Sustainability

Climate-friendly recipes

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How to make your eating habits more environmentally conscious

The climate crisis and the reduction of our ecological footprint have become important topics in recent years. A very effective way to reduce our ecological footprint is switching to a climate-friendly diet. In this article, you will find out how best to achieve this and what to consider when creating climate-friendly recipes.

What are climate-friendly recipes?

A climate-friendly recipe is a recipe that reduces environmental impact through food consumption.

The following factors define a climate-friendly recipe:

Use of organic ingredients
Choice of seasonal and regional ingredients
Use of plant-based foods
Avoidance of food waste

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Why is climate-friendly nutrition important?

A climate-friendly diet is primarily important because global dietary habits have significant impacts on the environment - but not only that. A climate-friendly diet is also very beneficial for our health.

The climate crisis and its effects on the environment have serious consequences for all of us and can lead to a variety of problems, including extreme weather events, food shortages and rising sea levels. A climate-friendly diet can help reduce the ecological footprint of food production and thereby contribute to combating climate change.

Our body also benefits from a climate-friendly diet. A diet rich in plant-based foods can help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

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The connection between nutrition and climate change

Our diet has a direct impact on climate change. In particular, the production of meat and dairy products is very energy and resource-intensive, as it requires large amounts of water, feed and land. Moreover, livestock produce methane through their digestion, a climate-damaging gas.

By choosing a climate-friendly diet, we can reduce our ecological footprint and thus contribute to the protection of our planet.

A climate-friendly diet is based on plant-based foods and reduces the consumption of animal products. By using seasonal and regional ingredients, transport effort can also be minimized, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions.

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The Impact of our Diet on the Environment

Agricultural production and food transportation contribute significantly to environmental impact, particularly regarding climate change, biodiversity, and resource use:

Climate change: In particular, the production of meat and dairy products is responsible for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to the climate crisis.
Biodiversity: Intensive farming and the use of pesticides and fertilizers can lead to a loss of biodiversity and negatively impact important ecosystems.
Water use: Agricultural production requires large quantities of water, especially for the production of meat and dairy products.
Soil quality: Intensive agriculture can negatively affect soil quality and contribute to erosion.
Food waste: Food waste is a significant problem leading to unnecessary environmental impact through the production of food and the disposal of waste.

Which foods are particularly climate-friendly

There are several climate-friendly foods which represent a good choice for a more sustainable diet:

Vegetables and fruit
Legumes
Wholegrain products
Nuts and seeds
Mushrooms

These foods are not only more climate-friendly but also healthy and delicious. By choosing a diet with a higher proportion of plant-based foods, we can reduce our ecological footprint and at the same time promote our health.

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The climate friendliness of animal and plant-based foods

Animal-based and plant-based foods differ considerably in terms of their climate-friendliness. In general, plant-based foods are more climate-friendly than animal products.

Reasons for this include, among others: animal products such as meat, dairy products, and eggs produce significantly more greenhouse gas emissions than plant-based foods. This is because animal farming produces large amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, which are significantly stronger greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide.

Furthermore, the production of animal products requires substantially more resources such as water, energy, and land compared to the production of plant-based foods. In particular, meat production demands much more resources than the production of plant-based foods.

Animal farming itself produces significant amounts of waste and greenhouse gas emissions, which can harm the environment. Plant-based foods generally produce less waste and have a lower ecological footprint. Intensive animal farming can lead to deforestation and loss of habitats, which can negatively impact biodiversity.

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Climate-friendly ingredients for your kitchen:

Superfoods and regional products

"Superfoods" are foods considered especially nutrient-rich and health-promoting. Ideally, include the following climate-friendly superfoods on your shopping list the next time you shop:

Quinoa
Kale
Oat flakes
Flaxseeds
Mushrooms
Blueberries

By choosing climate-friendly superfoods, we can enhance our diet while protecting the environment at the same time.

A black plate with quinoa salad, broccoli, mushrooms, and basil leaves on a dark table.

A climate-friendly recipe for your everyday life:

Pesto from basil and sunflower seeds

Basil pesto tastes good, can be easily prepared and used in many ways, for example as a sauce, dressing or dip. This climate-friendly pesto recipe is very easy to cook at home.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup roasted pine nuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of half a lemon
a pinch of salt and pepper (more, according to taste)

Instructions:

Wash the basil and pat dry.
Toast the pine nuts and sunflower seeds in a pan until golden brown.
Place the grated Parmesan and chopped garlic in a food processor and blend until well combined.
Add the basil to the toasted seeds and blend again until everything is finely chopped.
Add the olive oil and lemon juice and continue blending until the pesto reaches the desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Everything you need to know about "Nachhaltig kochen" can be read in this article.

Tips for environmentally conscious food preparation

We share with you 5 more tips to make your food preparation even more environmentally conscious:

Use natural cleaning agents for dishwashing.
Use reusable containers for storing leftovers.
Make use of your leftovers.
Utilise the residual heat of your oven by turning the oven off before your food is completely done and letting it finish cooking in the residual heat.
Use alternative cooking methods that consume less energy than traditional methods. For example, you can prepare foods in a Slow Cooker or a solar oven. These methods are more energy-efficient and thus have a smaller CO₂ footprint.

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5 inspirations for climate-friendly recipes

We are happy to give you further inspiration for your next climate-friendly dishes:

Vegetable stir-fry
Veggie Burger
Lentil soup
Baked pumpkin
Sushi rolls with vegetables