Animal-based products contribute to negative environmental changes in a big way, but few consumers realize it. Do you know how your diet affects the planet?
By Moira Lawler Medically Reviewed by Kayli Anderson, RDN
Reviewed: December 29, 2022
What you choose to eat affects the ocean, the atmosphere, and the land just as much as your personal health.
Diet plays a significant role in leading a sustainable existence. The destruction of forests and deserts, deterioration of oceans and coastal reefs, and climate change are all effects of agriculture, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
However, few consumers are aware of these problems. In a December 2018 Nielsen survey, it was discovered that just 16% of respondents were aware of the connection between livestock and climate change, even though 46% of those polled said it was important to purchase local foods. According to one study, 57 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production come from the usage of animals for food and cattle feed. Young people are one demographic that appears dedicated to making a difference in the environment. According to a 2021 survey by Simon-Kucher and Partners, 42% of Millennials and 39% of Gen Z consumers are willing to pay more for a product that is more environmentally friendly.
Does your eating have an adverse effect on the environment without your knowledge? Here, you can see how 11 of the most well-liked diets in today's society fare when it comes to sustainability, listed from most sustainable to least.
1. Vegan Diet
A vegan diet substitutes fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, seeds, and grains for all animal products.
Pros Plant-based diets have significant positive effects on the environment and human health, according to a 2022 report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. According to one study, the vegan diet reduces greenhouse gas emissions the most, followed by the vegetarian, pescatarian, and flexitarian diets. According to a different study, of all the diets the researchers looked at, a vegan diet has the fewest greenhouse gas emissions. According to this study, a vegan diet is the most environmentally responsible one. explains Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's director of clinical research in Washington, DC. She continues by saying that a fish-free vegan diet can help stop the global decline in fish populations and promote diversity in marine life. According to one study, switching to a plant-based diet may also enable you to save up to one-third on your food bills.
Cons The lack of popularity of the vegan diet, according to Dr. Kahleova, is one of its drawbacks. People frequently adopt the same eating habits as their friends, which in the US means regularly consuming meat. However, Kahleova thinks that cultural norms are shifting and that more people are starting to follow a plant-based diet. Poor access to the food that is permitted by this diet may be another barrier that vegan dieters must overcome. Although eating a plant-based diet can be less expensive, not everyone finds it to be so. In some regions of the country, it can be difficult to find healthy food selections or they may be more expensive. Four Kentucky counties were the subject of a research on food costs. The researchers discovered that in the rural food desert, nutrient-dense foods, such as vegetarian mainstays like fresh fruits, vegetables, almonds, and brown rice, cost more per serving than packaged and processed meals, including meat.
2. Vegetarian Diet
A vegetarian diet substitutes plant-based meals for animal products like meat, poultry, and fish (thus the term "plant-based" used by some vegetarians).
Pros According to a study, eliminating meat from one's diet can minimize greenhouse gas emissions by 34%. According to Kahleova, a plant-based diet—such as a vegetarian or vegan diet—is also the most environmentally friendly when compared to diets that include meat. A meat-free diet can really cut a person's water footprint by roughly 55%, according to another study.
Cons Your vegetarian diet might not be as healthy as you believe if you eat the same dishes all year long. Wesley McWhorter, DrPH, RDN, director of Lifestyle Medicine at Suvida Healthcare in Houston, Texas, believes it's vital to organize your meals around locally grown and in-season foods because food transportation has an impact on the environment. When it's not cauliflower season, he advises against cooking any. Instead, purchase ingredients from your neighborhood farmers market, or even better, start a garden in your own.
3. Flexitarian Diet
In addition to moderate amounts of unprocessed meat, fish, and dairy products, a flexitarian diet also includes nuts, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
Pros Flexitarianism is popular because it's simple for many people to follow, according to Terri Brownlee, MPH, RDN, director of nutrition and fitness at Bon Appétit Management Company, a restaurant chain based in Redwood City, California, and recognized for its low-carbon diet. People who follow this diet don't necessarily have to give up meat forever; instead, they probably only need to eat less of it and rely more on plant-based sources, which will benefit the environment. According to her, the environmental impact of a diet depends on how many people can be convinced to follow it. For many people, the flexitarian diet "strikes an I can imagine myself doing this" chord. It also closely resembles the diet that the 37 scientists who made up the EAT-Lancet Commission (PDF) predicted will be best for both human health and the environment.
Cons Flexitarianism is not as environmentally beneficial as stricter diets like vegetarianism or veganism because animal products are still included on the table.
4. DASH Diet
The DASH diet, according to Mayo Clinic, encourages foods like low-fat dairy products, vegetables, fruit, fish, lean poultry, nuts, whole grains, and moderate amounts of red meat and sugar in order to lower cholesterol levels. These foods are also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
Pros According to Brownlee, it is beneficial to place more focus on eating plant-based meals because they have less of an impact on the environment than foods derived from animals.
Cons Red meat is forbidden on the diet, however dairy and poultry are still permitted. According to the World Resources Institute protein source assessment, although these foods are not nearly as bad for the environment as red meat, they are nonetheless worse than plant-based foods like lentils and nuts.
5. Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes heart-healthy foods like olive oil and almonds and suggests eating fish more frequently than red meat. It is mostly a plant-based diet. Try to limit your consumption of red meat to a couple times a month or less, advises Brownlee.
Pros According to the World Resources Institute, beef is a primary cause of environmental issues, hence limiting red meat is good for the environment. According to a study, if Spaniards adopted a Mediterranean diet instead of a Western one, greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and energy consumption would all decrease by a combined 72 percent.
Cons According to the NHS, eating fish is healthy, but according to Brownlee, it's not always beneficial for the environment. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, overexploitation or depletion affects approximately 90% of marine fish supplies. Uncertain of the best sustainable alternative to select? On the basis of the type of fish and the region from which it was sourced, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch website (or download their app) to find out if the fish you intend to order or purchase is an ocean-friendly choice. In general, you should try to buy local fish whenever you can because you'll be more likely to know where it came from and because purchasing fresh fish that must be transported by plane isn't a sustainable practice.
6. Eco-Friendly Versions Of The Keto And Atkins Diets
In order to follow the ketogenic diet (often known as "keto" for short) or the Atkins diet in a way that is more environmentally friendly, McWhorter advises selecting plant-based foods over animal-based foods wherever possible. Some people might decide to adhere to the diets while completely avoiding meat.
Pros The ecology benefits from placing less emphasis on ingesting animal products. According to Brownlee, research has recently caught up to show that producing plant-based foods uses less water, land, and energy than producing animal foods.
Cons Even though the eco-friendly variations of keto and Atkins are more environmentally friendly than the standard diets, they still might contain animal products like eggs, yogurt, and cheese, making them less environmentally friendly than they could be. Dairy is rated as having a modest influence on greenhouse gas emissions, which are a factor in climate change, according to the World Resources Institute protein source scorecard. The only meats with a lower grade were beef, lamb, and goat.
7. Whole30
Followers of the 30-day diet are urged to consume entire foods, such as vegetables, seafood, and unprocessed meat, while avoiding processed foods, such as bread, sugar, and dairy.
Pros Following the Whole30 diet involves cutting out highly processed foods, which, according to Brownlee, "leads to choosing items that generate less package waste, which is healthy, and eliminating dairy does have a positive environmental impact."
Cons Animal goods like meat, seafood, poultry, and eggs—which, according to Brownlee, "have documented environmental problems"—are encouraged in moderation by the diet. In addition, it suggests avoiding grains and legumes, which are more environmentally friendly than animal products.
8. Commercial Weight Loss Programs
Weight loss is encouraged by popular commercial weight loss programs like WW (Weight Watchers), which instruct participants on how to make wholesome food selections and consume food in moderation.
Pros One benefit of these kinds of programs is that they promote good portion control, which can lessen the quantity of food wasted.
Cons Numerous of these diets offer a whole line of grocery store goods that adhere to the recommended eating patterns. Although it's intended to be convenient, it also places a lot of emphasis on packaged goods, which means that compared to those who follow a non-commercial diet, there is more processing and packing. According to McWhorter, single-serve grocery store items in particular, such frozen meals, can be bad for the environment.
9. The Keto Diet And The Atkins Diet
Although both of these diets are extremely low in carbohydrates, there is a significant difference between them: According to McWhorter, the Atkins diet is richer in protein whereas the keto diet promotes eating a high-fat diet.
Pros According to McWhorter, it's possible for people who follow the keto diet to get several high-fat foods from plants, such as nuts and avocado.
Cons Both of these diets tend to be high in animal protein and fat, which may have an adverse impact on the environment. Meat products are the main producer of methane, which has the potential to cause global warming, according to a report. Given its high protein content, Atkins often uses more animal products than keto, according to McWhorter. But don't automatically assume that a food is healthy for the environment just because it comes from a plant. McWhorter makes the point that palm oil, a high-fat food item permitted on the keto and Atkins diets, has aided in the destruction of rainforests all over the world.
10. Paleo Diet
By focusing on foods containing fruit, vegetables, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed meat instead of those with grains, dairy, and sugar, the paleo diet aims to simulate a "caveman diet."
Pros Paleo dieters who adhere to the snout-to-tail philosophy, which includes eating as many parts of the animal as possible, decrease the amount of meat that is wasted by choosing local, grass-fed beef rather than what is normally offered at mass-market grocery shops.
Cons Regardless of where the meat comes from, the paleo diet still emphasizes a lot of meat, which is harmful for the environment. Furthermore, according to McWhorter, a lot of people following the paleo diet eat a lot of processed meat. According to McWhorter, processed meats are worse for the environment since they take a lot more energy to produce.
11. Carnivore Diet
Meat, fish, and eggs are staples of the carnivore diet, along with some other dairy items including butter, yogurt, and cheese.
Pros There are no environmental advantages to notice because the diet is primarily composed of animal products.
Cons The extreme high-meat diet carries concerns for the ecosystem. According to the July 2014 Climatic Change study, the average high meat eater emitted 7.19 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide equivalents to daily greenhouse gas emissions compared to the average vegan's 2.89 kg. According to Kahleova, "it suggests that dietary greenhouse gas emissions in meat eaters are around twice as high as those in vegans." According to research, eating meat contributes to deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, and Brownlee claims that the "carnivore diet is becoming an unmitigated environmental disaster."
0 Comments