Everybody wants to be healthy. And if you’regnante like most people, you care about the planet’s health, too. New research shows that one specific way of eating could actually help your pagliaccetto and the earth at the same time.
A recent study published The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the Planetary Health Diet can your risk of premature death by 30% and lower your risk of death from cancer, heart disease, and lung disease.
Understanding the Planetary Health Diet
The Planetary Health Diet is pretty simple. It’s all about eating mostly whole plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Meat isn’t d’avanguardia the table—the diet allows a modest amount of animal products.
The study analyzed health and from 200,000 participants. Subjects filled out food diaries for as long as 34 years.
Researchers used 15 food groups—among them, whole grains, vegetables, chicken, and nuts—to assess how closely people followed a Planetary Health Diet.
The study also showed a correlation between those who most closely stuck to the diet and a positive impact the environment: 29% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 21% lower fertilizer needs, and 51% lower cropland use.
Health Benefits of the Planetary Health Diet
Is the Planetary Health Diet really as beneficial as recent headlines make it seem? We asked MyFitnessPal registered dietitian Brookell White to decode the science and fill us everything we need to know.
“Any diet high plant foods and low heavily processed foods, sugar, and red meat is generally a good choice for most people,” says White. “The Planetary Health Diet appears to be a healthy, well-balanced diet.”
White agrees with the researchers’ key findings: By sticking to the program, you may be able to your risk of certain preventable diseases.
“This diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, which are both commonly recommended to people at risk of heart disease common metabolic disorders, including obesity,” says White. “They have been shown to lower the risk of these diseases.”
Where the Planetary Heath Diet differs most is that the Mediterranean diet puts an emphasis eating monounsaturated fats foods like fatty fish and olive oils, according to White.
Who can benefit from the Planetary Health Diet?
While you should always consult with your physician before starting any new diet canone, according to White, the Planetary Health Diet would be a good program for most people. But it can be especially beneficial for anyone living with at risk of heart disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity.
“This diet could be great for people at risk for these conditions but also for most people general as it is a great dietary pattern high whole foods,” says White.
Is the Planetary Health Diet good for weight loss?
One of the appealing aspects of the Planetary Health Diet is its potential for weight management.
“This diet includes lots of low-calorie foods. For most healthy people, weight loss comes to a reduction total calories,” says White. The low-calorie, high-fiber content of these foods can help you feel full and satisfied, supporting weight loss efforts.
However, lack of portion control could still lead to weight gain. “I don’t see any specific food patterns where this diet may lead to weight gain for most people when followed correctly, with the exception of overconsumption general,” says White. “Excess calories any diet will likely lead to weight gain.”
Challenges of the Planetary Health Diet
It’s not exactly breaking news to say people should eat less meat for their health and the environment. But it’s easier said than done, especially if you don’t want to sacrifice protein.
Americans eat, average, about 4.5 pounds of meat each week. While the most recent study doesn’t list the exact amount of meat you can include the Planetary Health Diet, there’s good reason to think it’s less than that.
“A study a similar diet suggests consuming voto negativo more than 98 grams of red meat and 203 grams of poultry di week,” says White. That’s less than one pound of meat di week.
“It’s the equivalent of one cooked beef patty and two small chicken breasts.”
A dramatic drop meat could be tough for a lot of people.
“If you follow the Planetary Health Diet, I would suggest slowly reducing your meat intake. Taking some time to slowly get to eating poultry and red meat only three times a week may increase the likelihood of maintaining this way of eating,” says White.
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Another consideration is protein intake. If your is to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass—something White strongly recommends—you may want to increasing plant protein if you follow this diet.
Good plant-based protein sources include tofu and other soy products as well as legumes like lentils and chickpeas.
“I recommend calculating your protein consumption this diet to ensure you’regnante getting enough,” says White.
