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Sub question 1: Describe the meals each group member eats on a regular day.
Answer:
Uma: I usually have quite a few variations for my meals. My breakfast includes:
Parathas (an Indian bread) , Coffee and a Banana. Later in the day, I eat rice, dal
(an Indian lentil) and sometimes vegetables. For dinner, I eat Roti (an Indian bread),
and dry vegetables along with some curry.
Sahitya: For breakfast, I normally have Indian food like Idli. Later, during lunch I
usually eat rice or chapatti (an Indian bread) with some curry. I don’t have snacks but
when I feel hungry, I munch on some junk food like cookies and biscuits. For dinner,
I have rice with curries.
Devanshi: I start my day with scrambled eggs and hot chocolate. Later for lunch, I
usually eat roasted chicken or fried fish along with some rice. For snacks, I
sometimes eat samosas (traditional Indian snack) or other possible light foods,
depending on how I feel. Dinner usually consists of paneer vegetable (cottage
cheese with gravy and boiled veggies).
Atharva: For breakfast, I eat bread and jam with a cup of tea. For brunch, I eat bred
sticks with mayonnaise. For lunch (which I sometimes skip), I usually eat tiger
prawns with naan (an Indian bread). Dinner usually comprises of dal, rice and
vegetables with curry.
Aryan: I eat mashed potatoes for breakfast along with bread and a glass of milk. For
lunch, I normally eat roasted beef with creamy spinach accompanied by mushrooms.
Dinner includes steak with gravy.
Sub question 2: Explain how your food contributes to the emission of Co22. What
Answer:
growing, rearing, farming, processing, transporting, storing, cooking and disposing of the
food you eat. In the US, each household produces 48 tons of greenhouse gases. Transport,
housing and food have the three largest carbon footprints. Food produces about 8 tons of
Changing the foods that you eat can have a big impact on your carbon footprint. And reduce
pollution, preserve the environment and slow global warming. Many of these changes will
also save you money, improve your health and even keep you fit!
The following table shows the greenhouse gas emissions produced by one kilo of
each food. It includes all the emissions produced on the farm, in the factory, on the
road, in the shop and in your home. It also shows how many miles you need to drive
to produce that many greenhouse gases. For example, you need to drive 63 miles to
produce the same emissions as eating one kilogram of beef.
Meat, cheese and eggs have the highest carbon footprint. Fruit, vegetables, beans
and nuts have much lower carbon footprints. If you move towards a mainly
vegetarian diet, you can have a large impact on your personal carbon footprint.
1 Lamb 39.2
2 Beef 27.0
3 Cheese 13.5
4 Pork 12.1
5 Turkey 10.9
6 Chicken 6.9
7 Tuna 6.1
8 Eggs 4.8
9 Potatoes 2.9
10 Rice 2.7
11 Nuts 2.3
12 Beans/tofu 2.0
13 Vegetables 2.0
14 Milk 1.9
15 Fruit 1.1
16 Lentils 0.9
1. Eat vegetarian
The carbon footprint of a vegetarian diet is about half that of a meat-lover’s diet.
Take control of the food you eat and base your meals on natural foods such as
vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, beans and lentils with a little meat and fish
3. Cooking smartly
Eat more raw foods that do not need cooking, use the stove-top whenever possible
and next best is the microwave as it uses 50% less energy than an oven
4. Eat Organic
Organic farming methods for both crops and animals have a much lower impact on
the environment than conventional methods.
5. Save water
By moving towards a vegetarian diet, which requires about half the water to produce
than a meat-based diet.
6. Shop wisely
Think before you buy! Do you actually need this? Can you find a better, greener
alternative?
7. Shop local
Think about where you do your shopping. Do you drive to the local shop when you
need something – why not walk? Does your supermarket support green initiatives
and offer local, organic foods? Is there a nearby farmer’s market or co-op you can
use? And think about where food comes from – if it is from the other side of the
world, it will have a high transportation footprint.
Think creatively about how you can reuse and recycle. Glass jars and plastic
containers make great storage options. And when you can’t reuse, make sure you
recycle whatever you can.
A great way to save money, get fit and reduce your carbon footprint is to grow your
own fruit and vegetables. If you have a garden or backyard, then it is a fun way to
make sure your family has access to affordable, healthy, pesticide-free food. And
even if you live in an apartment, what about using your balcony or even the
communal outside areas?
Sub question 3: How much do our meals contribute to global warming?
Answer:
Every action has a cost. That’s as true for driving a car as it is for growing food and
delivering it to your dinner plate. A team of researchers has just tallied the costs of
producing meat versus other types of foods for human diners. They find that meat
production — from farm to fork — releases more climate-warming pollution that does
producing fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. A lot more.
Their calculations suggest that people could do a lot to slow global warming if they
limited how much meat they eat.
Here are some day to day foods, with how much they contribute to global warming:
Pancakes: 1277
Cheeseburger: 2826
Salmon: 1203
Answer:
AM Snack: 240 calories: 1 serving of spiced chickpea nuts and a 2 inch cube of
cheddar cheese.
Did you encounter any problems? Did the family members enjoy the food?
Was eating greener cheaper or more expensive? Explain.
Answer:
The greener meals were served in the family on 9th December, Sunday. During the
course of the meal, no problems had arisen. In the beginning, there were a few
doubtful looks. However, as I sat and explained the reason for this change in eating
habits, they began to agree with me about the benefits of eating greener meals. The
food tasted delicious, and everyone seemed happy by the result.
Eating greener was slightly more expensive than eating regular food, as its difficult to
find organic food. Organic food is expensive as it takes a lot of labour behind each
pack of grains, and there are no preservatives added.
Sub question 6: Interview.
Q5. Have discussions and research in your field started focusing on greener meals?
Ans. Yes, but there is no such term as ‘green meal’. If it is used in the field of medicine, I am
not aware.