Page 22 - Cook with Ease: Tips and Recipes for Small Families - Serving 1-2

Low-Carbon Diet Tips
A low-carbon diet refers to a diet that emits less carbon dioxide. Our urban lifestyle
contributes to the increasing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and thus causing the
greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide mainly comes from the use of energy in livestock farming,
transportation and logistics of farm products, etc.
The principles of a low-carbon diet include wastage reduction, having a fibre-rich
diet with less meat, consumption of seasonal and local produce and use of energy-efficient
cooking methods.
Therefore, “planning before shopping” is not only a good way to achieve a balanced
and diversified diet, but also helps reduce food wastage and put into practice a low-carbon
eating lifestyle.

Shopping Tips
Advantages of planning ahead:
• Spend less time on shopping.
• Increase food varieties as you have more detailed planning for food combinations and
portions needed.
• Avoid buying too many discounted and perishable items which may lead to overstock and
hence food wastage.
• It is hard to shop for meals of the following days without planning. More shopping trips may
be required.
• Be flexible about food choices and buy more seasonal produce. You can easily find
alternatives if you plan ahead (e.g. Chinese flowering cabbages vs. Chinese kales, onions
and carrots vs. bell peppers).

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