The low carbon diet

This is exciting news...a diet that works AND saves the planet!!


Here are a few snippets from an article in the September 2008 issue of Today's Dietitian:


About 22% of GHG emissions in the United States come from the food sector, explains Marissa Cloutier, MS, RD, a biology and nutrition instructor at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. “The beef industry is the biggest contributor, with dairy running in second,” she says.

Bon Appétit Management Company, an on-site restaurant company that offers foodservice management to corporations and universities, is hoping to change consumers’ perception while curbing its own bad environmental habits. On Earth Day last year, the company launched a national campaign to not only reduce its own GHG emissions but also help its guests do the same.With 400 cafés nationwide, Bon Appétit is increasing the environmental awareness of both chefs and diners by creating its version of the low-carbon diet, which involves buying foods that have a lower environmental impact on our planet.

The main ideas of the diet:

Decrease beef consumption by 25%: first cut back on portions, then on the number of times consumed per week, then ease out such foods as much as possible while substituting other foods, such as chicken and poultry-switching to poultry is also a great way to reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease.

Buy seasonal and local: Examples of so-called high-carbon foods are out-of-season perishable food items, such as berries in winter or “fresh” fish. “Also, avoid produce grown in hothouses during winter (unless the hothouses are powered by renewable energy). This practice is extremely carbon intensive. The easiest way to tell where foods are coming from is to buy directly from the source: local farmers. And farmers’ markets could be the easiest recommendation for consumers looking to eat for a healthier planet. Subscribing to a community-supported agriculture (CSA) produce box, if it’s available in your area, is another way to enjoy fresh produce that’s in season.

Decrease food waste: Try to buy items without a lot of packaging. Buy only what you will eat and use and compost.

Use common sense: the more processed a food item, the more energy intensive. Go for foods with minimal ingredients and as close to the original as possible—that is, apples instead of apple fruit roll ups. Choosing to eat to sustain the environment includes many considerations. Focusing only on GHG in terms of environmental impact is like only focusing on vitamin C when it comes to nutrition.

Bon Appétit Management Company’s Low Carbon Diet Calculator is a fun and interactive Web-based tool that reveals the relative carbon impacts of specific foods and is based on best-available science. By dragging and dropping menu items, ingredients, or suggested meals onto the virtual skillet, users can see which of their food choices are contributing more to climate change. For more information, visit http://www.eatlowcarbon.org.

Reference:

September 2008 Issue
The Low-Carbon Diet: A Protection Plan for the PlanetBy Juliann SchaefferToday’s DietitianVol. 10 No. 9 P. 42