
We’re constantly told that a plant based diet is probably the best for the planet, but what if you’re struggling to make the change?
- Choose chicken or turkey instead of beef, lamb and pork which have a higher carbon footprint.
- Alternatives such as tofu and Quorn products are easy to incorporate in dishes and can be flavoured and seasoned just like meat.
- Reduce the number of times you eat meat in a week to just 2-3 rather than cutting it out completely, and be veggie or vegan on the other days.
There are plenty of recipes on here that are made with meat and are veggie/vegan to help you make that decision.
Shopping
Being sustainable with your shopping has never been easier. Here are a few tips I’ve found that are very helpful for reducing your carbon foodprint and footprint.
- Look for produce that is locally sourced. Going to farmers markets is the easiest way and also lets you do your bit to support local businesses.
- The idea of ‘zero waste’ shopping is popping up more too. Here, shops will let you take you own containers and pay for whatever the weight of your food. This reduces waste of packaging and excess food as it’s tailored to your needs.
- Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Tesco will soon let customers use their own reusable containers for certain products bought over the counter, such as meat and fish.
If you’re struggling to find a zero waste store near you, try this website: https://thezerowaster.com/zero-waste-near-you/
Eating Out
We all like to eat out some times and treat ourselves, but what’s the best way we can do this without harming our carbon foodprint?
- Go to a restaurant that’s started to reduce portions in an attempt to tackle food wastage.
- Find places that have a ‘zero mile’ food policy. This implies that they use either perfectly good food destined for the bin, or locally sourced produce.
- Try and go for dishes that don’t contain foods with a high carbon footprint. This includes ingredients such as beef, lamb or pork.
If you’re struggling to find a new place to eat, give a ‘zero mile’ restaurant a go!
Fruit and Vegetables
Buying loose produce from the supermarket is better than getting food that’s been unnecessarily covered in huge amounts of plastic. It’s even better if they offer you a paper bag to put the food in!
You can also grow your own fruit and veg – it might seem daunting but there’s plenty of food that’s low maintenance so you can ease yourself in.
- Herbs such as coriander can be grown in small pots on the kitchen windowsill.
- Fruit to grow: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, tomatoes.
- Vegetables to grow: courgettes, onions.
The best thing about growing your own fruit and veg is that it has zero food miles and is completely organic. It can be used in cooking straightaway, and any surplus could be given to friends and family to help them reduce their carbon foodprint.
Freezing Food
Sometimes it’s hard to eat all your food in time before it starts going off – we’ve all been there! If this happens, simply put it in the freezer and reduce the amount of waste you produce. Most foods can be frozen and kept for up to 2 months. It’s certainly a lot cheaper than buying fresh versions of the food and tastes just fine.
- Fruit can be chopped and frozen e.g. bananas for a smoothie, tomatoes for a pasta sauce.
- Vegetables like onions, can be sliced and frozen and then used in cooking e.g. for a curry.
- Bread is easy to freeze and defrost. Simply place in the toaster for a couple of minutes and you’re good to go.
Reusable Items
Single use items are notoriously bad for the environment, but there’s loads of alternatives to common household products that you can invest in and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Bag for Life – take a reusable bag or rucksack when you go shopping instead of buying plastic carrier bags. Carrier bags are single use and take hundreds of years to decompose.
- If you use sandwich plastic bags to keep your lunch in, try this! https://keepleaf.com/collections/food-wrap They’re sold on loads of different websites so wherever you’re based, you can get your hands on one.
- Jam jars or any other glass jars are perfect to keep spices, pasta or lentils in. Simply wash them clean after using and store your own food in it.
*Top tip: buy spices in large quantities from the ethnic aisles of supermarkets and store them in these jars. - Bread packaging can be used once the bread has finished to store other food in and placed in the freezer.
Carbon Foodprints 