5 THINGS TO EAT MORE OF:

MUSSELS

These shellfish can be grown on ropes, causing minimal damage to the marine ecosystem. But they can also absorb carbon from the environment to grow their shells. What’s more, being filter feeders they require no feed input whatsoever. They’re full of fatty acids and vitamins too.

LEGUMES

Compared to other protein sources, legumes – beans, peas and lentils – require little water or fertiliser, and their carbon footprint is low. These plants even ‘ fix’ nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil, converting it into ammonia that other plants need to grow.

TILAPIA

These freshwater fish can be grown in closed tank systems, avoiding the water pollution usually associated with fish farms. As they are not carnivores like many commercial fish species, they don’t need to be fed fishmeal, which means their diet doesn’t deplete wild fish stocks.

SOFT CHEESE

Cheese generates the most greenhouse gases after red meat, which is something that non-vegan vegetarians ought to bear in mind. However, if you must eat it, opt for the softer varieties as they contain less milk, and tend to require less energy during the production phase.

LOCAL, SEASONAL FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Yes it can be somewhat limiting, but around 10 per cent of any food item’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from its ‘ food miles’. You can limit those emissions if you buy produce that was grown across the street, not across the ocean.