Lose weight and help save the planet for Earth Day

April 20, 12:16 PMWeight Loss ExaminerGail Gedan Spencer

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Overweight people eat more than thin people (obviously) and are more likely to drive places than walk or bike, making their carbon footprint much larger than those who are fit, says a study from the intriguingly named London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The study is published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

"When it comes to food consumption, moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a gas guzzler," researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in their study.

They estimate that each overweight person is responsible for about 1 ton of carbon dioxide emissions a year more on average than a thin person.

How to help save the world? Eat less meat, because meat production causes 20 percent of global emissions, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The panel suggests eating one meat-free day a week to get the ball rolling. That's just one day to sub out animal protein for plant-based protein. Yes, it takes energy to grow plants, but instead of feeding those plants to animals and then turning them into food, you'll be eating the plants, cutting out the middle man (or cow or pig or chicken).

Need an idea? I've been making THIS recipe for Mollie Katzen's Lentil Chili for years and not only is it delicious, it's also dirt cheap to make.