RETHINK YOUR MENU

Seven words to change your life: 

Eat food,  

not too much,  

mostly plants. 

-as summed up by Author Michael Pollan in his In Defence of Food. 

EAT FOOD

By “Food” we’re talking about what your grandparents would recognise as food. Unpackaged, cooking from real ingredients. Make it local for the win, more on that below.

If you’re buying real ingredients, chances are they don’t need to be plastic wrapped either. Most plastics are made from fossil fuels. Grocery packaging in Scotland is about 130kg/household = the CO2e of 650,000t = 4 million car journeys from London to Aberdeen (Zero Waste Scotland).

NOT TOO MUCH

If food waste were a country, it would have the third largest carbon emissions globally. In the UK, if we used all of our food rather than throwing it away, we could save an estimated 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. (Lovefoodhatewaste). At Lil, we think this is so critical we’ve devoted it a space all of its own (link to food waste)

Reducing portion sizes is also good for the planet, for your health, and energy levels too (no more food comas).

MOSTLY PLANTS

As for “mostly plants” – we know some of our Lil crew are plant based, and some are omnivores. We have room for everyone. Pollan’s “mostly plants” has meat as a side, or - another of our fave catchphrases- “meat as a treat”.

For our omnivores, how many meat-free meals or days can you do in a week?

How often can you skip meat and enjoy a plant based meal? Work up to 4 days a week if you can but start where you are.

Tips

·         Find someone plant based who inspires you in the kitchen. I love the Bosh Brothers and Deliciously Ella for great recipes that have appeased the carnivores in my house!

·         Discover 5 plant based, make from scratch dinner recipes that you enjoy. Remember processed food, plant based or otherwise, is still processed food – not great for you or the environment when you consider the ingredients and often the packaging too.

·         Visit your local farmers market or independent grocer and marvel at the beautiful fresh fruit and veg. Ask where it was grown. Choose something you haven’t tried before.

·         For the meat you do eat, seek out local producers who apply conservation based or regenerative farm practices i.e. they restore soil and habitats as they farm and provide locally grown feed to their animals. Shop Organic if you can.

·         Check out Wilding for some insight into what can be done in the UK whilst still producing food.

Wherever you are starting from, reducing the meat and animal based foods in your weekly diet could help cut your carbon footprint. It also massively links to another of our favourite diet tips, which is to:

BUY LOCAL

Producing the food we eat accounts for over 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This carbon pollution mostly comes from the deforestation needed to grow food to feed livestock, although the process of producing meat has its own impact, too. Producing one joint of beef could account for 85kg of carbon pollution - the same as flying from London to Paris. BUT not all meat is produced equally.

The carbon footprint of a kilo of British beef has been estimated at around 17.12kg CO2e compared to a global average of 46kg CO2e per kilo[i]

Don’t choose the bargain imports, go for sustainably, locally farmed meat that has been largely fed on local grass – an important carbon sink. It tastes better too!

Using that grass carbon sink as feed also means there is less livestock-induced deforestation in other parts of the world, reducing flood risk and contamination of rivers in places all over the world. So eating less meat doesn’t just make you healthier, it helps protect wild places too.[LH1] [LH2] 

A diet with less meat doesn’t have to be dull. Find local greengrocers to discover more interesting, local produce or use delivery boxes to get fresh vegetables straight to your door.

Buying local and knowing where your food has come from – even as plants – is so important. Apples shipped in from anywhere in autumn are a crime! A local veg box is a great way to get to know what’s in season, and Phantassie Organic Produce often include recipe ideas or have a fantastic seasonal produce poster with meal suggestions too. Which leads us nicely on to…

EAT SEASONAL

Eat food produced at its natural time of the year (local to you!).

Powering hothouses and flying food around the world uses a lot of energy. Eating food produced during its natural season can reduce your household’s carbon pollution and result in tastier, healthier and cheaper meals. By eating seasonally you can reduce your carbon pollution by as much as one tonne each year.

There are other benefits too. Locally sourced seasonal food often has more flavour than food that has been picked early, stored and transported across great distances. Being left on the plant for longer means fruit and vegetables can absorb more nutrients, making them even healthier.

This also goes for flowers! Did you know a flower grown in natural conditions in Africa and shipped to the UK has a lower carbon footprint than those in Amsterdam? Even better, grow your own or buy from local flower farmers (East Lothian Flower Farm delivers to Lil every Friday in season.)

[i] 38. Change in the air: the English beef and sheep production roadmap, phase 1, AHDB, 2010

39. Tackling climate change through livestock: a global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, 2013, both extracted from Mythbusters NFU https://www.nfuonline.com/nfu-online/sectors/dairy/mythbuster-final/