The News
- The Eat-Lancet Commission has released a global healthy diet plan for the growing global population and for sustainable food systems that will minimise damage to our planet.
Background
- According to the commission, the current food systems of the world are not only faulty but also a major contributor to climate change.
- According to estimates, globally more than 800 million people suffer from hunger.
- Further, almost 2 billion people are consuming faulty unhealthy diet accounting for up to 11 million avoidable deaths per year.
- Besides, being nutritionally sub-optimal, the dominant diets of the past 50 years in the world are also contributing significantly to climate change.
- Further, food is the single strongest lever to optimise human health and environmental sustainability on Earth.
- Thus, the Eat-Lancet commission has recommended a healthy diet plan that is both nutritionally optimal and planetarily safe.
- Further, the new diet could avert 10.9-11.6 million premature deaths a year.
Planetary Healthy Diet Plan of EAT-Lancet Commission
- The Planetary diet Plan includes 2 aspects including healthy diet plan and safe food systems.
Healthy Diet Plan
- Basic characteristics of a healthy diet plan include a dramatic reduction in the consumption of meat and dairy and a sharp increase in plant-based foods.
- High amount of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils, with very moderate amounts of seafood and poultry.
- No or very low quantities of red meat, processed meat, added sugars, refined grains and starchy vegetables.
- The daily requirement of an average adult of 2500 calories should involve
- 800 calories from whole grain (rice, wheat or corn)
- 204 calories from fruits and vegetables
- 30 calories from red meat (beef, lamb or pork).
Safe Food Systems
- Apart from optimal nutrition plan, safe food systems should involve sustainable food production that are characterized by
- No usage of additional land
- Safeguard existing biodiversity
- Reduce consumptive water use.
- Substantially reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution
- Produce zero carbon dioxide emissions,
- Check the increase in methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
