5 THINGS TO EAT LESS OF:

SUGAR

The huge quantities of sugar produced around the world have a significant environmental impact. Sugar cane is one of the world’s thirstiest crops, and the conversion of sensitive habitats like Vietnam’s Mekong Delta into sugar monoculture has seriously harmed biodiversity.

TUNA

It’s possible to purchase ‘ethical’ tuna, but it’s difficult to navigate the various species and fishing methods in order to ensure it is sustainably sourced. Skipjack is good, bluefin is bad. Pole-and-line is good, long line is bad. Your best bet is probably to stick to safer options if you fancy some fish.

AVOCADOS

Since avocados have become synonymous with a hip, healthy lifestyle, it’s easy to forget that they are no friend to the planet. It takes around 272 litres of water to produce two or three avocados, and many of them are being grown in the drought-stricken farms of California.

SOY

Linked with everything from groundwater contamination to deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, soy is high up in the rankings of worst foods for the environment. But it’s not the vegan munching on a soy burger who should feel bad – around 75 per cent of all soy is fed to livestock.

BEEF

While there are issues with farmed meat in general, beef is in a league of its own. One study estimated that beef requires 28 times as much land as the same amount of poultry and pork, as well as 11 times as much water and it produces five times as much greenhouse gases.