Food
Try out a plant-based diet
If you’re looking to take a healthy bite out of your environmental impact, this is a big one. By choosing more meat-free and dairy-free meals each week for the next two months, you’ll really be doing something good for the planet - not to mention all those animals...
What’s more, cutting down on certain foods - like cheese and meat - could also help keep your heart ticking healthily.
And you’ll be in good company! Veganism has seen huge growth over the last few years, with a number of high-profile names, including celebrities, politicians and sportspeople making the switch.1
Cows burp. A lot. And pigs eat. A lot.
As the human population starts to eat more and more meat and dairy, we’re putting increasing pressure on our land, water, and climate.
The food we eat has a big impact on the climate - making up a whopping 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with animal products responsible for well over half of those emissions.2 This is mostly a result of increasing deforestation (largely to make space for growing food to feed the livestock), and the methane gas emitted from belching cows.
But what about all the soya that vegetarians eat? Doesn’t that drive deforestation too? Well, yes, soybean plantations are a big driver of deforestation - but a vegetarian eats far fewer soybeans than a cow or a chicken does. In fact, 80% of the world’s soybean crop is fed to livestock.3
If you can stretch your memory back to classes about the food chain, you may remember that for each step in the food chain, energy is lost. In other words, getting your energy directly from the source - plants - is far more efficient than getting it via animals. Just as this chart shows.
So as you can see, cutting back on meat and dairy could have a really big impact on your carbon footprint. And in doing so, you’ll save money to allow you to buy higher welfare animal products when you do have a meaty treat, which are more likely to be grass fed and therefore have a lower footprint than their intensively farmed counterparts.
Our favourite quote from food writer Micheal Pollan sums it up nicely:
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Going vegan for a few meals a week isn’t tricky. All it takes is a few starter recipes and you’ll be well on your way. Here are some tips for making the transition, and here’s a handy guide to eating a diet that’ll keep you - and the planet - in tip top condition.
The Vegan Society have a good range of recipes that will get you started. Give their moussaka a try and let us know how it goes? Veganuary have also curated a great selection of vegan recipes from around the world. Yotam Ottolenghi's amazing cookbooks are among our favourites when it comes to vegetarian and vegan recipes - particularly his new Simple collection. If you’re looking for the ultimate list of vegan cookbooks, look no further.
Eating out doesn't have to pose a challenge - check out all the restaurants offering vegan-friendly menus
To make the transition that bit easier, why not have your fresh veg delivered to your doorstep? Veg box schemes like Riverford, Abel & Cole or Farmdrop (and many more) provide irresistible hampers full of delicious vegetables, which you can easily tailor to meet your household needs.