An expert update is waiting for the dietary changes needed to support human and planetary health clearly in favor of a herbal approach.
The Eat-Lancet Commission says change to its planetary diet, released last week, could prevent 40,000 early mortality worldwide and reduce the amount of agricultural methane emission by 2050 by 2050.
The diet promotes most vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and nuts and only gives the average amounts of meat, fish, poultry and dairy.
If you imagine a plate, half of the vegetables and fruits (with more vegetables than the fruit) will be filled. More half of the remaining cereals and plant proteins are. There is a place for small amounts of animal products and healthy fats, but very low sugar has been added. Noteworthy, butter is not mentioned.
The most controversial aspect of the commission’s recommendation is: only 14 grams a day of red meat and 29 grams a day – which is almost a small steak, a sheep or two chicken drums per week.
The traditional New Zealand diet is a long way to do this. But my recent study of teenage girls across the country shows that the change is underway and most of them are in the arms of a predominantly plant diet.
How do we know what is better to eat
Many factors affect food selection – hunger, emotions, health, culture, media, taste, habits and family traditions.
Evidence -based diet guidance, such as national food and nutrition guidelines, is also involved.
In New Zealand, people may be familiar with the message “5+ a day”, which increases fruits and vegetables. This recommendation has been transferred to “7+ per day as new evidence.
Over the past decade, nutritional guidelines are increasingly encompassed by environmental stability, acknowledging that about 30 % of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to growth, processing and transportation of food.
The EAT-LANCET Commissioner in the first release of the planetary diet in 2019 became more sustainable. This argues that by changing what we eat, reducing food waste and improving food production systems, we can feed the growing global population while minimizing environmental damage.
The meat is less winning
This approach is a remarkable departure from traditional diets at Aotearoa, New Zealand. “Meat and Three Vegetables” influenced by British (often with potatoes as one of the vegetables) and māori hāngi pork, seafood, commas and local vegetables do not consistently comply with eating-eating recommendations.
One of the criticisms of the original report was its limited attention to native food systems. In my opinion, at least the inclusion of starchy vegetables such as potatoes, casawa, commas, corn and millet is justified. These are the main foods – affordable, widely available and important energy sources for many societies.
But most New Zealand adults consume almost twice the recommended amount of protein. Therefore, reducing meat is unlikely to result in inadequate protein.
Currently, about 40 % of New Zealand protein is made from animal sources (meat, dairy, fish). The remaining 60 % of the plants.
The belief that only animal proteins are of high quality – due to the properties of amino acid and their digestion capability – it is obsolete. It is a common misconception that some amino acids are only available through meat. Plants contain all essential amino acids, albeit in different ratios.
For most adults, a diet with fewer amounts of meat will win: it is better for their health and better for the planet.
So, should New Zealand embrace a planetary diet?
About the author
Sheila Skeaf is a professor of human nutrition at the University of Otago.
This article is published by Creative Commons. Read the original article.
In many ways, we are already. My study of adolescent girls showed that they received 69 % of their energy from plant foods (from 43 % to 92 %), while vegetarians on average 83 % (from 51 % to 100 %).
However, the New Zealandis still do not consume more saturated fat than recommended and dietary fiber. More change to a planetary diet can help relieve this imbalance and reduce the risk of premature death due to heart disease and cancer, the main causes of death.
Diet for people and planets
Surprisingly, the meat industry has been withdrawn against the commission’s recommendations since the first release of the planetary diet.
A recent report published by the Foundation for Changing Markets identifies a network of influential voices in industry, academies and governments that are actively trying to discredit commission’s findings.
Some nutritionists have worried about the relatively low amount of meat and fish. Some experts believe that low meat may not meet the nutritional needs of certain groups such as pregnant women and young children, which benefit from iron and zinc in red meat because it is easier to absorb than plant sources.
Adding to complexity is a global obsession with protein – often associated with meat. While fat and carbohydrates are destroyed, protein has a nutritional aura.
Updated guidelines confirm the need to respect and empower the diverse food cultures and support the global right of human food in food.
Since we are faced with the twin challenges of climate change and the increase in diet -related illness, I believe that planetary diet offers a future and more sustainable future.
This is not the case for eliminating the entire food groups or implementing an approach of a single size. Instead, this is about thoughtful and evidence -based choices that feed both people and the planet.
