Cut the carbon

Cut the carbon

June 2023

Naini Setalvad is more than  happy to share ways in which  you can alter your diet to keep  the Earth greener 

 I started my nutrition practice in 2000  with the hope of spreading the lessons  I learnt from my health journey.  I wanted to give people sustainable  solutions to their health problems. 

In my early days of practice, I had a lot  of clients who came to me for a weight  loss plan and, after I guided them, they  successfully kept the weight off. In the  2010’s I was seeing a lot more clients who  came to regularise their blood param 

eters and retard diseases like diabetes,  hypertension, and hypothyroidism. In  recent years, I have been getting clients  with a different kind of health goal.

With the havoc created by climate change,  many individuals are making a conscious ef fort to live more sustainably. Besides making  appropriate lifestyle changes, they are also  looking for a diet that will help reduce their  carbon footprint. 

So, what is meant by ‘carbon footprint’? It is the  total amount of greenhouse gases (including  carbon dioxide and methane) that are generat ed by our actions. These greenhouse gases are  responsible for excessive heat getting trapped  in the earth’s atmosphere, resulting in climate  change. The food that we eat has an enormous  impact on our collective carbon footprint, with  estimates suggesting that a quarter of all global greenhouse emissions are linked to our ex isting consumption habits. 

I am completely on board with the initiative  taken by these altruistic individuals and am  more than happy to share with you the tips I  give them to reduce their carbon footprint.  

•  Skip the meat: We live in a crazy time,  where people who make food choices that  are healthy and compassionate are often  considered odd, while those whose food  choices promote diseases and environmen 

tal degradation are considered normal. Did  you know that lamb, beef, pork, and turkey  production are one of the major contribu tors to our carbon footprint? Overall, cut ting outanimal products can significantly  lower our carbon footprint.  

•  Lean on lentils: Are  you worried that with out meat and dairy  you won’t be able to  get enough protein  through the day?  Worry not! Lentils  and pulses are enough  to meet your daily requirements. In fact,  they have a much lower carbon emission  than animal products. They do not need  to be packaged in plastic, and that further  reduces their impact on our carbon foot print. 

•  Munch the millet: 

Our farmers have  been growing al ternative grains  and seed grains  like millet for  centuries. Millet  requires the least  amount of water  from all grains and  

is considered a superfood. What is more?  These nutrient-packed grains have a much  lower carbon footprint than the conven tional grains we are used to. No wonder  millets are being promoted robustly this  year! 

•  Eat local: One of the key aspects to re member is that it is not only the food that  matters but also the way the food reaches  you. A particular ingredient that is  brought to you by road from  a farm that is nearby as  opposed to one far away  will lower your carbon  footprint. An ingredient being flown in an  airplane as opposed to  reaching you by road will  increase your carbon foot print as the fuel burnt would  be more. Imported foods like  avocados have a larger impact on our car bon footprint. Due to their perishable na ture, a large amount of energy is required  to transport them. A simple solution to  this is to eat seasonal and local produce  that travels lesser distances. 

•  Quit cane sugar: Processed sugar is as bad  for the environment as it is for the body.  Sugarcane production itself is a major con tributor to greenhouse gases. If one must  need a sweetener, then dates and honey are  better alternatives. 

Avoid cane sugar 

•  Favour cook-easy options: Another sig nificant contributor to carbon emissions is  the way we cook. The longer you cook on  a stove, the more the fuel you burn and,  hence, the larger the carbon footprint.  Firstly, minimise reheating of food. Eat  

choose cook-easy options freshly cooked food whenever possible.  Soak grains and pulses before cooking,  to reduce cooking time. Avoid fried and  baked foods that require higher tempera tures for cooking. Additionally, eat season al vegetables that are tender and require  less time on the stove. The lesser the time  required in cooking, the more the nutri ents are preserved in the food. 

Avoid baked and fried foods 

•  Change gradually: Reducing one’s car bon footprint through one’s diet is a  personal choice. If you do opt for it, try  to make small changes daily instead of  making them all at once. Your mind and  body will take time to adapt. Making slow  and gradual changes has a better impact  in the future than a sudden change that  one will eventually give up on.  

Many drops collectively make an ocean.  Keeping this in mind, if each one of us  adopts a more carbon-neutral lifestyle, then  we will successfully save our planet for fu 

ture generations. 

Recipe  

MILLET DOSA 

Ingredients  

3 cups millet ( sama or vari) 1/2 cup tur dal (pigeon peas) 1 tbsp chana dal (split chickpeas) 1 tbsp methi (fenugreek) seeds 2 tbsp oil  

Method 

1. Soak the above ingredients overnight. 2. Grind them into a paste. 

3. The batter should be of pouring consistency  but not runny. 

4. Take a ladle of batter and spread it onto a  hot, greased pan. 

5. Add a few drops of oil.  

4. Roll it into a dosa once it’s crisp. 5. Enjoy hot with some green coconut chutney  and vegetable sambar. 

Naini Setalvad is a nutritionist, specialising in lifestyle and immunity disorders. Her foundation, Health For You, throws light  on healthy food habits. Contact her at healthforyou@nainisetalvad. com