Herbal diets are good for the planet and for you

FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) – A low carbon diet – rich in vegetables and grains – is good for the health and the planet, the researchers say.

Food production is a major factor in climate change. The researchers therefore decided to examine the carbon footprint of more than 16,000 American diets.

"People whose diets reduced the carbon footprint were consuming less red meat and dairy products – which contribute to a greater share of greenhouse gas emissions and are high in saturated fat – and consume more calories. healthier foods like poultry, whole grains and protein plants, "said author of the study Diego Rose. He is Professor of Nutrition and Food Safety at Tulane University, New Orleans.

The most carbon – rich diets generated five times more emissions than the less carbon – rich diets. High-carbon diets contained higher amounts of meat, dairy products and solid fats, as well as higher levels of total protein and animal protein-based foods, investigators said.

However, even though the low-carbon diets were generally healthier, they contained some unhealthy elements such as sugars and refined cereals, as well as smaller amounts of important nutrients, such as iron, calcium and iron. vitamin D, probably because of a lower consumption of meat and dairy products.

The study was published on January 24 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

On 16 January, an international group of experts published a report in which The lancet this has shown that the daily diet of an average person will have to change radically over the next three decades to ensure that everyone is fed without depleting the planet.

And a study released earlier this year by the Rose team revealed that 20% of Americans were responsible for nearly half of the greenhouse gas emissions related to food .

The goal of the research is to help the public and policymakers understand that improving the quality of food can also help the environment, according to Rose.

"We can have both, we can have a healthier diet and reduce our food-related emissions," he said in a Tulane press release.

"And that does not require the extreme complete elimination of food, for example, if we reduce the amount of red meat in our diet and replace it with other protein foods such as chicken, eggs or beans, we could reduce our carbon footprint and improve our health at the same time, "explained Rose.

More information

Learn more about healthy eating at the National Institutes of Health in the United States.