Atkins. GI. Dairy Free. Sugar Free. Gluten Free. Yeast Free. Air Free. Just when you thought there was nothing else to cut back on, here comes another diet fad writes Kent de Pinto – this time it's The Low Carbon diet...

Hot on the heels of Al Gore and Ken Livingstone comes a book that is meant to help the average person deal with the issues of global warming and all it portends. This year, the term 'carbon footprint' has become as ubiquitous as 'GI index' and it was only a matter of time before someone gave us a book to help us make sense of it all. (Or guilt us into using cloth nappies?)

The Low Carbon Diet aims to help the average Briton trim their carbon waistline. An admirable cause, to be certain, and in this sense it is a true diet book, because it successfully conveys the sentiment that deep inside every fat carbon person is a skinny carbon person waiting to get out. Although there are times when you get the feeling that it's been slapped together kind of hastily, opting for big fonts and glossy pictures as opposed to new, innovative content, it does well to reiterate some essential facts that should be common knowledge by now.

Some of the information is a bit basic - insulate your home, buy a hybrid....But it does offer some interesting factoids. A flight from London to Paris creates enough CO2 to fill a double decker bus, for instance; and the produce that creates the most carbon to import is green beans. Who knew? The book offers handy little worksheets to help you work out how much CO2 your car produces, and then a more comprehensive one to help you figure out your carbon footprint overall. The average UK citizen's carbon weight is 10.4 tonnes.

For anyone who is feeling overwhelmed by the recent call to global stewardship, it's a good starting point. Unlike most diet books, it takes a gentle approach. You don't have to do everything, but if you do some things, well that's a good start. If you fall off the wagon and forget to turn off the tap while you clean your teeth, The Low Carbon Diet won't be mad, just dissapointed. There is even a section on how to make your festivities greener, so cut out the petroleum-based tinsel and try recycling your wrapping paper. It's about time Father Christmas started composting.

Here are a couple of links, courtesty of the Low Carbon Diet, to help you start conserving:
Ecokettle uses 30% less energy, boiling only the water you need, even though the whole kettle is full. See www.ecokettle.com for more info.
Standby Smart Plug, automatically switches appliances off standby once they're turned off. Check it out via the Centre for Alternative Technology.

The Low Carbon Diet is available from Amazon priced £9.99.