planetary diet Archives - Health Tips From The Professor

What Diet Is Best For Healthy Aging?

October 28, 2025 by Dr. Steve Chaney

What About Primarily Meat-Based Diets?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

It’s so confusing. Everyone claims they have clinical proof that their diet is the best. You will be healthier and live longer.

But the diets are so different. They range from vegan to keto. They can’t all be equally healthy. What is the truth?

To answer that question, we first need to understand how the proponents of each diet can claim theirs is the perfect diet for health and longevity. It’s because they base their claims on:

Short-term studies. Most of their claims are based on studies that range from a few weeks to a few months. You need 20- or 30-year studies to measure the effects of a particular diet on health outcomes.

Biological markers (Things like cholesterol and triglyceride levels, blood sugar control, and/or inflammation). Biological markers can predict possible health outcomes. But without long-term studies on actual health outcomes, you don’t know whether those predictions are accurate.

Comparisons with the typical American diet. Any diet looks good compared with the American diet.

Elimination of highly processed foods. While these diets emphasize different foods, they are all whole food diets. Again, any diet that eliminates processed foods is an improvement.

- It doesn’t matter whether you restrict calories, restrict certain foods or food groups, or restrict the time you allow yourself to eat. You unconsciously eat less.

- And when you eat less, you lose weight.

- And when you lose weight, your cholesterol and triglyceride levels fall, your blood sugar control improves, and inflammation decreases.

- That’s why short-term weight loss and improvement in biological markers are virtually identical with vegan and keto diets. Those diets are as different as any two diets could be. But they are both highly restrictive diets.

The take-home lesson is clear. Don’t be confused by claims based on short-term studies. What you should look for is:

Long-term studies (20 years or more)…

that look at the effect of diet on health outcomes, and…

do not compare their diet with the typical American diet.

When I first reviewed this topic 8 years ago, I could only find a few studies that met these criteria:

One study showed that people consuming primarily plant-based diets weighed less than people who consumed primarily meat-based diets for 20 years or more.

Other studies showed that people consuming primarily plant-based diets had a reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease compared to people consuming primarily meat-based diets for 20 years or more.

These are valuable observations, but they are limited. That’s why I was so excited when I came across a recent 30-year study (A-J Tessier et al, Nature Medicine, volume 31, pages 1644-1652, 2025) looking at the effect of 9 different diets on longevity and health outcomes. In short, this study looked at the effect of different diets on healthy aging.

How Was This Study Done?

The authors of this study used data from 105,015 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow Up Study (HPFS). Both studies enrolled participants in 1986 and followed them through 2016. In short, they were both 30-year studies. Participants with preexisting chronic diseases were excluded from the study.

Lifestyle factors and medical histories were assessed every two years.

A detailed dietary assessment was conducted every four years. The assessments measured the intake of 152 foods. Food intakes were averaged over the duration of the study for each participant.

[Note: This study did not measure how the diets of participants changed between 1986 and 2016, although that is an interesting question. Perhaps a future study is planned.]

Based on the foods eaten, the diets of the participants were evaluated for adherence to 9 dietary patterns, which I have described in more detail below.

[Note: To be clear, the participants were not trying to follow these diets. They ate what they ate, and the investigators subsequently compared their dietary pattern with various healthy diets.]

For each of the diets included in this study, participants were divided into quintiles based on how closely their food intake adhered to the recommendations for that diet. Then the highest quintile was compared to the lowest quintile to determine how well that diet predicted “healthy aging” after a 30-year follow-up.

The term “healthy aging” was based on 5 criteria:

Longevity – achieving an age of 70 or more.

Absence of the top 11 major chronic diseases (cancer, diabetes, myocardial infarction (heart attack), coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and ALS).

No impairment of cognitive function.

No impairment of physical health.

No mental health issues.

In other words, these were not just individuals who survived 70 years or more. They survived and thrived. They were enjoying their golden years because they still had good health and excellent quality of life.

Diets Included In This Study

The diets included in this study were:

AHEI – Alternative Healthy Eating Index (A scoring system developed by Harvard researchers to measure overall diet quality based on its ability to predict lower risks of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes).

aMed – Alternative Mediterranean Diet Index (The aMed diet index differs from the original Med index by separating fruits and nuts into different groups, eliminating dairy, emphasizing whole grains, and excluding red and processed meats in favor of chicken and fish).

DASH – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (The name speaks for itself. But I also sometimes refer to this diet as “the Americanized version of the Mediterranean diet’ because it features foods more familiar to Americans. For example, it allows more red meat options than most of the other diets in this list.

MIND – Mediterranean-Dash intervention for Neurogenerative Delay (It is a dietary pattern designed to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. It combines elements of the Mediterranean and DASH diets but differs from both by emphasizing berries as a major fruit source, among other things.)

hPDI – Healthy Plant-Based Diet Index (It is a scoring system that measures adherence to a diet rich in healthy plant-based foods and lower consumption of less-healthy plant foods and animal foods.)

PHDI – Planetary Health Diet Index (It emphasizes foods (primarily plant foods) that are healthy and are good for the environment. Of the diets on this list, it is the most restrictive and closest to a vegan diet)

EDIH – Empirical Dietary Index For Hyperinsulinemia (It is a scoring system that measures the potential of a diet to cause chronically high insulin levels, which is associated with type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.)

EDIP – Empirical Dietary Inflammation Pattern (It is a scoring system that measures the inflammatory potential of a diet.)

UPF – Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods (Since recent studies have shown that most Americans get between 55 and 70% of their calories from ultraprocessed foods, this is fast becoming a measure of the typical American diet.)

Note: Except for the UPF diet, these are all whole food, primarily plant-based diets.

What Diet Is Best For Healthy Aging?

Here are the results of the study (drum roll, please):

Of the 105,015 participants in this study, only 9.3% achieved healthy aging.

Adherence to any of the 8 healthy diets improved the probability of achieving healthy aging.

The odds of achieving healthy aging ranged from 1.45 for the Healthy Plant-Based Diet to 1.86 for the Alternative Healthy Eating Index.

If you were to pick one winner, it would be the Alternative Healthy Eating Index. And if you were to define healthy aging as achieving an age of 75 or more with the other 4 criteria, the odds increase to 2.24 (more than double) for the Alternative Healthy Eating Index.

As you might expect, adherence to a diet high in ultraprocessed foods had the opposite effect. It decreased the odds of achieving healthy aging by 32%.

When you look at each of the criteria for healthy aging individually, the results were a bit more nuanced:

For survival to 70+ years, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index and the Planetary Health Diet Index were tied. Both increased the odds of survival by more than 2-fold.

The Alternative Healthy Eating Index and the Planetary Health Diet Index were also tied for surviving to 70 with intake cognitive health and intact physical function.

The Empirical Dietary Index For Hyperinsulinemia edged out the Alternative Healthy Eating Index for freedom from 11 chronic diseases.

The effect of healthy diets on the odds of achieving healthy aging is independent from BMI, smoking, and physical activity. This means that:

The effects of healthy diets on healthy aging were not because people consuming healthy diets weighed less, smoked less, or exercised more.

Even if some of your lifestyle choices are suboptimal, choosing a healthy diet will increase your odds of surviving and thriving.

Finally, the study looked at the effects of individual foods on healthy aging. The results were:

Higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products increase your odds of healthy aging.

Higher intakes of trans fats, sodium, sugary beverages, and red or processed meats decrease your odds of achieving healthy aging.

The effects of these foods on healthy aging aren’t novel. They are consistent with dozens of other studies that have looked at the effect of individual foods on long-term health outcomes. In fact, the diets included in this study were chosen because they included foods that positively affect health outcomes and minimize foods that negatively affect health outcomes.

What About Primarily Meat-Based Diets?

I have good friends who advocate for primarily meat-based diets such as keto, paleo, and carnivore. I’m sure they are going to say, “This study is a sham. It only included primarily plant-based diets, so, of course, it is only going to show benefits for primarily plant-based diets.” I can hear their their questions now:

Why didn’t this study include any of the primarily meat-based diets? My answer is: “All the popular meat-based diets exclude one or more of the food groups associated with health and longevity and emphasize one or more of the food groups associated with a shorter, less healthy life. And these food associations are consistent among multiple long-term studies looking at the effect of various foods on health outcomes.

The authors could have constructed a similar index for each of the popular meat-based diets. But they would have been the inverse of the plant-based diet indices because the foods included and excluded from plant-based and meat-based diets are opposite. Therefore, just like the UPF index, they would have been associated with a decreased probability of achieving healthy aging.”

Why did the scientists designing this study ignore the proven health benefits of primarily meat-based diets? My answer is: “The “proven benefits” of primarily meat-based diets are based on short-term studies showing the effects of those diets on biological markers. Long-term studies looking at health outcomes are lacking.”

But modern primarily meat-based diets are a special case because they limit carbohydrates and cause ketosis. Why weren’t they included in the study? My answer is: “The Atkins diet limits carbohydrates and causes ketosis. It has been around for more than 50 years. And, to my knowledge, there are no studies showing it is beneficial long term. If the Atkins diet cannot be shown to have long-term health benefits, it is unlikely that modern diets that mimic it are healthy long term.

What Does This Study Mean For You?

The answer is clear. If you want to survive and thrive in your 70s and beyond, choose a whole food, primarily plant-based diet.

If you want the absolute best diet, follow the Alternative Healthy Eating Index recommendations. There are many online resources to guide you.

However, any whole food, primarily plant-based diet will do. The ones with the most online resources are the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets. Choose the one that best fits your food preferences and lifestyle.

If you want to go more vegetarian, the Healthy Plant-Based Diet is a bit easier than a strict vegan diet.

If you are concerned about the environment, the Planetary Diet is best for you.

If you have specific health issues like hypertension, diabetes, or inflammation, there are diets designed just for you.

And if following structured diets is not your style, just:

Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products.

Eat less trans fats, sodium, sugary beverages, and red or processed meats, and ultraprocessed foods.

Finally, even if some of your lifestyle choices are suboptimal, this study shows choosing a healthy diet will increase your odds of surviving to your 70s and thriving.

The Bottom Line

A recent 30-year study looked at the effect of 8 whole food, primarily plant-based diets on healthy aging defined as:

Achieving an age of 70 or more.

The absence of the top 11 major chronic diseases.

No impairment of cognitive function.

No impairment of physical health.

No mental health issues.

The key findings were:

Adherence to any of 8 whole food, primarily plant-based diets improved the probability of achieving healthy aging.

The odds of achieving healthy aging ranged from 1.45 for the Healthy Plant-Based Diet to 1.86 for the Alternative Healthy Eating Index.

For more information on this study, why primarily meat-based diets were not considered healthy enough to be included in this study, and what this study means for you, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

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About The Author

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years. Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”. Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading Biochemistry textbooks for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 53 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Eat Green

April 23, 2024 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Can Diet Affect The Health Of Our Planet?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Earth Day was yesterday. So, it is time for my annual reminder that what you eat affects a lot more than just your health. It affects the health of our planet. Once again, it’s time to ask yourself, “Is my diet destroying the planet?

The commission carefully evaluated diet and food production methods and asked three questions:

Are they good for us?

Are they good for the planet?

Are they sustainable? Will they be able to meet the needs of the projected population of 10 billion people in 2050 without degrading our environment.

The commission described the typical American diet as a “lose-lose-lose diet”. It is bad for our health. It is bad for the planet. And it is not sustainable.

In its place they carefully designed their version of a primarily plant-based diet they called a “win-win-win diet”. It is good for our health. It is good for the planet. And it is sustainable.

In their publication they refer to their diet as the “universal healthy reference diet” (What else would you expect from a committee?). However, it has become popularly known as the “Planetary Diet”.

I have spoken before about the importance of a primarily plant-based diet for our health. In that context it is a personal choice. It is optional.

However, this report is a wake-up call. It puts a primarily plant-based diet in an entirely different context. It is essential for the survival of our planet. It is no longer optional.

If you care about our environment…If you care about saving our planet, there is no other choice.

How Was The Study Done?

The publication (W. Willet et al, The Lancet, 393, issue 10170, 447-492, 2019) was the report of the EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems. This Commission convened 30 of the top experts from across the globe to prepare a science-based evaluation of the effect of diet on both health and sustainable food production through the year 2050. The Commission included world class experts on healthy diets, agricultural methods, climate change, and earth sciences. The Commission reviewed 356 published studies in preparing their report.

Can Diet Affect The Health Of Our Planet?

When they looked at the effect of food production on the environment, the Commission concluded:

“Strong evidence indicates that food production is among the largest drivers of global environmental change.” Specifically, the commission reported:

- Agriculture occupies 40% of global land (58% of that is for pasture use).

- Food production is responsible for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of freshwater use.

- Conversion of natural ecosystems to croplands and pastures is the largest factor causing species to be threatened with extinction. Specifically, 80% of extinction threats to mammals and bird species are due to agricultural practices.

- Overuse and misuse of nitrogen and phosphorous in fertilizers causes eutrophication. In case you are wondering, eutrophication is defined as the process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients (such as phosphates from commercial fertilizer) that stimulate the growth of algae and other aquatic plant life, usually resulting in the depletion of dissolved oxygen. This creates dead zones in lakes and coastal regions where fish and other marine organisms cannot survive.

About 60% of world fish stocks are fully fished and more than 30% are overfished. Because of this, catch by global marine fisheries has been declining since 1996.

“Reaching the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming…is not possible by only decarbonizing the global energy systems. Transformation to healthy diets from sustainable food systems is essential to achieving the Paris Agreement.”

The world’s population is expected to increase to 10 billion by 2050. The current system of food production is unsustainable.

When they looked at the effect of the foods we eat on the environment, the Commission concluded:

Beef and lamb are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and land use.

- The concern about land use is obvious because of the large amount of pastureland required to raise cattle and sheep.

- The concern about greenhouse gas emissions is because cattle and sheep are ruminants. They not only breathe out CO₂, but they also release methane into the atmosphere from fermentation in their rumens of the food they eat. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and it persists in the atmosphere 25 times longer than CO₂.

The single most important thing we can do as individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to eat less beef and lamb. [Note: grass fed cattle produce more greenhouse gas emissions than cattle raised on corn because they require 3 years to bring to market rather than 2 years.]

- In contrast, plant crops reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

In terms of energy use beef, lamb, pork, chicken, dairy, and eggs all require much more energy to produce than any of the plant foods.

In terms of eutrophication of our lakes and oceans, beef, lamb, and pork all cause much more eutrophication than any plant food. Dairy and eggs cause more eutrophication than any plant food except fruits.

Eat Green

In the words of the Commission: “[The Planetary Diet] largely consists of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils. It includes a low to moderate amount of seafood, poultry, and eggs. It includes no or a very low amount of red meat, processed meat, sugar, refined grains, and starchy vegetables.”

When described in that fashion it sounds very much like other healthy diets such as semi-vegetarian, Mediterranean, DASH, and Flexitarian. However, what truly distinguishes it from the other diets is the restrictions placed on the non-plant portion of the diet to make it both environmentally friendly and sustainable. Here is a more detailed description of the diet:

It starts with a vegetarian diet. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, soy foods, and whole grains are the foundation of the diet.

It allows the option of adding one serving of dairy a day (It turns out that cows produce much less greenhouse emissions per serving of dairy than per serving of beef. That’s because cows take several years to mature before they can be converted to meat, and they are emitting greenhouse gases the entire time).

It allows the option of adding one 3 oz serving of fish or poultry or one egg per day.

It allows the option of swapping seafood, poultry, or egg for a 3 oz serving of red meat no more than once a week. If you want a 12 oz steak, that would be no more than once a month.

This is obviously very different from the way most Americans currently eat. According to the Commission:

“This would require greater than 50% reduction in consumption of unhealthy foods, such as red meat and sugar, and greater than 100% increase in the consumption of healthy foods, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes”.

“In addition to the benefits for the environment, “dietary changes from current diets to healthy diets are likely to substantially benefit human health, averting about 10.8-11.6 million deaths per year globally.”

What Else Did The Commission Recommend?

In addition to changes in our diets, the Commission also recommended several changes in the way food is produced. Here are a few of them.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel used to transport food to market.

2) Reduce food losses and waste by at least 50%.

3) Make radical improvements in the efficiency of fertilizer and water use. In terms of fertilizer, the change would be two-fold:

- In developed countries, reduce fertilizer use and put in place systems to capture runoff and recycle the phosphorous.

- In third world countries, make fertilizer more available so that crop yields can be increased, something the Commission refer to as eliminating the “yield gap” between third world and developed countries.

4) Stop the expansion of new agricultural land use into natural ecosystems and put in place policies aimed at restoring and re-foresting degraded land.

5) Manage the world’s oceans effectively to ensure that fish stocks are used responsibly and global aquaculture (fish farm) production is expanded sustainability.

What we can do: While most of these are government level policies, we can contribute to the first three by reducing personal food waste and purchasing organic produce locally whenever possible.

What Does This Mean For You?

If you are a vegan, you are probably asking why the Commission did not recommend a completely plant-based diet. The answer is that a vegan diet is perfect for the health of our planet. However, the Commission wanted to make a diet that was as consumer friendly as possible and still meet their goals of a healthy, environmentally friendly, and sustainable diet.

If you are eating a typical American diet or one of the fad diets that encourage meat consumption, you are probably wondering how you can ever make such drastic changes to your diet. The answer is “one step at a time”. If you have read the Forward to my books “Slaying The Food Myths” or “Slaying the Supplement Myths”, you know that my wife and I did not change our diet overnight. Our diet evolved to something very close to the Planetary Diet over a period of years.

The Commission also purposely designed the Planetary Diet so that you “never have to say never” to your favorite foods. Three ounces of red meat a week does not sound like much, but it allows you a juicy steak once a month.

Sometimes you just need to develop a new mindset. As I shared in my books, my father prided himself on grilling the perfect steak. I love steaks, but I decided to set a few parameters. I don’t waste my red meat calories on anything besides filet mignon at a fine restaurant. It must be a special occasion, and someone else must be buying. That limits it to 2-3 times a year. I still get to enjoy good steak, and I stay well within the parameters of the Planetary diet.

Develop your strategy for enjoying some of your favorite foods within the parameters of the Planetary Diet and have fun with it.

The Bottom Line

Is your diet destroying the planet? This is not a new question, but a recent commission of international scientists has conducted a comprehensive study into our diet and its effect on our health and our environment. Their report serves as a dire warning of what will happen to us and our planet if we don’t change our ways.

The Commission carefully evaluated diet and food production methods and asked three questions:

Are they good for us?

Are they good for the planet?

Are they sustainable? Will they be able to meet the needs of the projected population of 10 billion people in 2050 without degrading our environment.

The Commission described the typical American diet as a “lose-lose-lose diet”. It is bad for our health. It is bad for the planet. And it is not sustainable.

In its place they carefully designed their version of a primarily plant-based diet they called a “win-win-win diet”. It is good for our health. It is good for the planet. And, it is sustainable.

The Planetary Diet is similar to other healthy diets such as semi-vegetarian, Mediterranean, DASH, and Flexitarian. However, what truly distinguishes it from the other diets is the restrictions placed on the non-plant portion of the diet to make it both environmentally friendly and sustainable (for details, read the article above).

I have spoken before about the importance of a primarily plant-based diet for our health. In that context it is a personal choice. It is optional.

However, this report is a wake-up call. It puts a primarily plant-based diet in an entirely different context. It is essential for the survival of our planet. It is no longer optional.

If you care about global warming…If you care about saving our planet, there is no other choice.

For more details read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

______________________________________________________________________________

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

______________________________________________________________________

About The Author

Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Are Sustainable Diets Nutritionally Complete?

September 5, 2023 by Dr. Steve Chaney

How Do Sustainable Diets Compare With Meat-Based Diets?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

In a previous issue of “Health Tips From the Professor” I have discussed a sustainable diet popularly known as the planetary diet. Here is a brief synopsis of that article:

The planetary diet came from an international commission called the “EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems” (Bureaucrats and scientists love long names.)

They were commissioned to recommend a diet that was both healthy and sustainable (good for the environment) through the year 2050.

The commission reported that the methods of food production required to support our current diets:

- Occupy 40% of global land.

- Are responsible for 30% of global greenhouse gas production and 70% of freshwater use.

They further reported that:

- Reaching the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming…is not possible by only decarbonizing the global energy systems (In other words, we cannot limit global warming just by switching to electric cars and stoves.).

- Transformation to healthy diets from sustainable food systems is essential to achieving the Paris Agreement.”

- The world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. The current system of food production is unsustainable.

The planetary diet they recommended is a primarily plant-based diet. But it is not any plant-based diet. It limits animal foods to an extent that approaches a vegan diet.

That raises two important questions:

Are sustainable diets like the planetary diet healthy? The answer to that question is a resounding, “Yes”. Numerous studies have shown that primarily plant-based diets are healthier than meat-based diets long term.

2) Are sustainable diets nutritionally complete? That is the question the authors of the current study (N Neufingerl and A Eilander, Nutrients, 14: 29, 2022) set out to answer.

How Was This Study Done?

The authors searched the literature and identified 147 high-quality articles published between 2000 and January 2020 that compared the nutritional adequacy of primarily plant-based diets or vegan diets with meat-based diets.

They excluded:

Intervention studies because the nutritionists designing those studies assured the nutritional adequacy of the plant-based diet used in the study.

Overly restrictive plant-based diets such as the raw food diet or macrobiotic diet.

Primarily plant-based diets for disease prevention like the Mediterranean or DASH diets because they were too unlike the planetary diet.

Studies with pregnant or lactating women, populations with specific diseases, and athletes.

They chose diets that measured intakes of energy (calories), protein, PUFA (polyunsaturated fats), total omega-3 fats, ALA, EPA, DHA, fiber, vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, niacin, folate, C, D, E, iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, magnesium, and phosphorous. [Note: Not all studies measured intakes of all the nutrients in this list.]

Their goal was to compare the nutritional adequacy of the diets, not the health of the diets. So, they did not report on the saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, or percent processed food content of the diets.

How Do Sustainable Diets Compare With Meat-Based Diets?

The Study showed that:

Vegan diets:

Tended to be inadequate in EPA, DHA, vitamins B12, D, calcium, iodine, iron, and zinc.

Tended to have favorably high intakes of fiber, PUFA, ALA, vitamins B1, B6, C, E, folate, and magnesium.

Vegetarian diets:

Tended to be inadequate in fiber, EPA, DHA, vitamins B12, D, E, calcium, iodine, iron, and zinc.

Tended to have favorably high intakes of PUFA, ALA, vitamin C, folate, and magnesium.

Meat-eaters:

Tended to be inadequate in fiber, PUFA, ALA, vitamins D, E, folate, calcium, and magnesium.

Tended to have favorably high intakes of protein, niacin, vitamin B12, and zinc.

Other observations:

Pesco-vegetarians (vegetarians who include fish as a major protein source) had the highest intake EPA and DHA of any of the groups studied.

Both vegetarians and vegans had lower protein intake than meat-eaters, but their average protein intake was adequate.

Finally, there are two important reminders as you look at the data.

The data for each nutrient was based on average intake of that nutrient in the diet group. The authors did not report the percent of people consuming that diet who had inadequate intake.

The authors were comparing the nutritional completeness of each diet, not the effect of the diets on diseases like heart disease and diabetes. However, this comparison is important because nutritional inadequacies left untreated for a long period of time can have significant health consequences.

Are Sustainable Diets Nutritionally Complete?

The authors concluded “…there are dietary inadequacies in any [restrictive] diet.” This is no surprise.

With respect to sustainable plant-based diets, the authors said, “In people following self-selected plant-based diets, especially vegan diets, intake of certain nutrients is lower compared to meat-containing diets.”

So, the answer to the question, “Are sustainable diets nutritionally complete?”, is clearly, “No. They do not provide 100% of the essential nutrients you need.”

Long-term nutritional deficiencies can have serious health implications. So, what should you do about it?

The authors made the following recommendations, “As plant-based diets are generally better for health and the environment, public health strategies should facilitate the transition to a [more] balanced diet…through consumer education, food fortification, and possible supplementation.”

Let me comment on the three recommendations they listed:

Consumer education is a great idea, but it is usually drowned out by Big Food Inc’s advertising budgets and the misleading information provided by the Dr. Strangeloves of the world.

Food fortification is also a useful idea. After all, it has eliminated several deficiency diseases in the past. But it is hard to fortify fruits and vegetables. And eating more highly processed plant-food products is not the way to better health – even if they are fortified. Besides, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the USDA to act.

That leaves responsible supplementation as the only viable option for anyone wanting to switch to a plant-based diet to save the planet. And if the environment is important to you, you will probably want to choose a supplement company that follows sustainable practices and is certified carbon neutral.

The Bottom Line

Primarily plant-based diets are healthier for you and healthier for the planet. But are they nutritionally complete?

A recent systemic review of 147 published studies was designed to answer that question. As you might suspect, the answer was a clear, “No”.

Vegan diets:

Tended to be inadequate in EPA, DHA, vitamins B12, D, calcium, iodine, iron, and zinc.

Vegetarian diets:

Tended to be inadequate in fiber, EPA, DHA, vitamins B12, D, E, calcium, iodine, iron, and zinc.

The authors concluded, “As plant-based diets are generally better for health and the environment, public health strategies should facilitate the transition to a balanced diet…through consumer education, food fortification, and possible supplementation.”

Let me comment on the three recommendations they listed:

Consumer education is a great idea, but it is usually drowned out by Big Food Inc’s advertising budgets and the misleading information provided by the Dr. Strangeloves of the world.

Food fortification is also a useful idea. But it is hard to fortify fruits and vegetables. And eating more highly processed plant-food products is not the way to better health – even if they are fortified.

That leaves responsible supplementation as the only viable option for anyone wanting to switch to a plant-based diet to save the planet. And if the environment is important to you, you will probably want to choose a supplement company that follows sustainable practices and is certified carbon neutral.

For more information on this study, and the science behind my summary of the study, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

___________________________________________________________________________

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

Eating For A Healthy Planet

April 26, 2022 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Can Diet Affect The Health Of Our Planet?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Earth Day has come and gone. You have recommitted to saving the planet. You plan to recycle, conserve energy, and turn in your gas guzzler for an energy efficient car. But what about your diet? Is your diet destroying the planet?

This is not a new question, but a recent commission of international scientists has conducted a comprehensive study into our diet and its effect on our health and our environment. Their report (W. Willet et al, The Lancet, 393, issue 10170, 447-492, 2019) serves as a dire warning of what will happen if we don’t change our ways. I touched on this report briefly in a previous issue of “Health Tips From The Professor”, but this topic is important enough that it deserves an issue all its own.

The commission carefully evaluated diet and food production methods and asked three questions:

Are they good for us?

Are they good for the planet?

Are they sustainable? Will they be able to meet the needs of the projected population of 10 billion people in 2050 without degrading our environment.

The commission described the typical American diet as a “lose-lose-lose diet”. It is bad for our health. It is bad for the planet. And it is not sustainable.

In its place they carefully designed their version of a primarily plant-based diet they called a “win-win-win diet”. It is good for our health. It is good for the planet. And it is sustainable.

I have spoken before about the importance of a primarily plant-based diet for our health. In that context it is a personal choice. It is optional.

However, this report is a wake-up call. It puts a primarily plant-based diet in an entirely different context. It is essential for the survival of our planet. It is no longer optional.

If you care about our environment…If you care about saving our planet, there is no other choice.

How Was The Study Done?

Can Diet Affect The Health Of Our Planet?

When they looked at the effect of food production on the environment, the Commission concluded:

“Strong evidence indicates that food production is among the largest drivers of global environmental change.” Specifically, the commission reported:

- Agriculture occupies 40% of global land (58% of that is for pasture use).

- Food production is responsible for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of freshwater use.

- Conversion of natural ecosystems to croplands and pastures is the largest factor causing species to be threatened with extinction. Specifically, 80% of extinction threats to mammals and bird species are due to agricultural practices.

- Overuse and misuse of nitrogen and phosphorous in fertilizers causes eutrophication. In case you are wondering, eutrophication is defined as the process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients (such as phosphates from commercial fertilizer) that stimulate the growth of algae and other aquatic plant life, usually resulting in the depletion of dissolved oxygen. This creates dead zones in lakes and coastal regions where fish and other marine organisms cannot survive.

- About 60% of world fish stocks are fully fished and more than 30% are overfished. Because of this, catch by global marine fisheries has been declining since 1996.

“Reaching the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming…is not possible by only decarbonizing the global energy systems. Transformation to healthy diets from sustainable food systems is essential to achieving the Paris Agreement.”

The world’s population is expected to increase to 10 billion by 2050. The current system of food production is unsustainable.

When they looked at the effect of the foods we eat on the environment, the Commission concluded:

Beef and lamb are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and land use.

- The concern about land use is obvious because of the large amount of pastureland required to raise cattle and sheep.

- The concern about greenhouse gas emissions is because cattle and sheep are ruminants. They not only breathe out CO₂, but they also release methane into the atmosphere from fermentation in their rumens of the food they eat. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and it persists in the atmosphere 25 times longer than CO₂.

- In contrast, plant crops reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

In terms of energy use beef, lamb, pork, chicken, dairy, and eggs all require much more energy to produce than any of the plant foods.

In terms of eutrophication of our lakes and oceans, beef, lamb, and pork, all cause much more eutrophication than any plant food. Dairy and eggs cause more eutrophication than any plant food except fruits.

Eating For A Healthier Planet

It starts with a vegetarian diet. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, soy foods, and whole grains are the foundation of the diet.

It allows the option of adding one serving of dairy a day (It turns out that cows produce much less greenhouse emissions per serving of dairy than per serving of beef. That’s because cows take several years to mature before they can be converted to meat, and they are emitting greenhouse gases the entire time).

It allows the option of adding one 3 oz serving of fish or poultry or one egg per day.

It allows the option of swapping seafood, poultry, or egg for a 3 oz serving of red meat no more than once a week. If you want a 12 oz steak, that would be no more than once a month.

This is obviously very different from the way most Americans currently eat. According to the Commission:

“This would require greater than 50% reduction in consumption of unhealthy foods, such as red meat and sugar, and greater than 100% increase in the consumption of healthy foods, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes”.

“In addition to the benefits for the environment, “dietary changes from current diets to healthy diets are likely to substantially benefit human health, averting about 10.8-11.6 million deaths per year globally.”

What Else Did The Commission Recommend?

In addition to changes in our diets, the Commission also recommended several changes in the way food is produced. Here are a few of them.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel used to transport food to market.

Reduce food losses and waste by at least 50%.

Make radical improvements in the efficiency of fertilizer and water use. In terms of fertilizer, the change would be two-fold:

- In developed countries, reduce fertilizer use and put in place systems to capture runoff and recycle the phosphorous.

- In third world countries, make fertilizer more available so that crop yields can be increased, something the Commission refer to as eliminating the “yield gap” between third world and developed countries.

Stop the expansion of new agricultural land use into natural ecosystems and put in place policies aimed at restoring and re-foresting degraded land.

Manage the world’s oceans effectively to ensure that fish stocks are used responsibly and global aquaculture (fish farm) production is expanded sustainability.

What we can do: While most of these are government level policies, we can contribute to the first three by reducing personal food waste and purchasing organic produce locally whenever possible.

What Does This Mean For You?

Develop your strategy for enjoying some of your favorite foods within the parameters of the Planetary Diet and have fun with it.

The Bottom Line

The Commission carefully evaluated diet and food production methods and asked three questions:

Are they good for us?

Are they good for the planet?

Are they sustainable? Will they be able to meet the needs of the projected population of 10 billion people in 2050 without degrading our environment.

The Commission described the typical American diet as a “lose-lose-lose diet”. It is bad for our health. It is bad for the planet. And it is not sustainable.

In its place they carefully designed their version of a primarily plant-based diet they called a “win-win-win diet”. It is good for our health. It is good for the planet. And, it is sustainable.

I have spoken before about the importance of a primarily plant-based diet for our health. In that context it is a personal choice. It is optional.

However, this report is a wake-up call. It puts a primarily plant-based diet in an entirely different context. It is essential for the survival of our planet. It is no longer optional.

If you care about global warming…If you care about saving our planet, there is no other choice.

For more details read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

If You Want To Be Green, You Have To Eat Green

April 26, 2021 by Dr. Steve Chaney

What Is The Planetary Diet?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Earth Day was last Thursday. You have recommitted to saving the planet. You plan to recycle, conserve energy, and turn in your gas guzzler for an energy efficient car. But what about your diet? Is your diet destroying the planet?

This is not a new question, but a recent commission of international scientists has conducted a comprehensive study into our diet and its effect on our health and our environment. Their report (W. Willet et al, The Lancet, 393, issue 10170, 447-492, 2019) serves as a dire warning of what will happen if we don’t change our ways. I touched on this report briefly in a previous issue of “Health Tips From The Professor”, but this topic is important enough that it deserves an issue all its own.

The commission carefully evaluated diet and food production methods and asked three questions:

Are they good for us?

Are they good for the planet?

Are they sustainable? Will they be able to meet the needs of the projected population of 10 billion people in 2050 without degrading our environment.

The commission described the typical American diet as a “lose-lose-lose diet”. It is bad for our health. It is bad for the planet. And it is not sustainable.

In its place they carefully designed their version of a primarily plant-based diet they called a “win-win-win diet”. It is good for our health. It is good for the planet. And, it is sustainable.

I have spoken before about the importance of a primarily plant-based diet for our health. In that context it is a personal choice. It is optional.

However, this report is a wake-up call. It puts a primarily plant-based diet in an entirely different context. It is essential for the survival of our planet. It is no longer optional.

If you care about our environment…If you care about saving our planet, there is no other choice.

How Was The Study Done?

The study (W. Willet et al, The Lancet, 393, issue 10170, 447-492, 2019) was the report of the EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems. This Commission convened 30 of the top experts from across the globe to prepare a science-based evaluation of the effect of diet on both health and sustainable food production through the year 2050. The Commission included world class experts on healthy diets, agricultural methods, climate change, and earth sciences. The Commission reviewed 356 published studies in preparing their report.

If You Want To Be Green, You Need To Eat Green

When they looked at the effect of food production on the environment, the Commission concluded:

“Strong evidence indicates that food production is among the largest drivers of global environmental change.” Specifically, the commission reported:

- Agriculture occupies 40% of global land (58% of that is for pasture use).

- Food production is responsible for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of freshwater use.

- Conversion of natural ecosystems to croplands and pastures is the largest factor causing species to be threatened with extinction. Specifically, 80% of extinction threats to mammals and bird species are due to agricultural practices.

- Overuse and misuse of nitrogen and phosphorous in fertilizers causes eutrophication. In case you are wondering, eutrophication is defined as the process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients (such as phosphates from commercial fertilizer) that stimulate the growth of algae and other aquatic plant life, usually resulting in the depletion of dissolved oxygen. This creates dead zones in lakes and coastal regions where fish and other marine organisms cannot survive.

- About 60% of world fish stocks are fully fished and more than 30% are overfished. Because of this, catch by global marine fisheries has been declining since 1996.

“Reaching the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming…is not possible by only decarbonizing the global energy systems. Transformation to healthy diets from sustainable food systems is essential to achieving the Paris Agreement.”

The world’s population is expected to increase to 10 billion by 2050. The current system of food production is unsustainable.

When they looked at the effect of the foods we eat on the environment, the Commission concluded:

Beef and lamb are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and land use.

- The concern about land use is obvious because of the large amount of pasture land required to raise cattle and sheep.

- The concern about greenhouse gas emissions is because cattle and sheep are ruminants. They not only breathe out CO₂, but they also release methane into the atmosphere from fermentation in their rumens of the food they eat. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and it persists in the atmosphere 25 times longer than CO₂. The single most important thing we can do as individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to eat less beef and lamb. [Note: grass fed cattle produce more greenhouse gas emissions than cattle raised on corn because they require 3 years to bring to market rather than 2 years.]

In terms of energy use beef, lamb, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs all require much more energy to produce than any of the plant foods.

In terms of eutrophication of our lakes and oceans, beef, lamb, and pork, all cause much more eutrophication than any plant food. Dairy and eggs cause more eutrophication than any plant food except fruits.

In contrast, plant crops reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

What Is The Planetary Diet?

It starts with a vegetarian diet. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, soy foods, and whole grains are the foundation of the diet.

It allows the option of adding one serving of dairy a day (It turns out that cows produce much less greenhouse emissions per serving of dairy than per serving of beef. That’s because cows take several years to mature before they can be converted to meat, and they are emitting greenhouse gases the entire time).

It allows the option of adding one 3 oz serving of fish or poultry or one egg per day.

It allows the option of swapping seafood, poultry, or egg for a 3 oz serving of red meat no more than once a week. If you want a 12 oz steak, that would be no more than once a month.

This is obviously very different from the way most Americans currently eat. According to the Commission:

“This would require greater than 50% reduction in consumption of unhealthy foods, such as red meat and sugar, and greater than 100% increase in the consumption of healthy foods, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes”.

“In addition to the benefits for the environment, “dietary changes from current diets to healthy diets are likely to substantially benefit human health, averting about 10.8-11.6 million deaths per year globally.”

What Else Did The Commission Recommend?

In addition to changes in our diets, the Commission also recommended several changes in the way food is produced. Here are a few of them.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel used to transport food to market.

Reduce food losses and waste by at least 50%.

Make radical improvements in the efficiency of fertilizer and water use. In terms of fertilizer, the change would be two-fold:

- In developed countries, reduce fertilizer use and put in place systems to capture runoff and recycle the phosphorous.

- In third world countries, make fertilizer more available so that crop yields can be increased, something the Commission refer to as eliminating the “yield gap” between third world and developed countries.

Stop the expansion of new agricultural land use into natural ecosystems and put in place policies aimed at restoring and re-foresting degraded land.

Manage the world’s oceans effectively to ensure that fish stocks are used responsibly and global aquaculture (fish farm) production is expanded sustainability.

What we can do: While most of these are government level policies, we can contribute to the first three by reducing personal food waste and purchasing organic produce locally whenever possible.

What Does This Mean For You?

If you are a vegan, you are probably asking why the Commission did not recommend a completely plant-based diet. The answer is that a vegan diet is perfect for the health of our planet. However, the Commission wanted to make a diet that was as consumer-friendly as possible and still meet their goals of a healthy, environmentally friendly, and sustainable diet.

Develop your strategy for enjoying some of your favorite foods within the parameters of the Planetary Diet and have fun with it.

The Bottom Line

is your diet destroying the planet? This is not a new question, but a recent commission of international scientists has conducted a comprehensive study into our diet and its effect on our health and our environment. Their report serves as a dire warning of what will happen to us and our planet if we don’t change our ways.

The Commission carefully evaluated diet and food production methods and asked three questions:

Are they good for us?

Are they good for the planet?

Are they sustainable? Will they be able to meet the needs of the projected population of 10 billion people in 2050 without degrading our environment.

The Commission described the typical American diet as a “lose-lose-lose diet”. It is bad for our health. It is bad for the planet. And it is not sustainable.

In its place they carefully designed their version of a primarily plant-based diet they called a “win-win-win diet”. It is good for our health. It is good for the planet. And, it is sustainable.

I have spoken before about the importance of a primarily plant-based diet for our health. In that context it is a personal choice. It is optional.

However, this report is a wake-up call. It puts a primarily plant-based diet in an entirely different context. It is essential for the survival of our planet. It is no longer optional.

If you care about global warming…If you care about saving our planet, there is no other choice.

For more details read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.