Research Report

How can you make your meals greener?

Don't overlook the foods you eat when it comes to going green.
1. Eat seasonal. ...
2. Buy local. ...
3. Use organic ingredients. ...
4. Choose free-range, hormone-free, and organic animal products. ...
5. Be selective about seafood. ...
6. Go vegetarian — or even "vegan." ...
7. Look for "Fair Trade" on the label. ...
8. Avoid the extra packaging.

Sub question 1: Describe the meals each group member eats on a regular day.
Answer:
Uma: I usually have quite a few variations for my meals. My breakfast includes:
Parathas (an Indian bread) , Coffee and a Banana. Later in the day, I eat rice, dal
(an Indian lentil) and sometimes vegetables. For dinner, I eat Roti (an Indian bread),
and dry vegetables along with some curry.
Sahitya: For breakfast, I normally have Indian food like Idli. Later, during lunch I
usually eat rice or chapatti (an Indian bread) with some curry. I don’t have snacks but
when I feel hungry, I munch on some junk food like cookies and biscuits. For dinner,
I have rice with curries.
Devanshi: I start my day with scrambled eggs and hot chocolate. Later for lunch, I
usually eat roasted chicken or fried fish along with some rice. For snacks, I
sometimes eat samosas (traditional Indian snack) or other possible light foods,
depending on how I feel. Dinner usually consists of paneer vegetable (cottage
cheese with gravy and boiled veggies).
Atharva: For breakfast, I eat bread and jam with a cup of tea. For brunch, I eat bred
sticks with mayonnaise. For lunch (which I sometimes skip), I usually eat tiger
prawns with naan (an Indian bread). Dinner usually comprises of dal, rice and
vegetables with curry.
Aryan: I eat mashed potatoes for breakfast along with bread and a glass of milk. For
lunch, I normally eat roasted beef with creamy spinach accompanied by mushrooms.
Dinner includes steak with gravy.
Sub question 2: Explain how your food contributes to the emission of Co22. What

factors should be taken into account to calculate this emission?

Answer:

Food’s carbon footprint, or ‘foodprint’, is the greenhouse gas emissions produced by

growing, rearing, farming, processing, transporting, storing, cooking and disposing of the

food you eat. In the US, each household produces 48 tons of greenhouse gases. Transport,

housing and food have the three largest carbon footprints. Food produces about 8 tons of

emissions per household, or about 17% of the total, worldwide.

Changing the foods that you eat can have a big impact on your carbon footprint. And reduce

pollution, preserve the environment and slow global warming. Many of these changes will

also save you money, improve your health and even keep you fit!

The following table shows the greenhouse gas emissions produced by one kilo of
each food. It includes all the emissions produced on the farm, in the factory, on the
road, in the shop and in your home. It also shows how many miles you need to drive
to produce that many greenhouse gases. For example, you need to drive 63 miles to
produce the same emissions as eating one kilogram of beef.
Meat, cheese and eggs have the highest carbon footprint. Fruit, vegetables, beans
and nuts have much lower carbon footprints. If you move towards a mainly
vegetarian diet, you can have a large impact on your personal carbon footprint.

Rank Food CO2 Kilos

Equivalent

1 Lamb 39.2

2 Beef 27.0

3 Cheese 13.5

4 Pork 12.1

5 Turkey 10.9

6 Chicken 6.9
 7 Tuna 6.1

8 Eggs 4.8

9 Potatoes 2.9

10 Rice 2.7

11 Nuts 2.3

12 Beans/tofu 2.0

13 Vegetables 2.0

14 Milk 1.9

15 Fruit 1.1

16 Lentils 0.9

Reduce your carbon footprint by:

1. Eat vegetarian

The carbon footprint of a vegetarian diet is about half that of a meat-lover’s diet.

2. Bring back home-cooking

Take control of the food you eat and base your meals on natural foods such as
vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, beans and lentils with a little meat and fish

3. Cooking smartly

Eat more raw foods that do not need cooking, use the stove-top whenever possible
and next best is the microwave as it uses 50% less energy than an oven

4. Eat Organic

Organic farming methods for both crops and animals have a much lower impact on
the environment than conventional methods.
5. Save water

By moving towards a vegetarian diet, which requires about half the water to produce
than a meat-based diet.

6. Shop wisely

Think before you buy! Do you actually need this? Can you find a better, greener
alternative?

7. Shop local

Think about where you do your shopping. Do you drive to the local shop when you
need something – why not walk? Does your supermarket support green initiatives
and offer local, organic foods? Is there a nearby farmer’s market or co-op you can
use? And think about where food comes from – if it is from the other side of the
world, it will have a high transportation footprint.

8. Reuse and recycle

Think creatively about how you can reuse and recycle. Glass jars and plastic
containers make great storage options. And when you can’t reuse, make sure you
recycle whatever you can.

9. Grow your own food

A great way to save money, get fit and reduce your carbon footprint is to grow your
own fruit and vegetables. If you have a garden or backyard, then it is a fun way to
make sure your family has access to affordable, healthy, pesticide-free food. And
even if you live in an apartment, what about using your balcony or even the
communal outside areas?
Sub question 3: How much do our meals contribute to global warming?
Answer:
Every action has a cost. That’s as true for driving a car as it is for growing food and
delivering it to your dinner plate. A team of researchers has just tallied the costs of
producing meat versus other types of foods for human diners. They find that meat
production — from farm to fork — releases more climate-warming pollution that does
producing fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. A lot more.

Their calculations suggest that people could do a lot to slow global warming if they
limited how much meat they eat.

Here are some day to day foods, with how much they contribute to global warming:

Pancakes: 1277

Omelette (with meat and cheese): 1573

Scrambled eggs: 505

Waffles with syrup: 827  The numbers describe the amount of

greenhouse gases emitted
Cheese burrito: 2257 throughout the food item’s entire life
cycle- including the materials, such as
Cheese steak: 3228 fertiliser, that went into growing it,
and the energy that went into
Roast beef sandwich: 2839 transporting, processing and cooking
it.
Beef stir fry: 2629

Cheeseburger: 2826

Salmon: 1203

Indian feast: 5370

Milk chocolate bar: 877

Sub question 4: Devise meals for one day that are greener than your average meals.

Answer:

Breakfast: 318 calories: 1 serving of a strawberry-banana green smoothie.

AM Snack: 240 calories: 1 serving of spiced chickpea nuts and a 2 inch cube of
cheddar cheese.

Lunch: 375 calories: 1 serving of the Mediterranean tuna-spinach salad.

PM Snack: 295 calories: 1 medium apple and 26 unsalted roasted almonds.

Dinner: 473 calories: 1 serving of roast chicken with parmesan-herb sauce.

Sub question 5: Negotiate with the family members and serve those meals for at
least one day.

 Did you encounter any problems? Did the family members enjoy the food?
 Was eating greener cheaper or more expensive? Explain.

Answer:

The greener meals were served in the family on 9th December, Sunday. During the
course of the meal, no problems had arisen. In the beginning, there were a few
doubtful looks. However, as I sat and explained the reason for this change in eating
habits, they began to agree with me about the benefits of eating greener meals. The
food tasted delicious, and everyone seemed happy by the result.

Eating greener was slightly more expensive than eating regular food, as its difficult to
find organic food. Organic food is expensive as it takes a lot of labour behind each
pack of grains, and there are no preservatives added.
Sub question 6: Interview.

Interviewee: Dr. Amit Butola

Profession: Physician with the Indian Armed Forces
Q1. What does a green meal for a typical Indian consist of?
Ans. Traditional Indian food as we eat a lot of vegetables and pulses, not a lot of pre-
processed food. Meat, dairy products and bakery products were not packed, traditionally. Due
to urbanization and commercialization, these foods are now processed and packed. Also,
traditionally most of our vegetables and fruits were grown at home. Thus, traditional Indian
food is a typical green meal.
Q2. Are green meals becoming a trend these days?
Ans. No. Commonly, we are moving away from green meal but those who are aware about it
are constantly making an effort. Due to lack of presence of organic food in small towns and
villages and their high prices, those who want to have a green meal are not able to.
Q3. Do you think the Indian armed forces are consciously making efforts for greener meals?
Ans. Partially. They are consciously making efforts for healthier meals, more vegetables and
minimally processed food. As our armed forces are placed throughout the country, even in
small towns and cities, getting organic food everywhere is not possible.
Q4. Could any changes be implemented in today’s lifestyle for a greener meal?
Ans. Yes. Firstly, awareness needs to be spread. Secondly, changes for a greener meal should
take place during the childhood as a person’s eating habits form during his/her childhood. It
is more likely that they will stick to it lifelong. E.g.: If you let a kid have a parantha (a type of
Indian bread which contains approximately 263 calories per serving) regularly throughout
their childhood, it will be tougher for them to stop eating parantha when they grow up
compared to a person who didn’t have paranthas regularly through their childhood. Lastly, it
is never too late to stop. Even adults can make changes in their diets for greener meals.

Q5. Have discussions and research in your field started focusing on greener meals?
Ans. Yes, but there is no such term as ‘green meal’. If it is used in the field of medicine, I am
not aware.

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