Eat vegetables, save energy.

• Author: Nierenberg, Danielle
• Position: Vegetarian diet are the most energy efficient

In addition to driving hybrid cars and installing solar panels on their homes, consumers may have another tool in the fight against global warming. In a study published in the April 12 issue of Earth Interactions, researchers at the University of Chicago conclude that eating less red meat and fish and consuming more vegetables can help lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Pamela Martin and Gidon Eshel compared the fossil energy requirements of five different diets: those based on red meat, poultry, and fish; a vegetarian diet; and what they call the "mean American diet," consisting of roughly 70 percent plant-based foods and 30 percent meat, eggs, dairy, and fish. Using U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics and other data, they calculated the total energy needed to grow, harvest, transport, and cook the foods. (According to the U.S. Department of Energy, food production accounts for 10 percent of all U.S. energy use.)

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The researchers found that the vegetarian diet was the most energy efficient. In other words, it takes far less energy--from the fossil fuels used to fertilize and harvest crops, to the energy required to...