Revealed: The simple food swaps you can make to slash your carbon footprint by 71% - including swapping chocolate cereal for porridge, and diet cola for kombucha

From carrying a reusable water bottle to choosing clean energy, many of us try to do our bit to cut our carbon footprint. 

Now, a study has revealed a simple way that you could slash your footprint by a whopping 71 per cent. 

Researchers from The George Institute for Global Health and Imperial College London say that making simple food swaps can help to drastically reduce your emissions. 

And before the foodies among you begin to panic, there's good news - many of their suggested swaps are less drastic than you might imagine. 

'You can switch to lower emissions products while still enjoying nutritious foods,' said Dr Allison Gaines, lead author of the study.

Researchers from The George Institute for Global Health and Imperial College London say that making simple food swaps can help to drastically reduce your emissions

In the study, the team set out to understand how making small changes to your grocery list could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  

'Dietary habits need to change significantly if we are to meet global emissions targets, particularly in high-income countries like Australia, the UK, and US,' Dr Gaines said. 

'But while consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of the food system and willing to make more sustainable food choices, they lack reliable information to identify the more environmentally friendly options.'

The team analsyed the grocery purchases from 7,000 Australian households, with a combined total of more 22,000 popular products. 

The products were assigned to major and minor sub-categories (such as 'bakery' and 'white bread', respectively), before their carbon emissions were calculated.  

The analysis revealed that meat products contributed almost half (49 per cent) of all greenhouse gas emissions, but only 11 per cent of total purchases. 

In contrast, fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes represented 25 per cent of all purchases, but were responsible for just five per cent of emissions.  

Making switches within the same major category could lead to emission reductions of 26 per cent, according to the researchers. 

Making switches within the same major category could lead to emission reductions of 26 per cent, according to the researchers. However, if you really want to slash your carbon footprint, it's all about making changes within the minor category (stock image) 

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However, if you really want to slash your carbon footprint, it's all about making changes within the minor category.  

'The results of our study show the potential to significantly reduce our environmental impact by switching like-for-like products,' Dr Gaines said. 

'This is also something consumers in the UK could, and would probably like, to do if we put emissions information onto product labels.'

Instead of opting for Chocolate Chip Brioche Rolls, the researchers suggest buying a Sourdough Loaf, while chocolate cereals should be replaced with porridge. 

Dark chocolate should be subbed for chewy mints, while sweetened greek yoghurt can be replaced with coconut yoghurt. 

Meat lovers, meanwhile, should swap biltong for frozen chicken tenders, while seafood fans should choose sardines over rainbow trout. 

The researchers hope the findings will encourage shoppers to reconsider their shopping lists.  

Professor Bruce Neal, Executive Director at The George Institute Australia and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Imperial College London, said: 'There is currently no standardised framework for regulating the climate or planetary health parameters of our food supply, and voluntary measures have not been widely adopted by most countries. 

'This research shows how innovative ways of approaching the problem could enable consumers to make a real impact'