Forget low carb, go low carbon this New Year!

New year, new diet. But not the carb or calorie counting kind. Since it launched in 2014, more and more families are signing up to Veganuary, a month dedicated to veganism. 

Though people go vegan for many reasons, this year the Veganuary charity is focussing on the benefits of a plant-based diet for our planet.

Find out you can take climate action into you own hands… by simply changing what you put on your forks!

Food for thought

These days, us parents are pretty savvy about what goes into our families’ food. But one thing you don’t normally glean from reading food labels is the environmental impact of your meal choices.

Though you might think buying local produce is the best way to cut emissions, it’s not always that simple.

In fact, if you shipped bananas six times round the planet, their impact could still be lower than locally bought beef and lamb. Wait what?

This is because (according to this report) 80% of the carbon emissions in food comes from land use (deforestation and changes in soil carbon) and from farming (emissions from fertilizer, machines and from the methane produced by cattle).  

When it comes to environmental impact, beef is generally the biggest culprit, followed by lamb and cheese. Poultry and pork do have lower footprints but are still higher than most plant-based foods.  

Easy as pie

To make all this easier to understand, the Veganuary charity compared the impact of meat versus vegan shepherd’s pie, made to serve a family of four.

The meat version was made with minced beef, dairy milk and butter, while the vegan version swapped the same quantities for lentils, soya milk and dairy-free butter.

The total impact for non-vegan pie is 16.18 kg CO2e. While the total impact of the vegan pie was 4.4 kg CO2e.

That’s equivalent to driving 54.28 miles for the non-vegan pie, compared to 14.76 miles (for the vegan pie) in an average UK petrol car. Wow.

Time for a change?

Armed with this knowledge, you can make the best food choices for your family and your planet.

This might mean starting with swapping one weekday meat meal for a plant-based one. Or you might want to go the whole (vegan) hog and sign up to Veganuary.

On the charity's website, you can find  daily recipes, helpful tips and advice - including a seven-day low carbon meal plan highlighting simple swaps that slash the carbon footprint of classic British dishes.

Wipe right

No matter whether you choose to join Veganuary this month, feeding little ones can be a messy job, so don’t forget to have your Pura wipes to hand.

Pura’s entire wipe range is certified Vegan, so are the perfect way to clean up after a plant-based meal.

Happy New Year to you all! 

Information provided on this site is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You may wish to seek medical advice before changing your or your child’s diet.