What is “low-energy, carbon-based food” anyway?

It sounds like the latest fad diet, but in fact the concept of ‘low-energy, carbon-based food’ is a really important concept that can help the food environment, and you can be a part of it.

‘Low-energy’ doesn’t mean caloric value, but how much energy has gone into the production, manufacture, and transport of the food. Consider a food product in your local supermarket that says, ‘Origins: Chile’. That has had to be frozen, flown, transported.

In turn, ‘carbon-based’ simply means that the carbon footprint of the food is low, that trains, planes, and automobiles don’t run for free, and were all used to get those sweet potatoes onto your supermarket shelf in London.

If we’re going to make our food environment better, we need to start considering food systems and sustainability. You can do this by looking to local sources for produce, thinking about how far your food has traveled, and what the cost may have been to get it here.

Source local vegetables, and certainly think ethically and sustainably in terms of animal produce consumption. In turn, you reconnect yourself with your position on the food chain in a way that directly benefits local growers and farmers, while benefiting the environment.

The future is sustainable, and simple steps can help you take part in it.

As always, stay fit, stay healthy.