What we eat affects our health, but it also affects the planet’s health. Our diets can hurt the planet, help it thrive, or be somewhere in between

If you’re interested in eating well and doing more to help reverse climate change, consider the planetary health diet: a meal plan that aims to benefit both your own health and that of the earth

Are you curious about the planetary health diet? Stay tuned for NMTBP’s investigation of its nutritional benefits and any limitations you might encounter

What is the planetary health diet?

The planetary health diet (PHD) links your diet to the planet’s health. It focuses on foods that are both sustainable and good for your health. The PHD aims to create a sustainable food system that supplies healthy and nutritious food to a growing population

Where did the diet come from?

The EAT-Lancet Commission created the diet. Thirty-seven leading scientists from 16 different countries worked together to develop the plan, which uses scientific research to determine targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production

How does the planetary health diet compare to other diets?

The PHD is similar to a vegetarian diet but allows for more flexibility. In general, the diet:

• 

• Limits meat consumption to 14 grams/day

• Limits poultry, eggs, seafood and plant protein to 195 grams/day

• Limits dairy to 250 grams/day

• Urges eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains

• Focuses on dry beans, lentils, peas, and other nuts as sources of protein

• Supports regenerative farming practices

• Encourages diversity (eating many different types of foods)

• Encourages cooking at home

• Keeps portion sizes in mind

What does a planetary health plate look like?

The planetary health plate is made up of half a plate of fruits and vegetables and half a plate of a mixture of plant-based proteins, whole grains, and unsaturated plant-based oils. It also allows for small portions of dairy foods, animal protein, added sugars, and starchy vegetables

What are the limitations of the planetary health diet?

While there’s a lot of promise around this type of eating plan, it’d be unrealistic to expect the majority of people to take it on. The EAT-Lancet Commission’s report is clear that it’d be difficult to get people to adapt to this way of eating

“Humanity has never aimed to change the global food system on the scale envisioned,” the researchers write. “Achieving this goal will require rapid adoption of numerous changes and unprecedented global collaboration and commitment: nothing less than a Great Food Transformation”

Some critics also note that eating such small portions of animal-based protein could lead to nutritional deficiencies (such as B12 and calcium) without supplementation, while the dairt and red meat lobbies are totally opposed to the recommendations

What does research say about the planetary health diet and the environment?

Food production is responsible for over one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of freshwater use. Some foods have a greater carbon footprint than others, though. The production of 100 grams of beef, for example, emits nearly 50 kg of greenhouse gasses, while producing the same amount of tofu emits 1.98 kg. Because greenhouse gasses are part of the reason the earth’s temperature is rising, limiting beef in diets (a main component of the PHD) can help reduce these emissions. In fact, research suggests that eating less meat is one of the best ways a person can help decrease the threat of climate change

The U.S. eats the most meat of any country. According to one study, if everyone in the U.S. ate a quarter less meat and substituted that with plant proteins, we’d save about 82 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

What’s more, Oxford University researchers found that if the world stopped eating meat and dairy, we’d use around 75% less land for agriculture globally. Farming (especially related to livestock) and agriculture play a large role in climate change, so reducing our reliance on these practices would help support a healthier planet

Choosing to produce and eat foods that are less taxing on the environment — namely plants — is a step in the right direction for fighting climate change

Does it work?

So the diet is clearly helpful to the planet’s health. But what about your health? There’s the rub. While the EAT-Lancet report caliemd that many health benefits would flow from adopting their diet, the claims were all anecdotal.

Until now

A new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , found those who most closely adhered to the Planetary Health Diet had a 30% lower risk of premature death compared to those with the lowest adherence. It found that people who ate mostly minimally processed plant foods such as nuts, beans, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil, along with modest amounts of meat, fish, eggs and dairy, had lower rates of premature death from heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases

At the same time, their diets had a smaller environmental footprint because they consisted of foods that were grown using relatively less land and water and that were produced with fewer greenhouse gas emissions!

The study analyzed data on more than 200,000 men and women in the United States who were followed closely for over three decades. It found the following:

Lower mortality risk: People whose eating habits most closely adhered to the planetary health diet were 30 percent less likely to die prematurely compared to people who ate the lowest amounts of foods that form the basis of the planetary health diet. In addition, those who most closely followed the planetary diet had a 28% lower risk of neurodegenerative mortality, a 14% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a 10% lower risk of dying from cancer and a 47% lower risk of dying from a respiratory disease

Less illness: Planetary health eaters had a 10 percent lower risk of dying from cancer, a 14 percent lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular diseases, a 47 percent reduction in the risk of dying from lung disease, and a 28 percent lower likelihood of dying of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders

Lower infectious-disease risk: Women whose eating habits closely aligned with the planetary health diet had a 38 percent lower risk of dying of infectious diseases

Better planet health: An environmental impact analysis found that this approach to eating was associated with 29 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions, a 51 percent reduction in cropland use, a 21 percent reduction in fertilizer use and 13 percent lower irrigation and water needs

How to follow a planetary diet

In the study, people whose eating habits adhered closely to the planetary health diet ate large amounts of the following foods:

• Whole fruits and non-starchy vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, cucumber and leafy greens
• Peanuts and tree nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews and pistachios
• Legumes such as beans, lentils and peas
• Chicken and other forms of poultry
• Foods that are rich in unsaturated fats, like avocados, olive oil and sunflower oil
• Whole grains such as brown rice, wild rice, oatmeal, quinoa and barley, as well as foods that are made with whole grains (for example, whole wheat bread and rye bread)
• Lower amounts of red and processed meats, eggs, soft drinks, fruit juices and sugary processed foods including candy, cakes, breakfast cereals and desserts

The bottom line 

Following the planetary health diet – or any eating plan that stresses meat reduction and promotes eating plants – can have benefits for human health and the health of our environment. Eating less meat can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is critical in the fight against climate change

That said, there are real barriers to following this diet plan, including convenience. But even swapping a few meat-based meals for plant-based ones each week, and focusing on whole foods, is a great place to start.