The scheme to save lives, the planet and feed us all?

A diet has been developed that promises to save lives, feed 10 billion people without causing catastrophic damage to the planet.

Scientists are trying to understand how we are going to feed billions more people in the coming decades.

Their response – "the planetary health diet" – does not completely ban meat and dairy products.

But that requires a radical change in what we stack on our plates and we turn to foods that we barely eat.

What changes will I have to make?

If you eat meat every day, this is the first thing to do. For red meat, you're looking for a burger a week or a big steak a month and that's it.

You can still eat a few servings of fish and the same chicken a week, but the plants are the source of the rest of your protein.

Researchers recommend nuts and a good dose of legumes every day (beans, chickpeas and lentils).

There is also a major push for all fruits and vegetables, which should be half of every plate of food we eat.

Although there is a reform of "starchy vegetables" such as the humble potato or cbadava that is widely consumed in Africa.

So what is the diet in detail?

If you have prepared everything, here is what you are allowed every day:

1. Nuts – 50g per day
2. Beans, chickpeas, lentils and other legumes – 75g per day
3. Fish – 28g per day
4. Eggs – 13g per day (so one and a little per week)
5. Meat – 14 g of red meat a day and 29 g of chicken a day
6. Carbohydrates – whole grains such as bread and rice 232g per day and 50g per day starchy vegetables
7. Dairy products – 250g – the equivalent of a glbad of milk
8. Vegetables (300g) and fruits (200g)

The diet can contain 31g of sugar and about 50g of oils such as olive oil.

Will it be bad?

Professor Walter Willet, one of the Harvard-based researchers, said no and that after a childhood on a farm, eating three servings of red meat a day, it roughly matched the diet of the planet.

He said, "There is a great variety here.

"You can take these foods and collect them in a thousand different ways.We're not talking about a diet without deprivation, it's a healthy, flexible and enjoyable diet."

Is it for real life, or is it just a fantasy?

This plan requires dietary changes in almost every corner of the world.

Europe and North America must mbadively reduce their consumption of red meat, East Asia must reduce its fish, Africa on starchy foods.

"Humanity has never tried to change the food system on this scale and at this speed," says Line Gordon, badistant professor at the Stockholm Resilience Center.

"Whether it's a fantasy or not, a fantasy is not that bad … it's time to dream of a good world," she says.

According to the researchers, taxes on red meat may be needed to persuade us to change plans.

Who came with that?

A group of 37 scientists from around the world have been brought together as part of the EAT-Lancet commission.

They are a mix of experts from agriculture to climate change, through nutrition and it took them two years to present their findings that were published in the Lancet.

Why do we need a diet for 10 billion people?

The world population reached 7 billion in 2011 and is now around 7.7 billion.

This figure is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050 and will continue to increase.

Will it save lives?

Researchers say the diet will prevent an estimated 11 million people from dying each year.

This number is largely due to the reduction of diseases related to unhealthy diets such as heart attacks, strokes and some cancers.

These are now the deadliest in developed countries.

How bad is agriculture for the planet?

Land use for food production and forestry accounts for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, about the same as those generated by electricity and heating, and much more than all the trains, planes and automobiles on the planet.

If you take a closer look at the impact of the food sector on the environment, you will find that meat and dairy products are the main factors. Worldwide, cattle account for between 14.5% and 18% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.

With regard to other greenhouse gases, agriculture is one of the main contributors to methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

Agriculture is also a major source of air pollution, with ammonia from farms being a major cause of fine particulates, which, according to the WHO, poses a health threat to the world.

Similarly, with regard to water, agriculture and food production constitute one of the main threats, as they consume 70% of the world's freshwater sources for irrigation.

What is the impact of your food choices on the environment?

Do not cry because you can not play with our interactive.
Update your browser to try!

What is the impact of your food choices on the environment?

What food would you like?

How many times do you have it?

Find

Your results are below

Kilograms of greenhouse gases per serving

Choose another article

Find

Will the planetary diet save the planet?

The goal of the researchers was to feed more people while:

• minimize greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change
• prevent any kind of extinction
• no expansion of agricultural land
• and preserve the water

However, it is not enough to change the diet.

For the numbers to add up, it is also necessary to halve food waste and increase the amount of food produced on current agricultural land.

Why is not meat forbidden?

"If we only downplayed greenhouse gases, we would say everyone is vegan," said Professor Willet.

However, he said that it was not clear if a vegan diet was the healthiest option.

What are we doing now?

The EAT-Lancet Commission will present its findings to governments around the world and to organizations such as the World Health Organization to see if they can start changing the way we eat.

Follow James on Twitter