Food swaps you can make to slash carbon footprint by 35% – including swapping cheeseburgers for chicken sandwiches, and crab for salmon

Whether it’s bringing a recyclable water bottle or making sure the lights are off, many of us are taking measures to try to reduce our carbon footprint.

Now, a study has revealed how simple food swaps can help reduce your footprint by a whopping 35%.

Although you might worry that these swaps will require a complete overhaul of your entire diet, experts from Stanford University and Tulane University stress that’s not the case.

“For us, the substitutions included swapping a beef burger for a turkey burger, not swapping steak for a tofu hot dog,” said Dr. Anna Grummon, lead author of the study.

“We looked for alternatives that were as similar as possible.”

In this study, the researchers set out to identify simple food substitutions that families can make to reduce their carbon footprint.

The team analyzed the diets of more than 7,700 Americans to determine the most common foods that have the greatest impact on climate.

They then simulated replacing them with options that had lower emissions and remained nutritionally similar.

For example, a slice of roast beef was found to produce 4.21 kg of carbon dioxide per 100 grams.

Instead, the team suggests choosing grilled chicken, which produces just 0.51kg of carbon dioxide per 100g.

Grilled beef steak (3.14 kg CO2/100g) can be replaced with grilled pork ribs (0.56kg CO2/100g), while users should choose turkey meat (0.35kg CO2/100g). 100g) instead of canned beef (4.17 kg CO2/100g).

Other trade-offs suggested by the researchers include boiled salmon (0.26 kg CO2 per 100 grams) with cooked crab (5.13 kg CO2 per 100 grams), and a grilled chicken sandwich (0.32 kg CO2 per 100 grams) instead. of cheeseburger (1.92 kg CO2/100 g).

Overall, the team says, making some of these substitutions could reduce the average American’s carbon footprint by a staggering 35%.

“This study shows that reducing dietary carbon emissions is attainable and does not have to be a complete lifestyle change,” said Diego Rose, the study’s senior author.

“It can be as simple as ordering a chicken burrito instead of a beef burrito when you go out to eat.

“When you’re at the grocery store, move your hand one foot to get soy or almond milk instead of cow’s milk.

“This simple change can have a big impact.”

Researchers highlight these alternatives It is not intended to be a cure-all for climate goals.

However, they hope the results will show how small changes can have a big impact.

“There is an overlap between sustainable diets and healthy diets,” Dr. Grummon added.

“Our study shows that changing just one ingredient, making a single swap, can be a win-win, leading to meaningful changes in both climate outcomes and the healthfulness of our diets.”