Alejandra Schrader - The Low-Carbon Cookbook & Action Plan

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Talk of planetary emergencies and climate change can be so overwhelming as to scare us into inaction. Who has a budget for solar panels, let alone an electric car? We might want to protect the Amazon and other wild places but feel rather powerless at being able to do anything to protect these faraway places.

Food changes all this. Our food choices have an outsized impact on the future of the planet. Fortunately, we have no shortage of options, no shortage of flavors, and no shortage of diversity to guide this transition. In this beautiful book, Alejandra has assembled amazing recipes with flavors from around the world. What I really like is how these recipes remind us that being climate citizens isnt just urgent and necessary but that it can be enjoyable while also being good for us.

This is a book for the evidence-based, action-oriented eater. For those who want to better understand the challenges we face as a society and who refuse to sit back and watch. Who want to engage, act, and be a part of this decisive decade. There are rich chapters that outline climate, biodiversity, and food challenges. That explain how food can be a major solution. But best of all, it beautifully provides 140 recipes for people and planet.

In 2019, my organization, EAT, brought together a team of 37 scientists from around the world to provide the best available evidence on what are healthy diets and what are the environmental limits of foodthe so-called planetary boundariesthat define the safe environmental space for all of us and for our children. In conversations with Johan Rockstrm, one of the worlds leading environmental scientists who signaled such guidelines are still missing, we learned that food, our most intimate relationship with our own health, and also our most intimate relationship with nature were failing in both areas. Food has become the leading cause of poor health globally and is the biggest source of environmental destruction and degradation.

However, this doesnt have to be the case. What foods we eat, how we produce them, and how much is lost and wasted can change everything. It also makes food our best bet for restoring the environment as well as regenerating health.

As Alejandra suggests, healthful and sustainable eating starts with plant-rich options, putting much more emphasis on fruits, vegetables, beans and pulses, whole grains, seeds, and nuts. This means taking meat completely off the table for those who desire vegetarian or vegan options or for moving it to the sidesmaller portions of sustainably produced meat, with a focus on flavor.

This book calls for being smarter about where we source foods and supporting farmers who leave space in their fields for nature. Space for pollinators. Space for pest-controlling ladybugs and wasps as well as insect-eating birds. Space for healthy soils that soak up carbon and water, fighting climate change and helping grow more and better food.

Dig in, explore, adapt, engage! Remember that food is about sharing. Sharing stories, cultures, and time with our loved ones. I encourage you to share these recipes with them but to also take a moment to share a conversation on climate. Our collective future depends on all of us.

Dr. Gunhild Stordalen

Founder and Executive Chair, EAT Foundation

Gunhild Stordalen focuses on climate, health, and sustainability issues in her work. She was named to a lead role at the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 and shes an influential female leader shaping the climate agenda. In 2019, Gunhild received the UN Foundations Global Leadership Award for her work transforming the global food system for people and planet.

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Writing my first book wouldnt have been possible without the loving support of my dear husband, David. From taking last-minute trips to the market to buy missing ingredients while I developed recipes and serving as the designated taste-tester to proofreading entire chapters in the middle of the night and offering unwavering help throughout my high-risk pregnancy, he was the best ally and companion throughout this process. Muchsimas gracias, Papi.

Thanks to everyone on the DK Publishing team who helped make this passion project of mine a reality. Special thanks to the ever-patient Christopher Stolle, my wonderful editor, for enriching this experience with knowledge and much encouragement. Grateful for the hard work that art director Bill Thomas, designer Jessica Lee, photographer Kelley Jordan Schuyler, food stylist Chung Chow, photo shoot chef Ashley Brooks, and recipe tester Irena Kutza put in to create a gorgeous book while satisfying my ambitious requests.

I appreciate the support of SDG2 Advocacy Hub Secretariat and the Chefs Manifesto team. Special thanks to Director Paul Newnham, who for years has backed my passion for sustainable food systems and provided many opportunities for professional development, which have helped me get to where I am today as a chef and environmental steward.

Im thankful for my OxFamilythe entire team at Oxfam Americawho continues to give me a platform to fight for the causes I am most passionate about, including food and nutrition equality. Im so lucky to have the support of Abby Maxman, their CEO and director! Special thanks to Clara Herrero for being such a powerful ally.

Thanks to everyone at the EAT Foundation, an organization that has paved the (scientific) way to understanding the relationship between food and planetary health. Theyve valued my voice and culinary perspective and have offered numerous opportunities for professional growth. Special thanks to Dr. Gunhild Stordalen and Dr. Fabrice DeClerck.

Writing a cookbook in the middle of a global pandemic was challenging and rewarding. Im thankful for the love and encouragement from family and friends in Venezuela and the East Coast of the United States. Si se puede!

Alejandra Schrader is a plant-based nutrition certified chef, public speaker, and activist based in Los Angeles. Her culinary career was sparked on Foxs MasterChef: Season 2, where she was a top finalist and fan favorite. Alejandra seeks to promote sustainable diets that are good for humans and for the planet; to connect home cooks and chefs to the land that provides us sustenance; and to empower people to do their part in building stronger food systems for everyone.