A new review by the British Nutrition Foundation suggests that nutrition should be central to the public discussion about the dietary changes needed to reduce the environmental impact of food production and consumption.
The review recommended further consideration be made to the nutritional quality of diets, alongside environmental benefits, to achieve “sustainable diets that benefit both human and planetary health.”
The Foundation claimed that following government-backed healthy eating advice, such as the UK’s Eatwell Guide, across the population could deliver these benefits, but currently less than 1% of people are achieving all of the Eatwell Guide’s recommendations.
According to a UK study, following the Eatwell Guide’s recommendations more closely would:
- lower the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) of current adult diets by 30%,
- reduce water use by 4%,
- reduce mortality risk by up to 7%.
Among the recommendations, the Eatwell Guide describes a diet that is rich in foods from plants, but can also include some meat, dairy, fish, and eggs. A consistent finding of the review is that achieving diets that are “both healthier and more sustainable” requires a shift in the food choices to include more plant-derived foods and plant-based meat alternatives that provide essential nutrients and are lower in salt and saturated fat.
The Foundation explained that the need to moderate consumption of red and processed meat was a consistent finding in the studies they reviewed. However, evidence reviewed did not suggest the need to cut out meat or other animal-derived foods entirely in order to eat a healthier and more sustainable diet.
The Foundation stated that is important to consider the essential nutrients that these foods can provide in the diet.
According to the review, animal-sourced products currently provide over a quarter of iron, a third of vitamin A and about half the calcium, zinc, iodine and riboflavin in UK adult diets. The Foundation stated: “As well as protein we also need to consider delivery of the many other essential nutrients that animal-sourced foods provide, if we are to ensure that people’s nutrient intakes do not suffer as dietary patterns shift.”
Amongst other findings, the report stated that although vegetarian and vegan diets can deliver environmental benefits in terms of land use associated with food production, they are unlikely to be widely adopted based on current adherence rates. The review added that vegetarian and vegan diets may also reduce intakes and/or bioavailability of some essential nutrients found in foods such as meat, fish, milk, and eggs – e.g., iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, and vitamin B12.
Some of the recommendations by the Foundation to consumers laid out within their review paper also include choosing sustainable sources of fish and seafood, and reducing food waste.
