Plant-based diet
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Jan 17, 2019
- 2 min read
New plant-focused diet would ‘transform’ planet’s future, say scientists:
Plant-based diets have been used over years due to its health effects as red meat has been linked to increase heart problems. General recommendations would be eggs for four times or less per week and dairy products for one serving or less per day. When it comes to burger (red meat) once a week as it has been linked with cancer and heart disease. Moreover plant based diet is environment healthy rather than red meat.
Overall, the diet encourages whole grains, beans, fruits and most vegetables, and says to limit added sugars, refined grains such as white rice and starches like potatoes and cassava.
The environmental benefits of giving up red meat depend on what people eat in its place. Chicken and pork produce far fewer emissions than beef, but adding that plants in general have among the smallest carbon footprints.
Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of ill health worldwide, with 800 million people currently hungry, 2 billion malnourished and further 2 billion people overweight or obese. The world’s science academies recently concluded that the food system is broken. Industrial agriculture is also devastating the environment, as forests are razed and billions of cattle emit climate-warming methane.
The planetary health diet is largely plant-based and allows an average of 2,500 calories a day. It allows one beef burger and two servings of fish a week, but most protein comes from pulses and nuts. A glass of milk a day, or some cheese or butter, fits within the guidelines, as does an egg or two a week. Half of each plate of food under the diet is vegetables and fruit, and a third is wholegrain cereals.
Willett said these provide the ingredients for a flexible and varied diet: “We are not talking about a deprivation diet here; we are talking about a way of eating that can be healthy, flavourful and enjoyable.
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