Sustainable cooking is a way of preparing a meal in a way it benefits one's health, environment and, ultimately, the whole planet.

One quarter – 26% – of gas emissions is caused by food (Richie, 2019). This is mainly due to agriculture (e.g. use of fertilizers and fuel) and land use (e.g. deforestation). Other causes are the production of packaging, food waste, and refrigeration and transport. (United Nations) & (United Nations)

Source: (United Nations)

Compared to animal-based food, plant-based food needs less water, land, and energy to grow, and thus is more sustainable. Moreover, cattle produce lots of methane.

• Change your shopping habits (link to the article “Sustainable food shopping” on the website)
• „Switching to a plant-based diet can reduce an individual’s annual carbon footprint by up to 2.1 tons with a vegan diet or up to 1.5 tons for vegetarians. “ (United Nations)

Vegetarian? Okay, but which diets?

Sources: (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020) and (Better Health Channel)

What should I do if I wanted to try one of the diets above?
This example starts with the base – meat, but all steps would work for eggs, fish, dairy, etc.

1. At first, don’t try to “never eat meat again”. Don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t make it once and forever!
2. Transition smoothly, from four legs to two legs to no legs.
   No meat at once might be tough if you are used to it – so start with red meat (and pork), you still have turkey/chicken/seafood/etc. as an option, and wait until you are ready to avoid this as well.
3. Try out new recipes, find vegetarian versions of your favorite meals, and be very adventurous!
4. Do not forget to get all the necessary nutrients 😊

Useful links:

Healthy eating as a vegetarian

Healthy eating as a vegan