Daily briefing: What a healthy, sustainable diet looks like

Nature ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flora Graham
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4477
Author(s):  
Antje Gonera ◽  
Erik Svanes ◽  
Annechen Bahr Bugge ◽  
Malin Myrset Hatlebakk ◽  
Katja-Maria Prexl ◽  
...  

Unsustainable food production and consumption contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Adopting a more plant-based diet has been identified as a necessary change toward a more sustainable food system. In response to the call for transdisciplinary research on the sustainability of food consumption, this exploratory study combined consumer science, nutrition and health, sustainability research, and innovation to develop a new approach that can accelerate the shift toward a more sustainable diet. Quantitative data on the eating habits and attitudes of 1785 consumers was combined with data on environmental impacts via a life cycle assessment for different consumer segments. We studied the sustainable dietary shift using the diffusion of innovation theory, as well as qualitative and quantitative approaches. We identified and characterized seven consumer segments and related habits and attitudes toward an increase in plant-based foods and meat reduction. The nutritional quality and the environmental footprint of the segments’ dinners showed large differences. The results indicate that moving consumers along the innovation adoption curve with targeted interventions can reduce the environmental footprint of people’s diets and improve dietary health. We also discussed the value of user-centric innovation tools for the translation of insights into interventions by working with personas.


Author(s):  
F. Xavier Medina

The notion of the Mediterranean diet has progressively evolved over the past half a century, from a healthy (coronary) dietary pattern to a model of sustainable diet [...]


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Hassan Eini-Zinab ◽  
Nargeskhatoon Shoaibinobarian ◽  
Golnaz Ranjbar ◽  
Andisheh Norouzian Ostad ◽  
Seyyed Reza Sobhani

Abstract Objective: A sustainable diet is an affordable diet with low environmental impact, high food security, and sufficient healthiness. The present study aimed to assess the correlation between the socioeconomic status of households and a sustainable diet. Design: The food basket and socioeconomic data of Iranian households were evaluated during 2016-2018. The households were classified based on the sustainability of their diet by determining the dietary carbon footprint, dietary water footprint, lower dietary costs of the household than the median, and a higher dietary quality index than the median. Logistic regression was used with four models to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of a more sustainable diet as the dependent variable regarding the different quartiles of socioeconomic status (SES) as the independent variable. Setting: Iran. Participants: Iranian households (n 102,303), nationally representative, were studied. Results: Lower SES was associated with the higher OR of a sustainable diet (OR: 0.90; CI: 0.87-0.91). Higher quartiles of SES compared to the lower SES group indicated the higher energy intake and consumption of more dairies, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, and fruits, as well as the lower intake of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. Conclusion: In countries such as Iran, where nutrition transition occurs rapidly, better economic and social levels in the populations with a higher SES are associated with increased energy intake and higher consumption of animal-based foods, which decreases sustainable diets compared to the groups with a lower SES.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 4069
Author(s):  
Winston J. Craig ◽  
Cecilia J. Brothers

Yogurt is considered a healthy, nutritious food in many cultures. With a significant number of people experiencing dairy intolerance, and support for a more sustainable diet, consumer demand for dairy alternatives has surged. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey of plant-based yogurt alternatives to assess their nutritional content and health profile. A total of 249 non-dairy yogurt alternatives were analyzed from the nutrition label listed on the commercial package. The various yogurt alternatives contained extracts of coconut (n = 79), almonds (n = 62), other nuts or seeds (n = 20), oats (n = 20), legumes (n = 16), and mixed blends (n = 52). At least one-third of the yogurt alternatives had 5 g or more of protein/serving. Only 45% of the yogurt alternatives had calcium levels fortified to at least 10% of daily value (DV), while only about one in five had adequate vitamin D and B12 fortification at the 10% DV level. One-half of the yogurt alternatives had high sugar levels, while 93% were low in sodium. Except for the coconut-based products, the yogurts were not high in fat or saturated fat. The yogurt alternatives were not fortified as frequently or to the same levels as the corresponding non-dairy, plant-based beverages.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 88-92
Author(s):  
Yukari TAKEMI ◽  
Seiji MITSUISHI

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-89
Author(s):  
Leideliane Kilian ◽  
Rozane Marcia Triches ◽  
Eliziane Nicolodi Francescato Ruiz

Objective: Analyze comparatively the sustainability of menus developed by two university restaurants (UR) in the State of Paraná using the water footprint (WF) and the opinion of diners as parameters. Methods: WF was calculated based on 46 menus in each unit and data on diners through questionnaires for 750 people analyzed with Mann Whitney and Pearson’s chi-square. Results: The highest WF averages were from omnivorous menus compared to vegetarians and UR2 had averages higher than UR1. As for the opinion of diners about UR1, there is greater satisfaction with prices, vegetarian options, and greater knowledge about organic and purchases of family farming (FF) products. Conclusions: Therefore, RU1 is closer to the assumptions of a sustainable diet than UR2, but both should review their menus concerning WF and carry out work with diners on food and sustainability.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joop de Boer ◽  
Harry Aiking

PurposeA shift to a healthy and sustainable diet (as recommended by the EAT Lancet Commission) needs to have a strong societal legitimation. This makes it relevant to investigate to what extent countries are using their Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) in ways that can stimulate such a shift.Design/methodology/approachGiven the pivotal role of protein, the authors examined what patterns of protein-related recommendations are used to guide consumers and how these patterns are related to specific contexts and societal priorities of the countries.FindingsThe analysis of data from 93 countries worldwide revealed two emerging patterns of recommendations. One pattern (found in a cluster of 23% of the countries) combined positive advice about key protein sources with limiting messages to reduce (or replace) the consumption of animal protein. The other pattern (found in a cluster of 24%) encouraged both animal and plant protein, thereby diversifying the set of protein sources, without negative advice on animal-based food sources. The two patterns of recommendations were differently associated with health and nutrition variables, including the countries' level of animal protein supply (in particular, dairy) and the prevalence of overweight individuals among adult men.Social implicationsFor all stakeholders, it is of crucial importance to realize that an increasing number of countries in the world are moving in the direction of acknowledging and addressing the diet-health-environment nexus by adapting their patterns of recommendations for key protein sources.Originality/valueThis study is the first that reveals patterns in recommendations with respect to protein sources by different nations worldwide.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arezoo Haghighian Roudsari ◽  
Abouali Vedadhir ◽  
Maryam Shokouhi ◽  
Ali Milani Bonab

Abstract Background Todays, due to the impact of human food choices on increasing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and environmental degradation, there is a new thinking about changing the pattern of food production and consumption, including sustainable food and nutrition system related to consumption. This study aimed to explore the dimensions of a sustainable diet among the determinants of people's food choices. Methods This qualitative study was carried out using an in-depth interview with 33 individuals aged 30-64 years old living in different areas of Tehran. Data gathering, data analysis and theoretical conceptualization were performed simultaneously and from the beginning of the research, and for managing and organizing the data, the MAXQDA 10 software was used. Results In this paper, the findings are categorized according to the key components of a sustainable diet in five themes: "Health and Nutrition", "Food and Agriculture Security", "Environment and Ecosystems", "Markets, food trade and production chains", "social, cultural, and policy factors" were categorized. Meanwhile, the components of the "Health and Nutrition" domain had the highest contribution and the components of the two domains "food and agriculture" and "environment and ecosystems" had the lowest role among the statements of the participants in this study. Conclusion considering to the low importance of the dimensions of a sustainable diet in food choices of the community, promoting the individual awareness of sustainable diet components, clarifying the importance of food choices in creating environmental impacts and leading the national macro policies in the field food and nutrition toward sustainable diet goals are essential.


Author(s):  
Estela Seabra

This chapter discerns existent food preferences and their correlation with women and men, and gender biases, in America. It then proposes a strategy to test the most efficient heuristics to nudge those more averse to a plant-based, sustainable diet. By understanding how negative biases can be reversed through the application of behavioral economics, the plant-based industry and American government can most effectively build marketing procedures to be employed in campaigns, menus, packaging, and media to portray sustainable diets as appealing for men and women, and important for environmental wellbeing. The study recognizes and navigates the irrationality of human preferences as actors in the food market. By accounting for gender norms, cultural roles, and subconscious behavior, it will effectively produce insight on the best heuristical approaches to cognitively orchestrate a wider acceptance, and consequent consumption, of plant-based foods.


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