Eating cereals, fruit, vegetables, potatoes and olive oil
protects the planet and prevents diseases.
60% of the risk factors responsible for all diseases are
the result of a poor quality diet. This fact goes hand in hand with the health
of the planet. A study published in the PNAS magazine shows that the most
harmful foods for humans are also for their Earth.
Researchers
have analyzed 15 foods that are part of the Western daily diet. They
have linked the way in which they are produced (the water that is spent, the
area involved and the chemicals that are used, among others) with the results
of previous studies on the impact of these same foods on health. And everything
fit. Fruit, vegetables, potatoes, olive oil, legumes, nuts and cereals are the
healthiest foods that also have minimal impact on the planet.
Processed or unprocessed red meat, on the other hand, is
a product that should be crossed out from the shopping list. Many
investigations have already drawn similar conclusions, but this study "is
the most rigorous so far, which collects much more data and analyzes the
relationship between health and the environment. The more studies are done, the greater the
impact on people", he says. Julio Basulto, nutritionist at the
Central University of Catalonia (Vic) and writer.
If the western human being continues to eat as now, an
alarming increase in diseases, water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions will
be noticed. In addition, a third of the food produced never comes to the
consumer and ends up in the trash, says Michael Clark, principal author of the
study and researcher at the University of Oxford. Therefore, the scientist
warns about the need to control manufacturing, consumption and cultivation.
Fish poses a dilemma. It is a healthy option but has a
larger environmental footprint, alongside chicken and dairy, than plant-based
diets, according to the results of the study. Basulto ensures that a product is
beneficial when it prevents the consumer from eating foods that are more
harmful to their health. "If
the client takes fish, he does not consume red meat, therefore it is good for
him and for the planet", he adds.
Those responsible for the study highlight that directing
the global diet towards greater consumption of healthier foods would improve
environmental sustainability.
The consumer, innocent or guilty?
The ecological transition can begin as long as the
consumer begins to eat better and, above all, less. According to Clark,
"he is the first to react. If he asks for healthy food, restaurants and
industry will have to adapt to his new diet. Companies don't offer if we don't
buy".
However, Basulto does not believe that it is necessary to
delegate all responsibility to the consumer. “You cannot be required to react
when you do not have enough information and it changes every day. It is a fish
that bites the tail". It is very difficult to change habits, so it would
be necessary to start from education. However, it does not seem a feasible
solution in today's world. “How do you intend to educate when the food industry
invests a lot in educating us? What is the use of giving a child a nutrition
class if he has access to a vending machine and the social networks that sell
all the bad food when he leaves? ”, The scientist denounces.
Some industrial and government measures have proven to be
much more efficient, says the expert. Raising taxes on processed meat,
prohibiting the advertising of fatty products and, above all, reducing their
availability are indispensable initiatives to change things. “What determines
consumption the most is the price of the product. You have to think about
people who don't have much money. If we make good fruit and vegetables more
accessible in both availability and cost, the Western diet will change clearly”, he concludes.
The Food Guide of the Generalitat of Catalonia, available
online, proposes the same solutions: to protect the planet and health you have
to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole fibers and less red meat, sugars, salt
and other ultra-processed foods.
SOURCE: El Pais
