High-ranking eating plans have different impacts on the planet.
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As countries around the world become more urbanized, traditional diets that typically consist of plant-based, nutrient-dense foods have transitioned to a Western-style dietary pattern, which is characterized by an overconsumption of calories, highly processed foods and high amounts of animal products. These increases in certain foods, particular meat, has been shown to contribute to climate change. In fact, according to a 2021 study published in Nature, one-third of all human-generated greenhouse gas emissions was from the global food system, which includes everything from production to consumption.
That's why experts are encouraging people to consider the environment and their carbon footprint when they make everyday eating choices.
"What we choose to buy and eat can impact the planet immensely," says Janette Wong, a registered dietitian with Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, California.
How Diets Affect the Environment
The environmental impacts of our eating habits are influenced by several factors, including land use, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
"It's been apparent for a long time that we are really stressing our environment in a dangerous way," says Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
The major drivers of greenhouse gas emissions from food production that contribute to climate change:
- Methane from livestock farming.
- Nitrous oxide from fertilizers to produce crops.
- Carbon dioxide from deforestation for farmland use.
- Carbon dioxide from the processing, production, transportation and handling of food.
"Different foods have different resource requirements," says Richard Waite, a senior research associate with the World Resource Institute's Food and Climate Programs and a co-author of "Creating a Sustainable Food Future," a WRI report. "It takes more land or more water or causes more greenhouse gas emissions to grow the food."
Foods with the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions include:
- Beef. Because meat production requires large amounts of farmland, farmers must cut down trees, which results in the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. In addition, cows emit methane from their digestion and produce waste that releases nitrous oxide.
- Shrimp. Shrimp or prawn farming has a large carbon footprint due to the destruction of mangroves, which release carbon into the atmosphere.
On the other hand, plant-based foods – including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds – typically require less energy, land and water to produce and, therefore, are the most environmentally friendly products to consume.
"It's a bidirectional relationship," Willett says. "If we damage our environment, in multiple ways, it will make it harder to produce the food we need."
Shifting from a carnivore diet to a plant-based diet makes a measurable difference. A vegetarian diet requires about half the land and emits about half the greenhouse gasses as the average U.S. diet, according to WRI figures.
Even without giving up meat entirely, you can still make positive changes. Eating pork or poultry instead of beef, boosting plant foods and reducing animal-based protein in your diet all help.
People worry that they won't get enough protein if they eat less meat. In reality, there are many high-protein plant-based foods, including chickpeas, lentils, edamame and tofu.
Read:
How You Can Ease Into a Vegan Diet.Best Diets for the Environment
Shifting towards an environmentally friendly diet can nurture both people and the planet.
In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission developed a global planetary health diet. Based on scientific research, the organization designed guidelines for a plant-based eating pattern geared toward improving human health and the environment, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds over animal-based foods, refined grains, added sugars and unhealthy fats.
Here's how a selection of popular diets could affect the environment:
Vegan and vegetarian diets
With vegetarian and vegan diets, going meat-free is the common denominator. Vegan eating goes further and cuts out dairy and eggs.
Both can encompass basic characteristics of a diet that's healthy as well as environmentally friendly, says Nicole Tichenor Blackstone, an assistant professor in the Division of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
"First, it would be a diet pattern or eating pattern that emphasizes healthy, plant-based foods – such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins like beans, soy and seeds, and then healthy oils," Blackstone says. "The flip side is de-emphasizing animal-based foods. So, in particular, limiting red and processed meats."
Flexitarian diet
Leaning toward plant-based foods but allowing fish, eggs and the occasional meat fix, the flexitarian diet may be easier to stick with while still reducing food strain on the environment.
"The nice thing about the flexitarian diet – after all, there's the word 'flex' – is that different people can interpret the diet differently," Waite says. "The (environmental) impact is certainly going to be lower than the average American diet. But it's easier to do and less of a lifestyle shift than simply cutting out meat."
Mediterranean diet
Ranked the No. 1 Best Diet overall, the Mediterranean diet eating pattern focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil and taste-enhancing herbs and spices. This eating style emphasizes foods – including fish and seafood – grown in areas around the Mediterranean Sea and is a "good fit" for a healthy, environmentally friendly way of eating, Willett says.
Tips for Starting a More Sustainable, Environmentally Friendly Diet
If you’re interested in taking a more sustainable approach to your eating habits to promote both your and the environment’s health, here are a few strategies you can adopt:
1. Eat more plants
The diets that were found to be lowest in greenhouse gas emissions also featured the least amount of meat products, so reducing your meat intake – and, instead, opting for more plant-based foods – is one of the best ways to lower your carbon footprint.
"A plant-based diet is always going to have less of an impact on the environment as a whole," says Laura Bishop-Simo, a staff dietitian in ambulatory services at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
However, not all plant-based foods are the same. Some are more resource-intensive to grow. These include:
- Avocados.
- Almonds.
- Cocoa.
- Mushrooms.
- Palm oil.
2. Choose whole foods
The more processed a food is, the more emissions are generated in its production. Highly processed foods also tend to have more packaging and may be shipped longer distances, all of which can contribute to pollution and climate-altering emissions.
3. Buy in bulk
Bulk foods are often sold without packaging or with reusable containers, which produces less garbage and less landfill and is thus good for the environment. In addition to involving less packaging, buying in bulk can also be a more economical option.
4. Eat locally and seasonally
Eating local, seasonal foods is good for you and the planet. That’s because one of the largest drivers of greenhouse gas emissions is transportation, more than agriculture itself, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Instead, focus on foods that are available in season where you live.
5. Choose sustainably farmed or caught seafood
If you're going to include seafood in your diet, purchase fish that was caught or farmed through sustainable practices. The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch website can help you make more sustainable selections at the seafood counter.
6. Grow your own
If you have an outdoor area, you may be able to grow some of your own produce. Not only do those plants absorb some carbon dioxide from the local environment, they may produce some of the most delicious food you'll ever have – made even tastier by the fact that you grew it yourself.
7. Ask for sustainable options
Don't be afraid to speak up at the grocery store and in the restaurants you frequent, as doing so can effect change. Ask your food providers to support local farmers, local producers and sustainable agriculture and show your support through your buying decisions.
8. Start small
If you're feeling overwhelmed by eating with the planet in mind, start small.
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