What is the Climatarian Diet?
Did you know that there is a new diet that can help reduce your carbon dioxide levels by 1.5 tons per year? You may have heard of the pescatarian diet; Now it’s time to meet the Climatarian Diet. This diet is designed to be healthier and combat climate change by reducing CO2 by 1.5 tonnes per person per year.
As you know, the food industry accounts for 20-30% of all global carbon emissions. Animal-based foods, especially beef, contribute to higher emissions compared to plant-based foods. Accordingly, the Climatarian Diet focuses on plant-based and locally sourced products.
The Climatarian Diet not only helps the planet, it also contributes positively to human health. Highly processed meat; It is linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal disorders and some cancers. The Climatarian Diet, which focuses on plant-based foods, has been observed to improve general and mental health while reducing the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, autoimmune diseases and obesity.
You can start the Climatarian Diet by following some simple tips. For example, you can add plant-based foods to every meal, switch breakfast to 100% plant-based, or choose to eat plant-based on the weekends. You can also try reducing the amount of processed and packaged foods on your table to reduce your carbon footprint in terms of transportation. To prevent food waste, you can buy only what you need and fill your freezer with leftovers from uncooked foods to support a healthy diet when you don’t want to cook.
What are climatarian foods?
-Lentils and beans: These foods are highly nutritious, and replacing beef with lentils and beans is a good start for those looking to adopt a more sustainable diet.
-Local and seasonal fruits and vegetables: These foods have a particularly low carbon footprint. Buying local and seasonal; It reduces processing, packaging, transportation processes and food spoilage.
-Foods such as peanuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds and pumpkin seeds: These foods are also a great source of protein with a lower carbon footprint.
-Chicken: Meat production, especially beef, requires more land and water use and has higher carbon emissions. Replacing beef with chicken can cut your carbon footprint by nearly half.
Consume less meat
Cutting out meat just one day a week will save around 175kg of CO2e per year. If you’re a family of three, that’s more than half a tonne a year.
Buy and store food carefully
About one-third of all food is wasted, some before it reaches the grocery store and most after we take it home. So there’s half a ton more emissions that could be saved by preventing food waste.
But the waste of some foods cannot be prevented. These include things like fruit and vegetable peels, tea bags and coffee. However, the majority of household food waste consists of edible food that exceeds requirements or is left to rot.
To avoid food waste, you should shop carefully. You can create a shopping list and menu and shop by dividing them into meals. If you buy short-lived foods in small quantities to avoid waste and compost the leftovers, you’ll further reduce emissions.
Consume in season
Food consumed in season is healthy, fresh, nutritious and also supports local producers. It eliminates long distances, air transportation, and the carbon burden of heated greenhouses.
Grow it yourself if possible
If you have a suitable space, or even a windowsill, the luxury of growing your produce gives you the opportunity to grow the freshest, local food possible. Growing basil, rosemary or thyme in a pot, for example, can save significant amounts of unnecessary packaging, storage and shipping emissions.
Do not choose packaged foods
The energy and resources used to produce food packaging result in CO2e emissions. As these biodegradable packaging rots in landfill, high amounts of methane gas are released. For example, the skins of fruits are their natural packaging, so you can buy these fruits from the grocery store and put them in your cloth bag.
