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Planet-Friendly Foods Are Good for Humans, Too

By Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN, and Anna Tobin

A growing body of research links eating patterns and food choices with environmental impact. But these planetary-friendly food choices also may be better for human health. People who eat environmentally friendly foods have a lower mortality risk than those who do not, according to research presented recently at the American Society for Nutrition Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting on July.1

In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission developed a dietary pattern that would sustainably nourish the increasing human population, as well as lower food waste and improve agricultural practices.2 The researchers also developed the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI), a tool that can be used to measure the effects foods have on human health and environmental wellness. The PHDI also was created to help public health professionals develop strategies and policies that will benefit people and the planet.

The PHDI ranked the healthfulness of foods based on the effect eating low-to-high quantities of the food would have on a person’s health and the environment. Food groups that wouldn’t negatively impact the planet or a person’s health when consumed in high quantities were labeled as “adequacy components” and were given the highest ranking in the PHDI. The foods in this group consisted of plant-based foods such as nuts, legumes, fruits, whole vegetables, and whole grains. Researchers explained that eating foods from these groups in high quantities wouldn’t lead to negative impacts on human or planetary health, but consuming an inadequate amount of them would lead to lower dietary quality.

Conversely, food groups that would have beneficial impacts on human and environmental health when consumed rarely or not consumed at all were labeled “moderation components.” Examples of moderation components include added sugars and animal proteins, such as red meat, chicken, and animal fats. When these foods are consumed in excess, they have negative effects on human and planetary health and therefore, should be limited or avoided. Between these two extremes, researchers classified a group of foods for which minimal consumption would be preferred to overconsumption. Food groups in this category were referred to as “optimum components,” and included foods such as eggs, fish and seafood, dairy, tubers and potatoes, and unsaturated oils.2

The PHDI was used to analyze patterns between diet composition and mortality within two cohort studies. The studies analyzed involved more than 100,000 subjects and were conducted for a span of over 30 years from 1986 to 2018, during which time researchers recorded 47,000 deaths. Through their analysis, researchers found that people who consumed a diet consistent with the foods from the top ranking of the PHDI had a 25% lower risk of death from any cause compared with those who consumed a diet from the bottom ranking. People who consumed this ideal diet also were 15% less likely to die from cancer or CVD and had a 50% lower risk of dying from respiratory disease.

The results from this research are tremendously important for establishing the significance of individual health choices, as well as public health policy improvements. This study demonstrates how eating a more plant-based diet can benefit an individual’s health and increase longevity while reducing the negative impacts made on the environment. To achieve this, it’s important for consumers to eat a variety of plant-based food sources, such as pulses, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts, and limit consumption of animal products, saturated fats, and added sugars. On a larger scale, public health policymakers and practitioners have the capability to address public health, the climate crisis, and the burden of health care costs simultaneously. This takes us one step closer to a healthier planet and healthier people.

— Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN, known as The Plant-Powered Dietitian, is a plant-based, sustainability expert and cofounder of Food + Planet.

— Anna Tobin is a dietetics student at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

References

1. Bascom E. People who eat environmentally friendly foods have 25% lower mortality risk. Healio website. https://www.healio.com/news/primary-care/20230723/people-who-eat-environmentally-friendly-foods-have-25-lower-mortality-risk. Published July 23, 2023. Accessed August 14, 2023

2. Cacau LT, De Carli E, de Carvalho AM, et al. Development and validation of an index based on EAT-Lancet recommendations: the Planetary Health Diet Index. Nutrients. 2021;13(5):1698.