What is the Planetary Health diet and how can it help save the planet?

Our current food production and consumption studies are dedicated to "exacerbating risks to people and the planet," according to a landmark study published in The Lancet this week. But if we make a radical change – halving our sugar and red meat and doubling our consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts – we could potentially avoid up to 11.6 million preventable deaths per year. year without harming our home.

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The new research comes from a group of 37 scientists from around the world, all members of the EAT-Lancet commission.

According to EATforum.org, "food systems are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions" and are "the main user of freshwater, one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. , land-use change and cause of eutrophication or dead zones in lakes and coastal areas. "Unhealthy diets have their own harmful effects and are" the main risk factor for worldwide, leading to a rapid increase in the number of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. "Another challenge is hunger in the world.

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But despite the evidence that our way of eating and producing food is indeed damaging to our planet and exacerbating disease, there is no scientific consensus about what a healthy diet is, how food production can be sustainable and whether a healthy diet can meet its requirements. . That's where the 37 scientists come in.

The researchers used the "best evidence available," including randomized trials, mbadive cohort studies, and controlled diet studies, to arrive at what they call the "planetary diet."

"To have a chance to feed 10 billion people in 2050 in the world, we need to adopt a healthy diet, reduce food waste and invest in technologies that reduce environmental impacts," co-authored Johan Rockstrom. of the Potsdam Institute for the Impact of Climate Change. The research told Phys.org. According to researchers, the Earth can only handle 10 billion people. And without the overall adaptation of the diet, the planet might not be able to achieve the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

"It's a change of behavior. It's about technologies. It's about policies. It's about regulation. But we know how to do that, "said Rockstrom.

The new regime provides "governments, producers, and individuals with a scientifically grounded starting point for working together to transform our food systems and cultures," Howard Frumkin, Head of the British Biomedical Research Program, "Our Planet Our." Wellcome Trust, which funded the project. research, told CNN.

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Here's what you need to know about the new diet:

What is it?

The planetary diet, or the flexitarian diet, does not mean that you will have to get rid of all the meat and dairy products of your life.

"If we only downplayed greenhouse gases, we would say that everyone is vegan," said researcher Walter Willet. But according to him, a vegan diet was not necessarily the best health option.

For meat lovers, however, it will always mean making important adjustments and relying on nuts and legumes for protein.

In essence, said Willet, "the global consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes will have to double and the consumption of foods like red meat and sugar will have to be reduced by more than 50%. A diet rich in plant-based foods and containing fewer foods of animal origin confers both improved benefits for health and the environment. "

Is the diet healthy for all ages?

According to the study, the meal plan is intended for people over 2 years old.

How many calories?

The researchers recommend that people consume 2,500 calories a day on the diet.

Here is what a day on the diet could allow:

• Red meat (beef, lamb, pork): 14 g
• Chicken: 29 g
• Fish: 28 g
• Whole grains: 232 g
• Starchy vegetables: 50 g
• Dairy: 250 g
• Eggs: 13 g
• Vegetables: 300 g
• Fruit: 200 g
• Legumes: 75 g
• Sugar: 31 g
• Oils: 50 g

According to researchers, what could happen if everyone adopted the diet?

• Up to 11.6 million premature deaths could be prevented each year, researchers being convinced that the diet will reduce chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
• We could also prevent serious environmental degradation by minimizing impacts on biodiversity and by meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement (maintaining global warming below 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit; , 7 degrees Fahrenheit).

To what extent is this global adaptation realistic?

"It's feasible but it will take nothing less than the global agricultural revolution," Rockstrom said.

The adoption of a global diet will be particularly difficult for populations dependent on animal protein or suffering from malnutrition and insufficient vegetable sources. Local conditions must be taken into account.

Welcome Trust's Scientific Director, Modi Mwatsama, told CNN that at the current level of global food production, the diet would not be achievable "unless structural changes, such as subsidies that move away from meat production and environmental changes, such as how much fertilizer can be used. "
The five strategies of researchers to achieve this radical change:

1. International and national commitment to a healthy diet based on the above recommendations
2. Redirect the priorities of agriculture and fishing from large production to the production of a diverse range of healthy foods
3. Call for an agricultural revolution based on sustainable development by improving the use of fertilizers and water; strengthening of biodiversity; phosphorus recycling; and more
4. Solid governance of the world's land and oceans through regional grants; restoration and reforestation of land; protection of intact ecosystems and sustainable expansion of aquaculture
5. Reduction of food losses during production as well as food waste at the level of consumption

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