Climate journalist Graihagh Jackson goes on a quest to find a diet that's healthy for her child, and helps fight climate change – but will her son actually eat it?

It's been one of those mornings – the Lion King soundtrack has played non-stop on repeat since 06:00, sloppy cereals are cemented to the kitchen floor and my kid's newfound obsession with sticky tape means my living room looks like a laser maze. This is a typical Saturday morning for me and my son. As a single mother to a three-year-old, I cope with caffeine. And now that I have quaffed a couple of coffees, I have snuck away to the bathroom for a private, er, moment. Within seconds, the doorknob rattles perilously and in he charges, demanding, of all things, to know where ham comes from.

My mind is whirring: How can I put this delicately? "Well, it comes from pigs," I say, slightly unsure of my approach.

"PIGS? But they're dirty!" His gorgeous blue eyes are staring at me in total disbelief.

"Yes, I'm sure they get washed before they're eaten. It's where sausages come from too."

He picks at the skirting board, possibly pondering this revelation or perhaps peeling paint is more interesting than what I have to say. He leaves within a minute without a word. I'm initially pleased that our first conversation about the origins of meat has gone well. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder about his meat consumption – and whether his diet should have a higher proportion of plants – like mine. My diet is currently about 75% plants and I follow EAT-Lancet's "Food for the Anthropocene" report recommendations.

Environmentally, the case is clear: put simply, plant-rich diets produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than meat-heavy ones, which makes them better for the climate and planet. For these and other reasons, I eat mostly plants – and feel very healthy. But what's the best diet for my child – and the planet?

For context, I host The Climate Question, the BBC World Service's flagship podcast on our warming world. I have interviewed experts from across the world about meat, and its impact on the climate. I've learnt that about 14% of the world's planet-warming gases are caused by farm animals. That is a lot. If livestock were a country, it would emit the same amount as the US does every year, making it one of the biggest climate-polluters in the world.

There is a clear consensus on meat's climate impact and what we should do about it, which is summarised by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) report in 2022: "Examples of healthy and sustainable diets are high in coarse grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables, and nuts and seeds; low in energy-intensive animal-sourced and discretionary foods (such as sugary beverages); and with a carbohydrate threshold."

In other words, the IPCC report says that our plates should be mostly made up of plants and some lower-impact animal products like eggs, chicken, some types of fish and pork. Beef, dairy, lamb and goat have a much higher........

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