From the enviro-diet-absurdity department comes research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, concluding that we can substantially cut carbon emissions by simply eating less. Not only would it mean less energy used in the production of food, but also less energy used to transport our butts around - yes, this is one of their factors in calculating the energy savings.

This article offers a unique glance at the equivalent guilt-trips laid on the public by environmentalists and calorie-restriction proponents. The former want you to believe that your goals and values are superseded by those of society or mother nature - therefore you should feel guilty whenever you “exploit” the Earth to your advantage. The latter harbor under the false belief that obesity is simply a psychological issue - a lack of will-power - and therefore you should feel guilty every time you take a bite. Both camps find a common goal in this work.

“When it comes to food consumption, moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a gas guzzler”, say the authors. “The heavier our bodies become the harder and more unpleasant it is to move about in them and the more dependent we become on our cars. Staying slim is good for health and for the environment. We need to be doing a lot more to reverse the global trend towards fatness, and recognise it as a key factor in the battle to reduce emissions and slow climate change.”

Full text from the article is available from the IJoE site.