Take A Bite Out of Climate Change

Eight Easy Guidelines to a Climate Friendly Diet

1. Eat with the Seasons – Choose food grown close to home.

2. Shop Local – Farmers’ Markets, u-picks, farm stands & local shops.

3. Cook Fresh – Reduce consumption of prepared foods.

4. Eat More Plants – Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, legumes & grains.

5. Grow Your Own – Try the 100 yard diet – start simple with a small garden plot of containers.

6. Savour the Harvest – Dry, freeze, can, preserve, pickle and more.

7. Choose Local Alternatives – Try honey & maple syrup in place of sugar, and choose local options for high emission foods like meat, dairy & eggs.

8. Avoid Food Waste – Reduce, re-use and recycle leftovers & avoid refrigerator rot.

The Guidelines in Detail

Eat with the Seasons - Choose fresh grown food available close to home, which in Ontario means asparagus in May, strawberries in June, apples in September and root vegetables in January. Many foods are available year round. Look for what is grown locally and across Ontario.

Tip—Season availability charts for Ontario and Peel Region from Foodland Ontario (www.foodland.gov.on.ca) and Grown in Peel (www.growninpeel.ca) .

Shop Local - Shop at Farmers’ Markets, Pick-Your-Own, On-Farm Markets, Farm Stands and local food shops (bakeries, butchers and specialty)—they all have fresh grown local foods. At grocery stores, look for Foodland Ontario, Homegrown Ontario and other indicators of local food. At restaurants look and ask about the Savour Ontario food program.

Tip—Look for signs of local food, always ask question if you are unsure about the origin of food. Use an outing to a farm as a recreational activity or education for all family members. Refer to our local producers listing or Grown in Peel for a directory of local farms.

Cook Fresh - Prepared foods are high greenhouse gas foods as they create a lot of emissions through preparation, transport, packaging, and waste. Decreasing consumption of prepared foods will decrease personal emissions. Learning to cook fresh also ensures healthier food choices by decreasing preservatives and other additives that are used in packaged, prepared foods.

Tip—Cook fresh as much as possible using new recipes from the internet and take a cooking class. Cook double meals on weekends and freeze extras for easy weekday meals.

Eat More Plants - Increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, legumes, breads and cereals is healthy for you and for the climate. Look to balance meals using the Canada Food Guide to ensure the right mix of food groups.

Tip— Consume 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Experiment with new recipes that incorporate more vegetables, beans, nuts and legumes.

Grow Your Own - The most climate friendly food is the food that you grow yourself—the 100 yard diet. Gardens can be grown in containers, existing beds or even inside. The key is to start small and build confidence. Food always tastes better fresh from your garden.

Tip—Start with an herb pot, lettuce box or tomato planter and add from there. If you already have a garden, try season extension to grow greens almost year round.

Savour the Harvest - Preserve the fresh harvest of the summer months by canning, preserving, pickling, freezing, drying, dehydrating and more. The effort is worth it in the winter when you can enjoy homemade strawberry jam or homemade tomato sauce.

Tip—Organize a canning bee during the harvest season with friends or family members. It is more fun when you pool resources and do it as a group.

Choose Local Alternatives - Many of the foods we commonly use have a local natural alternative. Honey and maple syrup can be used in place of sugar in many recipes. Ensure high emission items like meat, dairy and eggs are locally raised to ensure they are climate friendly as possible.

Tip—Go to local shops or markets to find local goods, or find farm products at www.growninpeel.ca or www.eatlocalcaledon.org

Avoid Food Waste - According to Statistics Canada, 38% of all food available to eat went to waste in 2007. In Toronto, studies have shown that single-family households produce about 275 kg of food waste per year, of which 25% is inappropriately being dumped in the garbage and going to landfill, instead of going into the City’s organic waste composting program. While some food waste is unavoidable, approximately one-quarter to one-third of this waste is food that is unopened, whole or untouched. . A decrease in food waste throughout the system would result in an equivalent decrease in emissions. Individuals can work to use all the food bought and eliminate refrigerator rot.

Tip—Freeze leftover vegetables to make soups. Re-use leftovers into casseroles, stews, bread puddings, and one-pot or dish meals.