1. Go veggie
Eat mainly plants. Meat-eating is costing the earth hugely.

2. Local is lekker
Make it a rule in your household that you eat only local food produced within a 50 km radius of your home. Read labels and find out how far your food has travelled. Food that has come from great distances has a large carbon footprint and carries a cost premium as well. Travel-weary food is less nutritious.

3. Eat in season
Reconnect with natural cycles and eat food that is in season. Tomatoes, beans, strawberries, artichokes and asparagus in summer. Peas, broad beans, Chinese cabbage and Japanese greens in winter. Seasonal food is fresher, tastier and more nutritious.

4. Go organic
Eat organic food that has been grown in fertile soil without the use of any agro-chemicals. Organic = kindness. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to the soil. Be kind to your fellow men. Be kind to all living things on the planet.

5. Grow it yourself
Grow your own food and eat it – as far as possible – ‘cooked only by the sun’. You’ll feel (and look) incredible and save lots on your electricity bills.

6. Minimise packaging
Avoid buying pre-prepared and packed fruit and vegetables to ensure freshness and reduce your packaging footprint. And, make sure you take old / cloth bags when you hit the supermarket. Plastic bags? Are the enemy, people.

7. Be informed
Know what is in your food and how it was produced. Read the labels. Ask questions if you cannot find the information you’re looking for. The fewer the ingredients, the better for your health and that of the planet.

8. Go big or go home
Wherever possible buy in bulk. This reduces the amount of ‘throw-away’ packaging and it costs you less.

9. Be kind
Make sure that no human being or animal was exploited in the production of what is on your plate. Eat what you need – no more, no less – for your best health.

10. Say no to GMO
Avoid genetically modified food like the plague.

If you are eating for the earth with us on Tuesday 5 June, remember to take some photos of your registered meal and send them to competitions@yuppiechef.com before Friday 8 June for a chance to win. And when it comes to winning criteria, a little bird told us the earth-friendlier the better…